Department of Political Science Chair Support Statement for UC Graduate Students, Fall 2022

As Chair of the Department of Political Science at UCLA I wish to express support for our graduate students. It is imperative to acknowledge that the academic labor of our teaching assistants, tutors, postdoctoral, undergraduate, and graduate student researchers help every one of us meet the diverse expectations and mandates of a public university. This poses unique challenges, especially as regards the ongoing financial instabilities faced by these academic laborers whose contributions to advancing knowledge excellence is hampered by the precarities they face. Finally, I pledge not to retaliate against academic workers in UAW 2865, UAW 5810, and SRU-UAW who participate in strike actions.