I was supposed to travel to Europe this quarter where I would conduct dissertation research until July. Because of COVID-19, I’ve had to cancel all the plans I made for that, effectively pushing my project’s archival research progress back indefinitely. I also had to take a job on campus at the last moment that will pay me only about $670 before taxes over the entire quarter, necessitating me to find more work outside of campus. As an aside, the next time you buy something that’s over $70, keep in mind that that’s more than my weekly wages from the university.
As an aside, the next time you buy something that’s over $70, keep in mind that that’s more than my weekly wages from the university.
While my wife’s income is greater for now, she is also a graduate student. We will be left in a potentially ruinous financial situation between July and November, as we always are.
On top of this, my wife and I need to help support her parents abroad. If we are put into financial distress here, we cannot send them money for food.
It is imperative that we receive summer stipends. We should have been receiving them before because, to be frank, the funding awards that the department gives out were not enough to see us through travel plans and paying rent in Santa Barbara before this crisis.
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