UI Graduate Workers Will See Relief From Payroll Glitch with Grant Money

Nearly 200 University of Illinois Urbana campus graduate workers affected by a payroll glitch can receive emergency grant money this semester.

U of I spokeswoman Robin Kaler said the university is temporarily raising the cap on that program, so anyone impacted will be able to recoup what they were losing by the university's failure to collect taxes on tuition waivers the last seven years.

Revised figures show about 170 grad assistants were impacted, but Kaler said only six are to receive no pay over the next three months. One hundred ten of them will see a pay reduction of 10-percent or less. Graduate Employees Organization spokesman Christopher Simeone said he is happy to see the U of I stepped up and took the blame.

"We felt from the beginning that although this is a series of accidents that this was ultimately the University's responsibility," Simeone said. "We felt that it was unjust to hand down the consequences of the mistakes unto least able to bear those consequences."

Kaler said the cap for emergency grants is being temporarily increased to $2,200 this semester, allowing to recoup what would have received over the next three months. Students are normally limited to $500 a semester through the grants.

Kaler said there are other situations in which others students would apply for the grants.

"You do not have to be a GA or a PGA to apply for this program," she said. "If for example, you have a job on campus and you also have a job in the community somewhere and you've lost your job, you would be a candidate to apply for this."

Grant forms are being made available in the next couple of days, with the money expected with seven to 10 days. When the payroll error was discovered, some graduate workers indicated they would have to withdraw from school. Simeone said he can't verify that anyone did, but says members of the GEO were 'very scared'.

He said the union is still concerned about future problems regarding tax withholdings, and is working with the U of I to help plan members' budgets. He said the GEO is also trying to contact US Senator Dick Durbin's office about potential revisions to federal tax law.