Approximately 30 graduate students gathered in the Divinity School Atrium on Oct. 30 to protest recent comments allegedly made by university administrators — including Vanderbilt Divinity School Dean Yolanda Pierce — during a hearing with the National Labor Relations Board on Oct. 25. This protest follows a petition filed by Vanderbilt Graduate Workers United on Oct. 2 with the National Labor Relations Board and a hearing that began on Oct. 21.
In an Oct. 25 Instagram post by VGWU, graduate students allege that Pierce stated that teaching assistants are “allowed” to work in their roles “for their own growth.” As this was a closed hearing, The Hustler has not been able to obtain a transcript from the session.
“This hearing wouldn’t be necessary if Vanderbilt wasn’t trying to make the argument that we aren’t working for Vanderbilt and instead are ‘volunteers,’” the post reads.
In a message to The Hustler, a representative from the university expressed concern with the allegations of comments made by Pierce.
“It is disheartening that testimony at the hearing has been taken out of context and the meaning twisted to serve the union’s agenda,” the statement reads. “We are stunned that university leaders who are widely respected and deeply supportive of graduate students are being characterized in such an unscrupulous manner.”
The representative also clarified their view of the statements made about TAs during the hearing.
“In context, all are referring to the opportunities and support we provide to students who have made the choice to forgo full-time employment to pursue educational goals, including experiential opportunities for the practice of instruction and research that will prepare them for careers as academics, scholars and professionals,” the university said. “As part of their scholarly development, we encourage doctoral students to engage in teaching and research assistantships that are aligned with their individual goals.”
Divinity School protest
The event opened with speeches by organizers, followed by a moment of note writing introduced by Hannah Martin, a second-year master of divinity student. Martin invited attendees to write letters expressing their gratitude toward TAs to be later delivered to the dean’s office.
“VDS graduate students deserve to be compensated for the valuable work they do each and every day because every M.Div. student is here because of the work that [graduate] students do,” Martin said.
In a conversation with The Hustler, Martin expressed her support for the recent graduate student unionization efforts.
“I’ve heard the frustrations from my fellow students,” Martin said. “I know that for me personally, I couldn’t live in Nashville and be a graduate student worker, and the importance of supporting this movement was just too great.”
Following the letter writing, the protest continued with personal testimonials from various graduate students, with many sharing their experiences and reading scripture from various religious texts. Second-year master of divinity student Jessica Moore-Lucas expressed gratitude for the work of teaching assistants.
“I came to this institution because it proclaims itself the school of the prophets — because, after years of being in Nashville and being involved in justice-seeking pursuits, I’ve always had Vanderbilt Divinity School students and faculty at my side at protests,” Moore-Lucas said. “I came to the school of prophets, and prophets don’t lie. The labor of TAs and other graduate student workers on this campus have made my experience here worthwhile and valuable.”
Madelynn Roche — a third-year master of divinity student — shared stories with those gathered of two TAs she worked with during her time at Vanderbilt, saying their expertise in the classroom was “invaluable.” Roche said the time she spent with these TAs deepened her understanding of the content she was learning in class. She also criticized the alleged statements made by Pierce and other university administrators. Roche said that TAs “deserve compensation” for their work, citing statements of purpose promoted on the VDS website.
“TAs have provided high-quality instruction that has shaped my thinking, encouraged collaboration between students, [created] games that fostered lasting relationships and [given] feedback on assignments that have pushed us to grow,” Roche said. “But they’ve done even more than that — they have cared for our spirits and provided opportunities for genuine faith formation.”
Fourth-year doctoral candidate Kelli Joyce said her admittance letter to the university had informed her that her stipend “would be dependent upon” her work as a TA or research assistant. Joyce expressed passion for this work but said she has been told that her service work is a condition of her stipend and health insurance.
“What I want is for that work to be recognized — for it to be respected — and therefore for graduate student workers to have a seat at the table in determining the conditions of our employment,” Joyce said. “I experienced what it is like when Vanderbilt dictates terms, and that is what I am finished with. That is why I signed a union card as soon as it was available for me to do, and that is why I’ll be voting yes when we have an election.”
Joyce said she sees labor rights as a “matter of justice,” and echoed concerns expressed by graduate students during the protest, saying students were “very upset” by alleged comments made during the hearing.
“After how disheartening last week was — and how dispiriting it was to hear the dean of the Divinity School say that TAs don’t provide anything of economic value and are volunteers — it was exactly what my heart needed to hear students I have taught speaking about the value they have experienced from TAs at Vanderbilt,” Joyce said.
The protest closed with graduate students performing the trade union anthem “Solidarity Forever,” to which attendees joined in singing. Afterwards, students jointly walked upstairs to the office of the dean to deliver the handwritten letters. Pierce was not present, so attendees slid the letters under her office door.
