Beginning this spring, graduate teaching assistants will receive partial tuition waivers in addition to their stipends.

According to an article in the Arizona Daily Wildcat on Tuesday, TAs who work more than 20 hours per week and take seven or more credits will receive a 25 percent waiver. Those who take the minimum six credits and work fewer than 20 hours per week will receive a 12.5 percent tuition waiver.

Anyone who stops to work through these numbers will realize the actual savings a graduate TA would gain are a pretty poor excuse for a "tuition waiver."

Although it is true the university is feeling the effects of a 4.56 percent state-mandated budget cut, it has struggled in supporting its graduate students for quite some time. In other words, if the UA is going to take the time to even offer a tuition waiver, it needs to offer a substantial amount. Any amount less than 50 percent seems like a waste of time.

For example, some TAs have said that although they appreciate the move toward a full tuition waiver, their stipends are still not large enough to cover basic expenses. The average stipend for a TA is $13,500 per year, an amount that still forces some students to seek alternate methods of funding.

A graduate student willing to make the move to Princeton would be graced with a $15,600 stipend. Even students in the University of California system receive a slightly higher stipend of about $14,000 per year.

The UA's partial tuition waiver is almost an insult to Article 11 Section 6 of the Arizona State Constitution, which says, "The (instruction furnished at) university and all other state educational institutions · shall be as nearly free as possible."

Given the circumstances, most graduate TAs probably wouldn't agree that a tuition waiver of 12.5 percent to 20 percent is one deemed "as free as possible."

If the university can offer its undergraduate students full tuition waivers, why is offering its graduate teaching assistants a full waiver such a difficult task? Or why aren't TAs offered more financial compensation on a "need" basis - those most in need of financial support would receive the appropriate compensation.

After all, who's to say the graduate TA working more than 20 hours a week really needs that 20 percent tuition waiver anyway? Perhaps the graduate TA working fewer than 20 hours a week is doing so in order to make room for a second job he or she needs just to make ends meet.

The UA needs to take into consideration all aspects of a graduate student's education, not just the number of credits taken or hours worked. There are many things that could affect a student's need for financial assistance.

Offering a partial tuition waiver to graduate TAs is a step in the right direction, but one that needs to be considered more thoroughly in order to offer the most advantageous educational opportunity while enrolled at the University of Arizona.