"I had two other PhD offers from NJ universities, both $12-17k higher than Stevens. I chose Stevens anyway, for the research and advisor match. But passion doesn't pay Hoboken rent, and Stevens doesn't even offer graduate housing in one of the country's most expensive rental markets. Meanwhile, constantly shifting departmental processes and deadlines create stress, delay candidacy advancement, and delay pay, with no accountability. I'm fighting for a stipend that reflects the real cost of living, affordable benefits for all, and an administration accountable to the graduate workers who build this university's research reputation."

"Stevens' offer letter promised first-year funding as a fellowship, with TA or RA work covering later years. It said nothing about health insurance, which I later found I had to pay for myself. My first summer was funded, but starting year two, summers aren't covered. We also lose two paychecks a year (end of fall and end of spring). So out of 12 months, we really only get paid for about 7: 3 summer months unfunded, 1 month lost to missing paychecks, and 1 month spent on health insurance. That's not enough to live on in New Jersey, let alone focus on real research. So I hope for an accountable authority that will look after the situation of the grad students."

“I’m not asking that Stevens compensate grad students so we can afford to live in Hoboken, one of the most expensive places to live in the country, but I’m asking that Stevens pays its grad students a reasonable stipend instead of telling us where the food pantry is. At the same time, Stevens increases fees and other costs without notice – all due before we get our first paychecks."

"Despite being a leading STEM institution, Stevens payroll has twice come to me saying they miscalculated my stipend salary, and forced me to give back thousands of dollars that had already been paid to me. This could have easily been prevented if PhD student workers had basic information about the stipend rates. Right now, everything is so arbitrary, and the only consistency among it all is that the rates are abysmally low in a region where the cost of living is high. If Stevens wants us to be the 'research engine' it claims we are, we PhD students must be ensured fair compensation, protections from arbitrary hiring and disciplinary practices, and dignity as vital workers to this institution."

“For an international PhD student, uncertainty about funding is not a minor administrative inconvenience. Visa restrictions make us heavily dependent on the university for both employment and financial stability. I have been fortunate to receive a TA appointment from my department, yet each summer brings the same uncertainty about whether funding will continue. Over the past two years, some of my friends have been left without summer support, while the rest of us wait without knowing whether we will be next. That uncertainty becomes even harder to manage when a payment of approximately $2,500 is due in the middle of the summer. Having previously studied at the University of Stuttgart, where graduate housing was available, I was surprised that Stevens provides no comparable option despite being located in one of the country’s most expensive rental markets. Even the limited support provided through campus shuttle service has been reduced to service after 5 p.m., shifting additional commuting costs onto students who cannot afford to live near campus. Graduate workers need predictable year-round funding, affordable benefits, accessible transportation, housing support, and clear policies that allow us to plan our lives and carry out our research responsibly.”

“Stevens changed their criteria for what constitutes a PhD Candidate in the middle of my PhD. I had become a PhD Candidate the semester before, but under the new rules I no longer qualified and was bumped back to a PhD student, which included a reduction in my stipend. The stipend we receive at Stevens is already inadequate for the cost of living in this area. To not have confidence in the consistency of income, and to have the possibility that our income can change without notice based on new rules that are implemented, leads to incredible financial insecurity. PhD students need to feel secure in our income so we can spend our energy focusing on progressing our research and professional development - things that ultimately benefit Stevens as well.”

“I'm at the end of my PhD, so nothing that changes now will change my years here. I'm speaking for the students I mentored who are still in it. I raised a family of five on this stipend, with no option to take work off campus. We live thirty minutes out because Hoboken rent was never within reach, and we plan our grocery runs around wherever the deals are that week. This year my health insurance went up $300, no notice, no explanation, on top of fees that arrive before the paychecks do. How is anyone supposed to do serious research while doing that math every month? I'm asking for a stipend that covers the real cost of living, health coverage we aren't billed extra for, an end to surprise fees, and an administration accountable to the people who build its research reputation."

“Soon, Stevens Institute of Technology will announce that it has reached R1 status, a designation that depends in part on research expenditures and doctoral student graduation rates. Stevens is very proud of its record-breaking research funding, highlighting grants from the NIH and NSF, among others. Although many of those grants were written entirely by research faculty, much of the research underlying them was inevitably conducted with the contributions of doctoral students. As for graduation rates, over 70 doctoral students have recently graduated, having devoted years of their lives to improving the productivity and quality of Stevens. And what is our reward for helping Stevens reach such a prestigious status? We receive less graduate conference funding, less graduate organization funding, and many students are being pressured to graduate early in a push to maintain this coveted R1 status. Although Stevens promises to “inspire, nurture and prepare students,” the actions of the administration make it clear that they will only truly value us once we are wealthy alumni helping to fund a public image that neglects the infrastructure on which it was founded.