The strikes poisoning the well for Visitas students is really pissing me off. Like just because Harvard only pays you 25k +20$ an hour for a part time job doesn’t mean that it isn’t a great institution and people shouldn’t attend.

Harvard

Fr - even if you agree with the demands, it isn’t current students’ fault and it certainly isn’t prefrosh’s fault

It can be a wonderful institution and have deep flaws! And the strike demands aren’t just about living wages for students (thought that’s very important) but also protections for immigrant workers and basic job safety!!

you just contradicted yourself in the same message idk how not paying a living wage + great institution can be in the same sentence

“Just because HARVARD only pays you $25k + $20/hr”

The TFs can’t eat prestige. Yes, Harvard is such a great institution but using that as a leverage and excuse to not pay the TFs well is so ironic. That is exactly what happened during the anthropology department scandal a few years ago. A lot of female students dropping out of PhD programs just because Harvard wasn’t taking action when a professor was harassing these amazing women. Letting the strike persist till the weekend is Harvard’s fault. Let the TFs pull all the strings that they can.

I mean the whole point is to disturb things

It is a great institution for undergraduates in almost all cases, and certainly when compared to its peers. The strikers are arguing that it is not a great institution for graduate students, and that is a perfectly fair argument for them to make. But that should not be mixed with prefrosh’s undergraduate college choice, which is unrelated. The strikers are doing prefrosh a disservice by demanding they make a (probably incorrect) decision based on an issue that doesn’t really affect them.

I simply don’t think it’s fair to think that just because an issue does not affect you, you should ignore it. If you are not going to view the school as an institution that includes its graduate students, then that’s an extremely narrow consideration of what a “great institution” is

What you don’t understand is that TFing is a part time job and isn’t meant to be lived off of. The vast majority of grad student income is coming from research stipends which are much more than 25k

I don’t think they think it is the pre-frosh’s fault, but the goal is embarrass the university into action

Hot take: a lot of u are lapdogs who care more about status quo than actual change. Harvard is one of the top research unis in the world, and a lot of that is due to grad students. Have solidarity and stop caring more about inconvenience than change 😒

The good grad students producing anything of value are well compensated. The complit g8 who hasn’t put out a single publication as a grad students doesn’t deserve my sympathy

The tfs are currently screwing up my life. There is a way to protest while still supporting students. It just makes me hate the cause even if it has some truth

I see this as a microcosm of the US at large rn. Instead of striking / supporting workers in solidarity, people focus more on individual value. Oh this person isn’t doing enough so their entire point is moot (or this person doesn’t bring value so their life doesn’t matter). See the parallel? What are we talking about?? Look at the larger picture and take ur head out the sand

Yes. The grad students producing the work they are supposed to and completing their degree in time should be and are well compensated. The professional student who has decided to mail in the last half decade and wants to live off TFing part time half the year should be ignored.

If u opened ur mind beyond Harvard, this seemingly absurd point (which u make no actual argument against) is the case. Certain grad students (ones at top schools) get funded, others (ones at not top schools) don’t/get way less. The better ones deserve more.

I did not say this person doesn’t bring value so their life doesn’t matter lmao. I did say if I they don’t bring value then the uni should not fund them. Individual value matters as determinant of compensation. And the idea that we r supposed to treat Harvard phd students as “workers” and not the elite in training that they are is ridiculous. These kids get 55k a year for 5 years and the only actual labor they perform is 48 weeks of part time TFing. If they do their program right, they

Get a ton of outside funding on top of their standard compensation. If they are three years overdue on their program and not doing what they are supposed to be doing, I could not give a fuck

No. I am saying if they do the standard work in the standard time, they are completely fine. If they are failing, then these financial pressures become real. We should not design policy around failing phd students

I think Harvard has zero obligation to a g8

My claim is they do support the grad students who on are track. Thats why the most vocal ones are not accomplished g4s but failing g7/8s. They get 55k to go to school for half the year the first two years, to TF part time for half the year the next two, and then to finish their diss. There is ample time and opportunity, as every competent grad student does, to get considerable additional funding, consult on the side, write for pay, etc.

Have u even read their full list of demands? They could have gotten a re-authed contract. Instead they are going for something much much much more—including a separate anti harassment clause, instead of negotiating the uni wide one, against which Hs position is correctly that no, everyone at H will be protected the same and we can negotiate in that but u don’t get a special one

And no shit the union disagrees with my argument against the union. R u stupid? And who doesn’t want more money? Plenty don’t this is necessary cuz they are well funded elsewhere, but who would take the cash?

My issue is both. And yes I am, because the institution is right. I think 55k for a less than 40hr week “job” that exists half the year (even tho this “job” is just personal academic work) for years 1, 2, and 5 and then the same for when they have no classes and TF part time for half the year in years 3 and 4 is plenty.

Don’t make stupid arguments and I won’t have to ask.

No. The place I asked if u were stupid was because your response to my claims against the union is that the union disagrees. That is like me saying Trump so bad and u saying Trump actually says he’s good so ur wrong. Thats stupid.

