Category: Official Statements

Response to Trigger Warning and Safe Spaces Letter

September 11, 2016

To the University of Chicago Community: Two weeks ago, University administration issued a letter to the incoming class of 2020. This letter, written ostensibly in order to reassert the institution’s commitment to the values of academic freedom and diversity, explicitly states that the University does not support the use of “trigger warnings,” nor the creation … More Response to Trigger Warning and Safe Spaces Letter

Solidarity Statement: We Stand Together With University of Missouri-Columbia Graduate Employees

October 29, 2015

Graduate Students United at the University of Chicago stands in solidarity with University of Missouri-Columbia graduate employees who have stated their intention to unionize. The struggle came on the heels of a battle over healthcare access earlier this year. Citing changes in federal law related to the Affordable Care Act, the university abruptly ended its … More Solidarity Statement: We Stand Together With University of Missouri-Columbia Graduate Employees

The Institution is the Problem: Graduate Students Respond to Racism on Campus

December 4, 2014

The recent post on a student’s Facebook page the week of November 17 frightened and disgusted graduate students across campus. We were horrified by the acts of overt racism and worried about the risk that such threats posed to students. But we want to clarify to the administration that the problem of racism on campus … More The Institution is the Problem: Graduate Students Respond to Racism on Campus

Trauma Care Statement

May 23, 2014

On Monday 19th May, a group of protestors associated with the Trauma Care Coalition [1], including two members of Graduate Students United, chained themselves to the construction site of the new University of Chicago Medical Center Emergency Room. The action was meant to highlight that all was not business as usual. Seven protesters were forcefully … More Trauma Care Statement

Statement on Sunday’s Events at Trauma Center Protest

January 30, 2013

On Sunday January 27th, four protesters were harassed, assaulted, and arrested by the University of Chicago Police Department. Among these four was Toussaint Losier, a Ph.D. student in History at the University and a member of Graduate Students United. Toussaint was one of a number of concerned community members peacefully protesting the administration’s decision to construct … More Statement on Sunday’s Events at Trauma Center Protest

Resolution in support of Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO), University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

November 28, 2012

While we just heard the good news that our friends at the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) reached a tentative contract agreement with the administration of UI Urbana-Champaign, we at GSU wanted to voice our support. Here is a link to a petition of support for GEO and below is the text of a resolution of … More Resolution in support of Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO), University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Open Letter to the Faculty

November 2, 2012

Dear Faculty of the University of Chicago, We, the undersigned students and members of Graduate Students United (GSU), are writing to explain why we believe graduate student employee unionization would be a positive development for the university as a whole — graduate students, undergraduates, faculty, and staff alike. A letter sent by the Provost’s Office … More Open Letter to the Faculty

Resolution in support of the Chicago Teachers Union

September 16, 2012

Graduate Students United, University of Chicago Resolution in Support of the CTU Whereas all students deserve the right to a quality public education in their neighborhood school, and Whereas all students deserve smaller class sizes to receive adequate attention from teachers, and Whereas all students deserve access to a broad and diverse curriculum that includes … More Resolution in support of the Chicago Teachers Union