Members of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) said that State Rep. Jeanne Ives’ disparaging comments about graduate workers last week are a distraction from a bigger issue. Ives, a Republican from Wheaton, is opposed to legislation that would expand union rights to graduate research assistants.

Graduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign worry that the Republican tax reform plan could make their education more expensive.