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We write with reminders regarding existing policies, benefits, and procedures available to graduate students at Cornell. We hope this information helps you access appropriate resources.
Detailed information with links to policies/benefits for graduate students is available on the Graduate School's
Policies website. Some of the benefits most often asked about are:
Workers' Compensation: Injury claims from students who receive financial support through assistantships or hourly paid appointments and who are injured while conducting the duties of their appointment are sent to the New York State Workers' Compensation Board. The NYS Workers' Compensation Board reviews each case and determines compensability under NYS Law. Eligibility determination for Workers' Compensation is ultimately made by the NYS Workers' Compensation Review Board, not Cornell.
Note: There was some media coverage in 2014 about an individual who was seeking Workers' Compensation from Cornell, but the media coverage did not include the complete context that the individual was not on a paid university appointment at the time of the injury. Because of FERPA restrictions (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), we are not able to discuss the specifics of any individual student's situation, but if an individual is not on a paid university appointment, Workers' Compensation is not applicable.
- Injury claims from students who are appointed on assistantships or are on hourly paid appointments will be handled through the Workers' Compensation process described above.
- Injury claims from students not on assistantships or hourly paid appointments will be handled through the student's health insurance with additional support from Cornell offices depending on the nature and severity of the injury.
Assistantships:
Many Cornell graduate students are supported on assistantships (Teaching Assistantships, Graduate Research Assistantships, Research Assistantships, and Graduate Assistantships).
University Policy 1.3
describes assistantship assignments and appointment letters, mentoring, appointment periods, rights and responsibilities, and procedures for conflict resolution.
1) six weeks of paid accommodation (or eight weeks for the birth mother for a cesarean section delivery) for students receiving full funding from the university as assistants, whether as TAs, GRAs, RAs or GAs, fellows, or trainees; or
2) up to two semesters of reduced load status to serve their needs surrounding childbirth, adoption, newborn care, foster care, and acute child health care.
Grievance Procedure:
This procedure provides a mechanism through which grievances can be fully investigated and decisions rendered.
It covers grievances that involve individual graduate students and faculty on issues relating to graduate education and support, and involves up to 4 steps (as needed). The fourth step, a Graduate Grievance Review Board, involves a hearing by the Review Board that includes two graduate student members.
Four-step grievance procedures similar to ours are common in higher education, such as
Child Care Grant Program:
The
Student Child Care Grant Program
helps graduate, professional, and undergraduate students pay for eligible childcare so that they can attend to their academic responsibilities. Students receive a taxable grant subsidy each year based on the grant funds available, their annual household income, and the age and number of child(ren) in care. Covered child care includes: infant and toddler child care, pre-school/pre-k day care, summer camp programs for school age children, and before/after school care.
You may also be interested in the following:
Student Voice in University Decisions: The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly is the shared governance body of graduate and professional students, who work with the university administration to improve the quality of the student experience at Cornell. In addition, the General Committee, the policymaking body for the Graduate School, includes two voting student members.
Numerous advisory bodies, committees, and task forces across the university include students, such as the Student Health Benefits Advisory Committee, and the Students with Families Advisory Committee. At the highest level of policy-making, the Board of Trustees for the University includes two voting student members elected by the student body, one of whom is a graduate/professional student.
Health Insurance Rates: 2016-2017 student health plan rates for individuals are the same for students ($2,560/yr), spouses/partners ($2,560/yr), and one child ($2,560/yr), and for 2 or more children the cost is $5,120/yr. Optional dental ($278) and vision ($185) plans are available.
Additionally, the health plan options have been enhanced for students with the creation of
SHP-M, an innovative low-cost health plan option designed specifically for Cornell undergraduate, professional, and self-paying graduate students.
Research Degree Student Debt: Among 2016 research degree graduates, only 4% of doctoral students graduating and 5% of master's students graduating had educational debt incurred during their Cornell graduate program. For these doctoral students incurring debt, 62% incurred educational debt in only one year, and 24% incurred educational debt in 2 different years. Under different repayment plans, for these students who incurred debt their 10-year annual repayment would be $2,598/yr (doctoral) or $5,414/yr (master's), or their 25-year annual repayment would be $1,567/yr (doctoral) or $3,265/yr (master's).
Reporting Bias, Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct:
Faculty, administrative and academic staff members, postdocs, and undergraduate, graduate and professional students are prohibited from engaging in any form of prohibited discrimination protected-status, harassment, sexual harassment, and sexual assault/violence. Cornell University expects these individuals to refrain from committing acts of discrimination, bias, or sexual assault/violence within the university's jurisdiction. Reporting, understanding, and preventing unacceptable behaviors such as bias is essential to maintain Cornell's caring community. The
online incident report form should be used to report any non-emergency incidents.
If you have any questions about these or other policies and benefits available to graduate students, please contact Barb at
[email protected].
We recognize that you may be feeling uncertainty or stress as a result of events around campus and in communities off-campus and around the world. We encourage you to consult the information about
help and support available through the Graduate School and in our campus community. If any of us can assist you during your Cornell experience, we encourage you to contact us directly.
Warm regards,
Jan Allen
, Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs
Jason Kahabka
, Associate Dean for Administration and Student Services
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