Direct Academic Benefit

 

What is it?

If you are a Research Assistant (in full or in part), then attached to your appointment letter, you may find an additional form to sign that is called the “Individual Declaration of Academic Benefit.”

Here’s a breakdown of DAB:

• “Direct” means that the research you are collecting during a given semester is going directly into your dissertation, thesis project, or to fulfill a specific course requirement during that semester.

• “Academic benefit” means that the research that you are doing is done with the express and exclusive purpose of fulfilling a specific degree requirement as outlined in the Graduate Bulletin.

• Therefore, you should only claim that you do intend to receive direct academic benefit if you are working as a Research Assistant and only collecting data that is used directly in your dissertation or thesis at that time.

• You should claim that you will not receive direct academic benefit if your research will not be used directly in your dissertation or thesis or to complete a course requirement.

  • Graduate RAs often ask how they should sign this form if they anticipate using the data that they collect in a publication, presentation, or conference poster. But the language on the form is clear: DAB only applies when the work that you’re doing will be directly used toward the completion of your degree. While publications and conference papers arising from your RA assignment are encouraged and important to your career, according to the definition in the form, they are best described as professional benefits, rather than academic.

    Bottom line: ​​DAB does not apply if work you do as an RA results in academic or professional benefit from entities outside of Temple, such as a paper published in a scientific journal, or a conference presentation or poster.

  • Many grads work as both TAs and RAs at the same time, while others are TAs in the fall/spring and RAs in the summer. This can be confusing when you only receive a single appointment letter alongside the DAB form.

    The important thing to remember is that no matter how you signed the form, direct academic benefit does not apply to teaching assistantships. Whenever you are working as a TA, you are represented by TUGSA.

  • If you sign that you WILL NOT receive DAB, you are entitled to the full representation of TUGSA, just like when you’re working as a TA.

    If you sign that you DO INTEND to receive DAB, you are, technically speaking, no longer represented by TUGSA in a formal sense. Although the form says that you are not entitled to representation for the term of your RA appointment, this does not mean that you are forbidden from becoming a member of TUGSA, attending TUGSA meetings, or participating in union activities. In fact, you are encouraged to do so.

    Why? Because regardless of how you sign the DAB form, your pay, healthcare coverage, and working conditions as an RA are based on TUGSA’s collective bargaining agreement. So even if “technically” you are not represented by TUGSA in a given semester, the union’s success is still essential to your working life!

 

More questions? Download a copy of our DAB Pamphlet and/or contact us at union@tugsa.org!