Last month, graduate teachers at Columbia and Yale went on strike, demanding that the universities recognize their unions. In a new development, the Nation magazine has released a previously undisclosed internal memo from Columbia. The memo, dated February 16th and signed by Columbia provost Alan Brinkley, details what anti-union prodcedures the university should take in the event of a graduate employee strike. The memo suggested that graduate teachers who participated in a strike could quote "Be required to teach an extra semester or year within a five-year period in order to meet the teaching requirements for their degree, lose their eligibility for summer stipends, and lose their eligibility for special awards, such as Whitings" end quote. Under a National Labor Relations Board ruling, graduate employees at private universities are considered apprentices, not workers, and unions they form are not federally protected. Student teachers argue they have similar responsibilities to regular faculty, but receive poor wages and benefits, and should have the same rights as other teachers.