This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
According to a release from the Campaign to Organize Graduate Students at the University of Iowa, Ph.D. and Masters students were informed of changes to their employment contracts Wednesday night or Thursday, stating all prospective and current graduate admissions will be rescinded or revised.
COGS member Cary Stough said the emails are based on a directive from the Iowa Board of Regents as there are growing concerns about available federal funding after President Donald Trump made cuts to federal research funding.
“The university advised that funding for graduate students, current and recently accepted, will include disclaimers in updated contracts that funding is dependent on availability and not guaranteed,” a release from COGS said. “While the university claims this ‘is not a sign that employment contracts are not being honored,’ it is hard to see how this isn’t a breach of contract.”
All current graduate students will receive new contracts despite having previously signed funding package contracts guaranteeing years of money, according to the email sent to students in the English department. Prospective graduate students will have their admissions offers rescinded entirely.
Stough said these contracts will be given on a year-by-year basis, and continuous funding is no longer guaranteed.
“Every single graduate student I’ve talked to, whether they are an RA, a TA, on fellowship, whether they are adjunct faculty, everyone is extremely worried and extremely angry about this,” Stough said. “Pressure is building, and the university will need to answer some questions, or they’re going to have a problem on their hands.”
According to the UI Department of English’s website, the department funds English Ph.D. students through assistantships and fellowships, while students entering with a Master’s degree generally receive support for five to six years.
“We are not changing the terms of employment, nor are we rescinding employment contracts,” the email states. “This changes the promise of funding that students were given upon admission to the institution. It is not a sign that employment contracts are not being honored. We know this may be a departure from past practice for a given program.”
The email to students said this new policy is similar to other universities that base their graduate funding upon available resources.
“Many of our peer research universities already include disclaimers in their graduate admissions materials stating that funding is contingent upon the availability of resources and is not guaranteed due to the competitive and variable nature of funding sources, such as grants and institutional budgets,” the email states.
The UI said, however, it is unaware of any contract changes and encourages each department to promote consistency and transparency when outlining contingencies on financial support and employment offers.
“The university is not aware of any current or prospective graduate student applications, admissions, or employment offers that have been rescinded,” a university release states. “Given the current uncertainties in the funding environment, the university believes it is important to ensure that all prospective and admitted graduate students are fully aware of the contingencies that come with financial support.”