More than 20 graduate student instructors graded homework assignments outside LSA Associate Dean John Cross's office in the LSA Building yesterday.
The grade-in was an attempt by the GSIs, who teach in the romance language and literature department, to demonstrate how much time and effort is spent on grading work turned in by undergraduate students in their classes.
The GSIs said they intend to hold grade-ins on the fourth-floor hallway of the LSA Building until they receive a reply from the dean's office regarding internal and external reviews on reducing GSI workloads.
"We are looking for a long-term solution to a historical problem at this institution," said GSI Maria Elena Cepeda, a third-year romance language graduate student.
The grade-in is sponsored by the Ad Hoc Committee on Teaching Load, a group of romance language GSIs who are supported by the GSI union Graduate Employees' Organization. In addition to graduate student support, the grade-in's goals are endorsed by the professors and administration of the romance languages department, Cepeda said.
"There is widespread support from the faculty," said romance languages associate Prof. David Caron.
Kristine Pettersen, a romance language graduate student, stressed that the current situation affects both the undergraduate students studying romance languages and the GSIs who teach them.
"Many undergraduate students have a common concern that we are overworked," Pettersen said. "If our load is reduced, it would improve their situation."
Faculty members agreed that the current system causes problems for undergraduate romance language students.
"This is not only a workload issue but also an academic issue," said Jarrod Hayes, a romance language associate professor. "It is impossible to have a proper foreign language education when the GSIs are overworked."
AHCTL has been in correspondence with the dean's office since the beginning of the semester, seeking answers to the problem of teaching multiple sections of romance language classes in a single term.
The group met formally with Cross to discuss their concerns in December and requested a response by Jan. 8 to a document entitled "A Case for Reducing Teaching Load in Romance Languages." When no response was given, AHCTL sent the results of an external review on reducing GSI workload to the dean's office in February. In protest of the office's continued lack of response, the grade-ins were organized.
When questioned about the delay, Cross responded that he was currently in the process of finalizing a formal written response to the suggestions.
"It would have been finished yesterday if not for all the hectic things going on in this office," Cross said.
The current system forces most GSIs to work more than the allotted 16 hours a week for each section they teach.
"I'm teaching Spanish 231, which has four exams to grade plus a final exam," Pettersen said. "The students also write three journal entries a week, for which I write extensive comments, and two formal compositions, for which I make comments on the draft and then grade the final copy. In addition to that, I have to grade class participation, workbooks, oral exams and hold extra office hours each week."
AJA DEKLEVA COHEN/Daily
Graduate Student Instructor Melinda Waterhouse participated in the grade-in yesterday in the LSA building with her Romance language co-workers.