Working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Institute for Critical Disability Studies

• GTAs are expected to keep timely communication with ICDS co-directors and staff during business hours, including email correspondence, responding to calendar invitations for scheduled meetings, and taking initiative to reschedule meetings that are missed.
• GTAs should have experience in writing in genres including formal emails, event announcements, and profile articles. Clear prompts and coaching will be provided.
• GTAs must responsibly handle sensitive information, such as when working with confidential student or personal information and coursework.
• GTAs must stay current on required WWU ADEI trainings and abide by ICDS policies on supporting accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI).

• Knowledge and experience in disability studies, advocacy, accessibility, and/or universal design is highly preferred, but not required.
• Proficiency in writing in diverse genres, including blogging, social media, email, meeting minutes, and summaries of events is preferred, but not required.
• Experience in student or community leadership, for example in a student club or community organization is preferred, but not required.

ICDS GTAs have many responsibilities. They will directly support ICDS students, critical disability studies minors, and the ICDS student community by holding regular office hours and by supporting the activities of the ICDS Student Advisory Council (SAC).

GTA Responsibilities will also include a subset of the following in these three areas of support need, which will be determined with each GTA individually upon mutual discussion and agreement between GTA and Institute Co-Directors:

• Academic support
  • Work with faculty teaching disability studies courses through grading, and/or moderating discussions
  • Work with faculty to design curriculum on disability-related topics
  • Holding office hours for students in disability studies courses
• Program support
  • Designing and/or delivering professional development workshops
  • Organizing speaker event logistics
  • Organizing and facilitating the annual UnConference panels and workshops
  • Mentoring UnConference student workers
  • Coordinating event logistics such as food, room setup, and printing materials
  • Co-hosting and representing ICDS at outreach and informational tabling events
• Institute support
  • Keeping records and reporting to ICDS co-directors: this includes attending and taking notes on ICDS meetings
  • Writing blog posts and newsletter articles about the ICDS programs
  • Mentoring undergraduate student workers
  • Serving on standing committees
  • Serving in a mentor and advisory role to support the operations of the ICDS Student Advisory Council (SAC)
  • Interfacing with various offices and student groups

This position is open to all WWU graduate students regardless of disability status or field of study. We are particularly interested in welcoming applicants with diverse and intersecting identities, particularly disabled, neurodiverse, chronically ill, BIPOC, queer, and gender non-conforming individuals.

Please note: If your graduate program is not state-supported (i.e. is offered through OCE, office of continuing education), you cannot received salaried GTA support and must apply for an hourly nonsalaried position.

The GTA position is available as full-time salaried, half-time salaried, and hourly nonsalaried. The position requires approximately 20 hours per week for full-time appointments, 10 hours per week for half-time, and between 5-9 hours per week for hourly positions.

Salaried GTAs will receive the standard pay and health insurance benefits of an academic graduate teaching assistant. Full-time and half-time salaried positions include full graduate tuition waivers.  Compensation for hourly nonsalaried GTA positions will be consistent with the current wage schedule for graduate assistants.

GTAs will report directly to the ICDS Co-Directors and administrative manager. Hourly GTA positions require timely reporting of hours through electronic time sheets maintained by the GTA and approved by the ICDS.

These appointments differ in salary, benefits, minimum enrollment to apply, and whether other campus jobs can be accepted simultaneously. Paychecks are disbursed biweekly (every 2 weeks).

• full-time salaried: 
  • 20 hours/week ICDS Graduate Assistant Work
  • salary: $5850 per quarter paid in 6 installments
  • tuition waiver: Full (waiver does not cover student fees: full table of cost here)
  • benefits include health insurance
  • enrollment: must be enrolled full-time, or at least 8 credits per quarter of employment in a state-supported WWU graduate program
  • Other campus jobs: No other campus jobs can be accepted
    • generally, a graduate student is limited to 6 quarters of salaried GTA work through the WWU Graduate School.
• half-time salaried: 
  • 10 hours/week ICDS Grad Assistant Work
  • salary: $2925 per quarter, in 6 installments
  • tuition waiver: Partial (full table of cost here)
  • benefits include health insurance
  • enrollment: must be enrolled full-time, or at least 8 credits per quarter of employment in a state-supported WWU graduate program
  • Other campus jobs: can be accepted, up to 9 hrs/wk
• hourly nonsalaried:
  • 5 – 9 hours/week ICDS Grad Assistant Work
  • non-salaried hourly rate: consistent with the WWU wage schedule for graduate students
    • Student must record hours worked and submit biweekly time sheets that are then approved by the ICDS.
  • tuition waiver: None
  • student covers health insurance
  • enrollment: must be enrolled at least half-time, or 4 credits per quarter (graduate half-time)
    • Any WWU graduate student can be paid hourly, including grad students in continuing education (OCE) graduate programs.
  • Other campus jobs: can be accepted

No, the tuition waiver does not cover student fees: a full table of costs for 2023-2024 is linked here

For salaried (full-time and half-time) positions, you must be enrolled full-time, or 8 credits per quarter minimum, for each quarter you will be employed as a salaried grad assistant.

For non-salaried (hourly part-time) positions, you do not have to be enrolled full-time, but you do need to be enrolled at least half-time, or 4 credits per quarter minimum, for each quarter you will be employed as a grad assistant.