Graduate students at OU will join a nationwide effort to protest a tax plan that would increase the amount of taxes they are required to pay at an upcoming planned rally.
The national #GradTaxWalkout aims to unite the voices of individuals against a national tax plan that passed through the Senate Budget Committee Nov. 28 that would require graduate students pay to taxes on money earned through tuition waivers and by working at universities.
OU’s Grad Tax Walkout/Rally, scheduled at noon Wednesday, Nov. 29 on the South Oval, was organized by Alise Dabdoub, first year industrial/organizational psychology doctoral student, and Samantha Elliott, second year industrial/organizational psychology doctoral student.
“It’s affecting a group that is already disadvantaged in some capacities because we don’t get paid very much, and to tax our tuition waivers would impact us even more,” Elliott said. “In some cases, if you calculate it out, it could potentially raise taxes anywhere from 100 to 1,000 percent.”
Elliott said that should the plan be passed through the Senate, the effects would not only cause financial strain on students from low socio-economic backgrounds, but possibly extend to impact the university beyond monetary concerns.
“The University of Oklahoma is categorized as a ‘Research One’ university, so we have a lot of research going on, and if this (tax plan) were to happen … it would then maybe prompt students to not pursue higher education and therefore our school would lose a lot of researchers, like Ph.D. or master's-level researchers,” Elliot said.
The national Grad Tax Walkout/Rally campaign encourages many different methods of involvement, which include not only walking in the rally, but also calling local senators, gathering at local representatives’ offices and publicizing the message via social media, according to the national Grad Tax Walkout/Rally's website.
Elliott said the most impactful way students can be involved is by contacting their legislators.
“If students are not able to attend … it is extremely important, probably most important, to contact your state representative,” she said. “Especially being in a red state and that this is a Republican tax bill, it is important that we contact our legislators and let them know that we don’t support the bill in its current state.”
