A plan to phase out housing subsidies for postdocs at Rockefeller University in New York has been put on hold. Suggested in July, the move would have slowly reduced a 15% rent subsidy to zero.

The proposal was put forward long before new university president Paul Nurse was due to take up his post full-time; and when the university's postdoctoral association learned of the plan, it mounted a concerted effort to tell him what the financial impact of the cut would be. The subsidy, it said, was what made it possible for postdocs surviving on a stipend to afford to live in New York.

Reacting to the postdocs' concerns, Nurse has suspended any changes pending a comprehensive review of the entire postdoc remuneration package, including salary, housing, health benefits and day care — all issues raised in a recent survey that was commissioned by the postdoctoral association.

The challenge now is for the whole Rockefeller community to work together to resolve this situation. But if the tone of the welcoming party held by the postdoctoral association for the new president is any indication, Rockefeller postdocs can confidently look forward to a fruitful existence under his guidance.

The Rockefeller University Postdoctoral Association

→ http://www.rockefeller.edu/pda