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As I read the staff editorial published on Feb. 7, I realized that there existed a few misconceptions and, perhaps, assumptions regarding graduate students at the University of Maine. As a graduate student and a teaching assistant, I feel that a response is not only appropriate but necessary. I could not agree more with the value associated with graduate students. It is through the hard work and research of these students that UMaine is able to maintain a high-caliber graduate program. Unfortunately, that is one of the few points we agree on.
There is no underlying principle to collegiate teaching. One may expect that with time a professor’s skills will become honed, perfected, enthused and understandable to students of different learning styles. This simply is not the case. Teaching style is as individual as the genes that make the professor unique. As such, there is more than one possible outcome to every encounter; for every great professor or lackluster teaching assistant there also exists an entrenched scholar or an energetic new mind to the field.
Passion, knowledge and experience are all desirable traits for a professor, but the list does not stop there. The capacity to connect with the student and transfer information are also necessary. Graduate students are often better equipped to bridge the gap and find new and creative ways to relay concepts to undergraduates. Also, let’s not forget that those seasoned professionals all had to start as graduate students. I am enrolled in my graduate program for an education and for experience. Teaching experience is now a common and integral part to graduating and moving into a professorship.
Graduate students allow programs that may be strapped for tenure-track faculty positions to offer a wider variety of courses to our increasing undergraduate student body. Interestingly, an article was printed in the same edition regarding the increased time-to-graduation for many students. If teaching assistants were not there to provide instruction for the required basic courses of a program, then the time-to-graduation would be even longer, since programs would not be able to accommodate as many students. As such, TAs are saving undergraduates money by providing broad access to essential classes.
On the same note, to provide the same course availability taught by professors would require the university to fill many new faculty positions. This in itself is not a bad concept until we consider the implications of a tuition increase necessary to create those positions. For the cost of tuition at UMaine – which is lower than many northeast regional universities – we as students are currently provided with a breadth of experienced professors.
If, at any time, you as a student believe that the value of your education is being compromised on any level, I encourage you to seek out your department chair or college dean and share your concerns. Standards are in place for TAs and tenure-track professors alike to maintain the quality education that we receive at UMaine. If you feel that the setup for a course is inadequate, then approach the instructor. If the response you receive falls on deaf ears, then use the quality-assurance system that is in place: fill out a course evaluation and sign it. The university uses these student-based surveys to understand the effectiveness of a course and the teacher implementing it.
Jared Worful is a graduate student in biochemistry, a teaching assistant and president of Graduate Student Senate.
