I've done some clicking around on various WSU department websites. I'll let you do your own research, but it seems like most departments (at the PhD level, and across disciplines) offer TA positions and, with them, tuition waivers, health insurance, and 9 month stipends (paid biweekly). This is again in line with my own experience at other US institutions.<modsnip>
Here's the link once again:
Graduate Student Funding Opportunities
WSU Graduate School Funding Current Job Openings Come back soon! WSU Assistantships and Awards Assistantship appointments provide financial support to a graduate student who engages in teaching (TA), research (RA), and/or service (SA or GA). Departments and programs generally make assistantship...gradschool.wsu.edu
So, what that leads me to believe is that the criminology program has achieved some degree of outside funding. Whenever a program departs from minimum financial assistance to grad students, it's because they have self-sought additional funding.
Which brings me around to another point. By doing what he did, BK has also damaged the reputation of the grad program in general, and whoever his specific prof was, in particular. But the reputational damage to WSU Criminology program is significant.
IMO. They have the funds (apparently) to give full rides to their chosen few. Or not (there are many "special admissions exceptions" to grad school). Was BK one of the chosen few? Do we know?
Or was he admitted under the general rules? That's my question. He would have been really worried when his TA-ship went south if he was "chosen few" and blew his first year prof's expectations.
Financial aid, due to federal requirements, is always year to year. I've never seen an offer that wasn't. Well, certain chairs for professors are for life. Rare.
From WSU: Assistantship appointments provide financial support to a graduate student who engages in teaching, research, and/or service. Most assistantships include a tuition waiver, health insurance, and monthly stipend. Graduate assistants are required to work 20 hours per week during the semester in which they receive the assistantship. Departments and programs generally make assistantship offers during the admissions process; however, current students may be eligible for an assistantship in their program if funding is available. Students should contact their department chair and/or program director for more information.Then WSU surely needs to update its grad program page (as do many other institutions). I am *very* surprised to hear that as second tier public institution (like the one where I work) would make this kind of promise.
Graduate Student Funding Opportunities
WSU Graduate School Funding Current Job Openings Come back soon! WSU Assistantships and Awards Assistantship appointments provide financial support to a graduate student who engages in teaching (TA), research (RA), and/or service (SA or GA). Departments and programs generally make assistantship...
Go down to jobs part. Where I work, the huge majority of doctoral candidates receive *no* aid (it's public tax money).
More: Graduate assistants who maintain at least a half-time (20 hrs. /wk.) appointment are eligible for full tuition waivers. Students appointed a quarter time assistantship (10 hrs./wk.) are eligible for half tuition waivers. To qualify for a tuition waiver, students must reside within the state of Washington. Non-resident graduate students on assistantship appointments are eligible for a non-resident waiver for the out-of-state portion of tuition during the first year they are on assistantship appointment at WSU. During that first year, students are responsible for taking all necessary steps to establish legal residency in the state of Washington. If residency is not established, non-resident graduate students will be responsible for non-resident tuition after their first academic year. International students are provided an out-of-state tuition waiver with their assistantship appointment throughout their academic career.
From UC Riverside: UCR’s academic graduate students work part-time and typically receive total annual funding packages that average more than $38,000 annually or $12,868 quarterly. This includes nearly $22,000 in salary plus reimbursements for tuition and fees, health insurance premiums, and child care subsidies. (while the language is different, the takeaway is the same: stipend, tuition waiver, and insurance for graduate workers across disciplines for part-time work, in WSU's term, half-time)
This is the norm for PhD programs in the US. I don't see the point in engaging with this debate further -- if the reason for this conversation was whether or not BK sought additional work, the answer is: possibly. I still have yet to see a source that confirmed BK was being penalized for his performance as a TA, but if that is the case / the question at hand, I could definitely see his perceived failure as a TA influencing his self worth and perhaps factoring into the commission of the crime.
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