This was a major sore spot, and a great financial difficulty, as they were supposed to pay a substantial fee before they had received any pay themselves. In the past, we have declined to support increases in benefits for TAs. Some of the things that they have asked for in the past were unreasonable, considering the benefits provided to graduate students at other universities, as well as those that could be reasonably expected in the private sector. It is unreasonable for them to expect full benefits for their dependents, at least in light of the Tucson job market. It is, however, perfectly reasonable to have their tuition deducted over time.
All students have a large financial burden at the beginning of the semester.
As Provost Davis explained, we have to put down deposits on apartments and the other costs associated with beginning a new year. For graduate students, however, this is a special burden. While the rest of us pay for these with money jobs we have, the TAs don't begin to get paid until two weeks after the start of the semester, at best. Such action on behalf of the university is heartening. In negotiations between university administration and Students Against Sweatshops, finding common ground seems impossible.