Many students at the University of Wisconsin received an e-mail from a Dean of Students administrator essentially demanding students not cross picket lines if a Teaching Assistants’ Association strike takes place next Tuesday and Wednesday.

However, the mass e-mail’s sender, Dean of Students Affairs for Justice staffer Patrice Whitman, is not registered in the UW directory and is identified under a department that is absent from the Dean’s office reporting units.

Within the e-mail, the author strongly advocated students to skip class if a two-day walkout occurs.

“Students are encouraged to not cross picket lines. That is, DO NOT GO TO CLASS [sic] on Tuesday and Wednesday,” the message said.

TAA co-president and math TA Boian Popunkiov was unaware that such an e-mail, which was often addressed to individual students, was sent out, adding the union contacted the Dean of Students office to confirm TAA’s lack of involvement in the act.

“I have no idea [who wrote that e-mail],” Popunkiov said. “This wasn’t endorsed or authorized by the TAA.”

Though Popunkiov did say some of the views expressed in the message coincided with those of the TAA, he said the TAA would not say students should not go to class.

“We would encourage students, but this is an individual decision,” Popunkiov added.

Graduating fifth-year senior R. J. Eisemann was one of the many who received the e-mail and was annoyed someone would send him an e-mail of this nature.

“I don’t get e-mails that often … except the typical spam … but, I don’t mind that,” Eisemann said. “I was a little upset about this and really concerned about how they got my e-mail.”

Though Eisemann did not take a stance on the impending TAA contract controversy, he does believe TAs should not strike only because students often depend on their teachers this time of year around finals.

Students in at least one large political science course also received an anonymous e-mail from the handle “Meme Itisme,” supporting state negotiators.

The barrage of e-mails in students’ inboxes comes one day before TAA and Office of State Employee Relations negotiators sit down to discuss the union’s newest contract proposal to the state.

OSER presented a contract Monday that would provide an average of a 4.6 percent raise during the 2004-05 school year, while keeping monthly premiums for the state health-insurance plans of $9 for individuals and $22.50 for families for the remainder of the semester. The monthly co-payments would rise at the end of the fiscal year in the summer of 2004, though state negotiators did concede and do not propose to charge TAs or project assistants retroactively since January 2004.

One of the topics likely to come up during Friday’s negotiations are the differing peer groups the two sides compare UW to for TAA member pay.

State and UW administrators believe this newest increase will bump UW graduate student employees over the peer-group median, according to a “well-established list of peer groups” generated more than 20 years ago.

However, TAA negotiating team member Brad Manzolillo said the list makes obvious omissions of regional and Big Ten institutions University of Iowa and Pennsylvania State University.

“The problem with this list is it’s over 20 years old,” Manzolillo said, adding Iowa and PSU pay the most for their graduate-student employees. “We feel we need to respond to the state cooking their numbers.”

TAA membership already approved a strike vote, including a two-day walkout followed by a grade strike. If state and TAA negotiators cannot find common ground, TAA representatives said the strike would proceed as planned.