About 15% of University of Oregon graduate employees — or about 350 out of around 1,500 — have not received their September paychecks after what the university is describing as poor timing between the beginning of fall term and the deadlines for payroll processing.
The university expects to pay its GEs by Tuesday, Oct. 8, UO spokesperson Kay Jarvis said in a statement.
“The Payroll Department continues to work overtime to complete paperwork,” Jarvis said. “We have reached out to Graduate Employees to share options available for financial assistance through the Jesse M. Bell Graduate Loan and Fund. Loan applications will be processed immediately to expedite getting funds to affected GEs quickly.”
The Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation, which represents about 1,400 GEs at UO, has reached out to the university’s payroll and human resources departments, along with the UO Graduate School.
“Everyone is trying to work really hard to get this solution done as quickly as possible,” GTFF President Ellen Gillooly-Kress said. “People need to pay rent.”
Gillooly-Kress added that since GEs were expecting to receive their paychecks before the beginning of the month, some employees were unable to pay their rent or other expenses on time, incurring late fees as a result.
The GTFF first learned of the missing payments from members on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
GEs are graduate students who work in teaching, research and administrative assistantships. Their tuition is waived, and most teach or conduct research. All GEs are represented by the GTFF union, according to the UO graduate employment webpage.
Those who are in need of financial assistance can apply for the Jesse M. Bell Graduate Loan and Fund, Jarvis said. These loans can be made out to a maximum of $500 per applicant, according to the UO Graduate School’s website, and incur an $8 service charge to the student account.