Julian Roberts-Grmela

Julian Roberts-Grmela is a reporting intern at The Chronicle who is interested in covering student advocacy, mental-health resources on campus, labor issues in higher education, and all kinds of solutions-oriented stories.

Roberts-Grmela recently graduated from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York, where he studied engagement journalism and focused on engaging youth sources in his education reporting. Roberts-Grmela’s reporting has been published in such news outlets as City Limits, The74, Gothamist, and Hell Gate. Before graduate school, Roberts-Grmela was an editor at the University at Buffalo’s independent student newspaper, The Spectrum.

Follow him on Twitter @GrmelaJulian, or send him an email at julian.roberts-grmela@chronicle.com.

Stories by This Author

illustration of students learning online with bubbles above indicating subject matter

To Zoom, or Not to Zoom

More Students Want Virtual-Learning Options. Here’s Where the Debate Stands.

By Julian Roberts-Grmela June 5, 2023

While some residential colleges have held firm on returning to fully in-person learning, others are embracing a flexible future.

A group marches along South State Street through downtown Ann Arbor as University of Michigan graduate workers along with members of the Graduate Employees Organization and allies march in protest after a rally at The Diag on the campus in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, after going on strike. (Ryan Garza, USA TODAY NETWORK)

Students or Workers?

‘Enormous Surge’ in Unions Reflects Disconnect Between Colleges and Graduate Employees

By Julian Roberts-Grmela May 18, 2023

Five months into the year, grad students at nine institutions have voted for collective-bargaining units, already more than the seven in 2022. Why now? And what does it mean for higher ed?

A crowd cheers on a speaker after University of Michigan graduate student workers went on strike while joined with members of the Graduate Employees Organization and allies during a rally at The Diag on the campus in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, March 29, 2023.

Student Labor

Striking U. of Michigan Grad Students Aren’t Submitting Grades. The University Wants Faculty to Fill In.

By Julian Roberts-Grmela May 1, 2023

Some professors say asking them to grade students they haven’t taught is a violation of their academic freedom. University officials say they’re trying to minimize harm to undergraduates.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 10: Keshad Johnson (0) of the San Diego State Aztecs dunks the ball during the first half of a game against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on January 10, 2023 in San Diego, California. (Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Athletics

A California Bill Might (Again) Allow Athletes to Profit. This Time, the Colleges Would Be Paying.

By Julian Roberts-Grmela April 26, 2023

Four years after state legislation introduced name, image, and likeness, a new bill would force colleges to pay some athletes directly.

A student wearing a Stanford Graduate Workers Union (SGWU) t-shirt attends the union's launch rally on April 3.

Campus Labor

Stanford Told Faculty Not to Publicly Share Opinions on a Grad-Student Union Drive. Then It Reversed Course.

By Julian Roberts-Grmela April 12, 2023

The now-deleted guidelines raised questions about the role of faculty members in graduate-worker unionization efforts and had implications for academic freedom.

Professors, part-time lecturers, and graduate students strike at Rutgers University in Newark, N.J., Monday, April 10, 2023. Thousands of professors, part-time lecturers and graduate student workers at New Jersey's flagship university have gone on strike — the first such job action in the school's 257-year history. Union leaders say they're demanding salary increases, better job security for adjunct faculty and guaranteed funding for graduate students, among other requests. (Ted Shaffrey, AP)

Labor Activism

Rutgers’ President Threatened to Take Striking Instructors to Court. Then He Walked It Back.

By Julian Roberts-Grmela April 10, 2023

The news came as thousands of faculty, graduate employees, and clinicians walked off the job on Monday, amid a standoff over salaries and workers’ rights.

Illustration of a note card saying "69% of students who considered stopping their coursework in the past six months cited emotional stress as a reason."

Mental Health

Emotional Stress Remains a Top Challenge to Keeping Students Enrolled

By Julian Roberts-Grmela March 23, 2023

A new report from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation builds on their previous research showing that students’ distress spiked during the pandemic.

Student rights

Public-University President Faces Backlash for Canceling Student Group’s Drag Show

By Julian Roberts-Grmela March 21, 2023

The head of West Texas A&M University has drawn criticism for calling off the event. Critics say his action is a form of censorship that disregards students’ rights.

Campus Speech

Disruption of Speech at Stanford Prompts President to Apologize — and Criticize Staff’s Response

By Julian Roberts-Grmela March 14, 2023

Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan’s talk was met with a room of student protesters who argued his history of court rulings had caused harm to LGBTQ+ students.

Striking Temple University graduate student teaching and research assistants along with their supporters demonstrate at the education institution's campus in Philadelphia, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023.

Academic Labor

A Six-Week Strike Yields a Big Pay Raise for Temple’s Grad Students. But Rifts Remain.

By Julian Roberts-Grmela March 10, 2023

The six-week walkout will end if union members approve a tentative agreement. But some at the Philadelphia university say the deal won’t fully resolve the recent unrest.