May 1 Update: After the Day of Action of May 1, in which hundreds of grads made hundreds of calls to push for this extension to four key members of the Princeton administration, we are going to be pivoting to more direct forms of action. As such, we are not actively soliciting signatures on this open letter, but please feel free to sign. We are accepting more testimonials, so if you are a Princeton grad and you would like to share your story, you can do so below.
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Over the last few weeks, PGSU has been receiving numerous testimonials and statements from grads detailing how the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted their research. Cancelled conferences, grants, fieldwork opportunities, and more that only happen once a year have severely delayed grads’ research progress. Many universities have taken steps to stopping-the-clock for one year, for tenure-track faculty. It is the logically conclusive, and morally correct, step to extend this provision to grad workers as well. We join the many other grad union organizations around the country in calling for Princeton University to extend all graduate student fellowships, benefits, time-to-degree deadlines, and related international student support (I-20s and DS2019s) by one full year. Please take a look at our open letter below and add your name.