A graduate student’s lifestyle is largely determined by their limited funds. Poverty and PhD are almost synonymous terms. I have been lucky to hold a graduate research assistance position at a well funded department. But, I had not realized how bad it could be until I received emails from the Graduate School about supplies for students living through food insecurities due to Covid-19. Getting by with little is one thing. But, having food insecurities was too much for me to digest for a first world country.

It appears to me that the US, among other countries, does not sufficiently care about the well being of one of its most vulnerable social classes. Students are given the bare minimum to survive; their health coverage is usually lacking; they barely receive any supporting services; and they get no official vacation days.

Public universities are funded by the government. As such, the livelihood of their students is a direct function of how much budget they receive from those government. According to this source, the US federal, state, and local governments have collectively spent only about 172 billion dollars in 2017. If compared to the total US GDP that year of 19.49 trillion dollars, that is a mere 0.8% of the total budget. On the other hand, according to this source, there were 19.9 million students in higher education in 2019. Compared to the 328.2 million people living in the US, that is 6% of the population. The contrast is staggering.

If student funding was raised by even 1% higher, that would make a world of difference to the student’s quality of life. Doing research and creating knowledge is something that needs a clear mind, not one distracted by the struggle for the basic life necessities. I look forward to the day when policy makers realize that.