Funding for graduate students in Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies is available in the form of graduate employment (GE). GEs are awarded on a competitive basis to applicants. Because this employment takes the form of teaching, award decisions take into account both the applicant’s scholarly promise and the applicant’s suitability for a teaching appointment.
Teaching duties vary according to the size of the fellowship. Most, though not all, teaching appointments in REEES are connected to the first two years of Russian language courses. A typical teaching assignment is calculated at 0.49 FTE. This amounts to teaching an entire section of first- or second-year Russian.
Benefits
The duties and benefits inherent in a GE are regulated by collective bargaining agreements between the university and the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation, the union for graduate employees. According to these agreements, each GE carries the following benefits:
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Graduate Employees (GEs) with an appointment equal to or greater than .20 FTE will receive a tuition waiver that exempts them from payment of the instruction fee portion of tuition on the first 16 credit hours per term.
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GEs are assessed non-instructional fees set by the Oregon University System (fees are not covered for GEs during the summer term).
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The one-time matriculation fee is waived for each graduate student whose first term as a GE is the term in which they matriculate.
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GEs are responsible for specific major and school fees that may apply.
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Tuition and fees are subject to change without additional notice.
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GEs are also eligible to receive health insurance benefits for the individual GE and at a subsidized rate for family members.
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A summer tuition waiver is available to students who will not be hired as GEs during the summer if they hold a FTE appointment at least two quarters of the academic year that precedes the summer in question.
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GEs receive a stipend for living expenses, calculated in relation to the size of the GE award, which in turn depends on the student’s teaching duties. Each award is described as a percentage of a full-time position, which would be 1.0 FTE (full-time equivalency).
Application Procedures
To apply, submit an online application for a GE with other application materials.
Since teaching appointments ordinarily involve Russian language teaching, GE applicants will be contacted by Russian language coordinator Lara Ravitch for a telephone interview in Russian.