Asking if someone is stupid when  they make a stupid argument does not reflect an inability to control emotions. It was stupid. Hence why u have still yet to defend the specific point I was calling stupid as being not stupid. Instead u resort to “they called me mean word,” despite the mean words accuracy

No. I said I disagree with X for A, B, C reasons. You said X actually thinks u r wrong, and X thinking ur anti X argument is wrong is all the proof I need to demonstrate you are wrong. That is an argument so poorly constructed that it is stupid.

This is as true as anything can get. You made a terribly stupid argument. Sorry I didn’t mince words to protect ur fragile ego.

See the two comments above if u need more on why I called that specific component of your argument stupid. On the broader claims, I don’t need to convince you. I just want the good counter to this sympathy baiting solidarity argument to circulate. Seeing the likes and dislikes above, I feel that has been accomplished.

Idk who tf you are but I am a huge fan of yours

Wtf are u talking abt u clearly blocked them so u can’t see their comments hahahaha

Looks more like you couldn’t stand being wrong and blocked #1 💀

1) i don’t think I’m wrong - I’m just not going back and forth with someone who isn’t arguing in good faith 2) Why would I block someone 😭 I stand on everything I say! ig they blocked me which means they couldn’t stand on business 🤷‍♀️ sucks to suck

Educate yourself and form ur own opinion instead of being a bandwagon standing in the corner saying “someone cooked you”. Grow up!

Here’s the thing tho: I hear u saying “me, me, me”. Instead of stepping outside of yourself for a second and thinking about collective good (grad students being supported means more success for harvard and more help for undergrads) you think about how it’s affecting you specifically. Stop being so individualistic - you’re willing to hate/abandon the cause even though you know they’re right because you’re inconvenienced. How much are you willing to abandon others for your comfort?

This is about me. It’s about me and every other student at Harvard that pay thousands of dollars to go here. If we’re thinking about the collective, there are a lot more students being hurt by the strike than there are grad students that have the potential to benefit from it. The TFs knew what the were signing up for, an decided to help students grow. They now have decided to stop working and refuse to hold office hours, explain comments they previously made on work, or support students.

take your wokeness and holier than thou attitude elsewhere

Just as the grad students have an obligation to you, harvard has an obligation to them. It’s not just about wages it’s about them being protected (discrimination, immigrant students, etc) so no ur pset is not more important than their livelihood. Also 1) that’s not what woke means and 2) if I’m holier than thou for saying ur entitled then so be it!!

Well it’s clear you didn’t go to harvard for undergrad because you’re obviously not grasping the concept here. There is a right way to protest where they can still support students while sending a message to the school. Instead, they have entirely disregarded any obligation they have to students. If it was that much of a problem why did they sign on as TFs to begin with? I guess you also no longer care about what’s best for the collective if it doesn’t align with what you want. Classic.

Lmao what is with yall being so emotional like just respond to the argument there’s no need for personal attacks💀. What is the right way to protest? Also, they’ve been going back and forth w harvard for months for a contract and harvard was balking so that’s why they’re striking. What better way to “send a message” than during visitas?

“illegal aliens” jfc shut up white boy

They are immigrants and they came illegally. Sorry

overheard in berg: “do you guys know what sidechat is”

We BEEN here, lowkey boutta decommit from these depressed ass posts

The strike telling visitas kids not to go here has made me lose all respect and empathy for them.

Are they actually?? That’s some bullshit

Fr bro setting kids up for fail saying Yale over Harvard

it’s the schools fault for refusing to bargain for months on end though

I don’t understand why? Isn’t the point of the strike that harvard isn’t taking care of students/staff? Why would they stop that to say oh yes definitely come here to prospective students lmao

the visitas kids are more than capable of choosing for themselves 😭 if a strike convinces them not to go here maybe that’s for the best 🤷🏽‍♀️

I would say the same thing to them. I hate this place lol

Literally twenty seconds ago said they should go to Stanford instead

A significant plurality of people here? And a majority of students who get into both?

We can’t seriously have that much of a superiority complex that we’re saying kids who’d choose Yale are being set up for failure😭

You’re definitely getting 100% of your tuition paid for by the very same school you “hate”. PLEASE leave

Overheard a prefrosh say rizzitas huzz

I’m scawed

Eleganza motivated me to go to the gym because why does everyone have abs and huge asses

Lmao wow we had the same thought at the same time😭

Future classes of Harvard only getting more final club obsessed

i heard a prefrosh tell another pre frosh “we should join finals clubs”

I’m too social for the nerds here and too nerdy for the social ladder climbing elitists 😭

so real. can we be friends, fellow generalist?

This is getting upvoted by so many ppl, i’m not alone 🥹🥹

As someone who lowkey only applied to harvard early cuz it was my top choice, it’s always so interesting seeing prefrosh debate between other schools like wow you really have options. That must be so fun

I’ve seen three pre frosh girls get snatched walking by the PSK already. If you’re hosting a girl, warn her to avoid that part of Mount Auburn!!!!

Lowkey the PSK guys are more normal than the other clubs

At least the sophomores and maybe the juniors. Can’t speak to the seniors….