Fewer TAs in classroom hurts quality of teaching

TO THE EDITOR:

I have read the article “Fewer teaching assistants hired” in The Daily Tar Heel (Sept. 5), and I am disappointed.

The fact that UNC departments have to hire fewer teaching assistants is an alarming sign for graduate students who can only afford to do their research because they are offered the positions of teaching assistants.

For some students the cuts would mean financial and, thus, academic bankruptcy. It is also an acknowledgement of failure on an educational level.

First, in many departments graduate teaching assistants are fundamental for the qualitative education of undergraduates.

If the trend to consolidate classes into fewer sections and to hire fewer and fewer teaching assistants continues, the great undergraduate education UNC generally offers, will certainly suffer.

Second, for the education and training of graduate students the experience of teaching is indispensable to their potential to find a job. The likelihood of finding a good job without enough thorough teaching experience is limited.

As a result, the data of how good UNC is in placing its Ph.D. students will look less promising.


Friederike Bruehoefener
Graduate Student
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