Resources for TAs — How to Speak to Students
Many undergrads who are not involved in the protests at the Capitol have a lot of questions about what’s going on. To help with this, some of our members have worked with undergrads to address ways to talk about the Teach Out.
Undergrads are working on their own campaigns to reach out to their peers but think that it is important for TAs to talk to their students about what has been going on and answer questions about the Budget Repair Bill and its ramifications for the university.
Whether or not undergrads choose to support us by participating in the teach-outs and the other events at the Capitol, it is important that they know why we are participating, what the Budget Repair Bill means to us and to the university and that we care very much about their education.
It is also important for us to acknowledge students who may want to participate in the teach-outs but feel that they cannot because it might jeopardize their ability to complete their degree.
Specifically, some of the undergrads are concerned that students who are on scholarship, and who must maintain a specific GPA to keep their scholarship have been left out of the campus events organized to protest the bill.
We cannot encourage you to use class time to talk to your students about all these issues regarding the Budget Repair Bill and the opposition to it unless you feel it is relevant to the subject of the class. We do, however, strongly encourage you to talk to your students outside of class. You can talk to them immediately after class, hold extra office hours, etc. We know that doing this is an extra burden on your time but we feel that this communication with undergrads is critical. You can also inform your students that specific events are going on. You should not encourage your students to attend these events but you can let them know what events are happening, when and where.
Here is a set of talking points that you can pass out to your undergrads to answer questions that they have about the teach out.