A call for an open forum
At midnight on Monday, Brookings Hall was a blizzard of activity. Throngs packed the admissions office and clogged the halls; students spilled out into the archway. Prompted by phone calls from SWA protesters and list-serves postings, an electric crowd of nearly 400 gathered in support of the living wage-with at least a few present just to enjoy the spectacle. The impromptu gathering came as a result of a letter from the administration to the protesters instructing them to vacate the premises of the admissions office by 11:30 pm.
While the economics remain debatable, the sentiment can only be applauded: SWA and the students that came in droves to stand behind them have put forward an admirable model of activism. One must appreciate the dedication they’ve shown and commend their principled, if often confrontational, stand. Choosing to act, when nothing more than an apathetic shrug of the shoulders is required, is worthy of praise.
Moreover, SWA has, at least in some small fashion, infused our sleepy campus with the spirit of change and possibility. What began as a fringe movement accompanied by general indifference, seems to have succeeded in speaking to our collective conscience-or at the very least, in gaining our collective attention. While the campus has hardly reached a consensus, SWA’s presence has undeniably been felt: a pack of over one hundred students marched to Chancellor Wrighton’s house late Monday night to demand a living wage. Thus, SWA has forced the student body to engage in a discussion that has been long overdue.
In response, the administration has recently offered serious concessions: Chancellor Wrighton, in an email to the undergraduate community noted that the University will be “committing $500,000 as of July 1, 2005, toward improving the wage/benefits packages of contract service employees.” While the sum is certainly not insubstantial, the protesters unanimously denounced the University’s alleged unwillingness to negotiate. Instead of working with SWA in preparing a meaningful proposal, they have rejected any attempts at legitimate dialogue.
Given the current situation, the path to an equitable resolution seems clear: open up the specifics of the proposal to debate with the SWA and begin the long discussion that honest negotiations require.
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