Graduate students and untenured faculty have long mourned the prohibitive costs associated with academic conferences. On top of registration fees, attendees must factor in transportation, lodging and food. While some secure institutional support, others are left to fend for themselves.
While academic conferences provide a dynamic space where scholars across careers and disciplines can share research and test ideas, they also present economic barriers for early-career academics scrambling to fund their professional development.
“You want to make sure you’re surrounded by professionals whose work you hope to continue,” said Danielle Dirocco, executive director of Graduate Assistants United, the chapter of the American Association of University Professors at the University of Rhode Island. “It’s a huge professional step, and I would argue it’s one of the most important parts of graduate school.”
A former graduate student, Dirocco said that although conference registration costs can be reasonable, the price of travel and lodging can be out of reach for those living off meager stipends. Unless a student has savings, she added, the options are either charging a credit card or taking another job. The latter is unavailable for international students, according to the terms of their visas.
At the University of Rhode Island, institutional support varies. The university provides support, but some departments are more fortunate than others. Graduate Assistants United grants additional aid that comes from a portion of its members’ dues.
Nyla Hussain, a third-year doctoral student in oceanography, said she would be unable to attend her first conference next month without the alumni scholarship she received from the University of Rhode Island. The $1,000 will cover travel and lodging to the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Portland, Ore. Her adviser’s faculty research funding will cover meals.
Hussain said she is one of the fortunate ones. Last month, she was a member of the Graduate Assistants United committee that reviewed requests for conference travel reimbursements.
