In the last 18 days I have drifted irregularly between feelings of inspiration and dismay. Like many, I’ve been moved by SWA’s activism, dubious of their inflexibility and more than a little cynical regarding their newfound celebrity. I have been tempted to offer toasts and condemnation-often within the same breath. I’ve considered foregoing my morning showers and taking up residence in Brookings Hall; just as frequently, I’ve thought snidely to myself, “Don’t you guys think it’s about time to go back to class?” In the end, however, this orange band-tattered though it may be-still hangs from my arm and my censure remains half-hearted. For this I know to be true: the cause-if understood to mean improving the lives of the workers of Washington University-is undeniably just and thus, I feel compelled to support, at the very least, the sentiment.
If Student Life’s most recent polling effort can be believed, an overwhelming majority (71%) feel that SWA is “pursuing a good cause” though those surveyed don’t necessarily agree with the “tactics” employed. One can extract from the above that there is a broad consensus regarding the need for systemic change in the treatment of the University’s workers-despite differing opinions on the best route to such change. Thus, the question becomes, what can we as a community do to stay faithful to the sentiment prompted by the sit-in participants? Given our general agreement on the principles highlighted by SWA, how will we realize this vision in the post-protest days? In short, living wage or not, what are we doing to change?
Jeff Stepp, a fellow Forum editor, noted rightly in “Make the orange cloth count” that a living wage is only one facet of a global rethinking of the University-worker relationship that is required. He highlights simple kindnesses and personal responsibility as a means of reminding the University’s employees that they’re appreciated. Such thoughtful advice ought to be taken to heart; still, what can be done on an institutional scale to better the lives of the University’s workers?
To this end, Stanford University provides a model: the student-run program known as “Habla la Noche” pairs Spanish-proficient Stanford students with members of the University’s janitorial staff. Twice a week, long after most campus facilities have closed, the group gathers and works to “increase English-language literacy among adult workers.” Of the nearly 100 janitors employed at Stanford, it’s believed that as many as 80 have participated in the program this year alone. Likewise, what began as the brainchild of one Stanford senior just two years ago has blossomed into a well-funded campus staple-a program boasting a lengthy waiting list for students wanting to get involved.
Perhaps most importantly, “Habla la Noche” provides more than just peace-of-mind for the over-privileged; rather, the program is rooted firmly in the world of social science. A 1999 study titled “The earnings of immigrants in the United States” concluded that there was a strong correlation between English speaking and annual earnings. The study proposed that English speaking determined the degree to which education and labor-market experience could be utilized. Jin Park, the study’s author, stated, “These results-that those in the English group received substantially higher returns from experience and education obtained outside the United States-support the transferability hypothesis: it is easier for those who are more fluent in English to transfer skills obtained abroad to the United States.” In short, both common sense and social science come to one conclusion: English language skills are inextricably tied to financial security within the United States.
Now to be sure, “Habla la Noche” is no cure-all; and I don’t intend to present it in opposition to the living wage. Rather, a problem as formidable as basic subsistence requires legion approaches. The task of making the lives of the working-class more livable-even on the small-scale-remains too daunting to reject any course. What “Habla la Noche” represents, however, is a creative effort to enact practical change. It offers a personal response to a community-wide problem-one that relies on volunteerism and thus is free from administration resistance. I highlight “Habla la Noche” because it provides an example of how we can continue, how we can augment the movement prompted by SWA.
So as the post-protest days near, let’s free ourselves from the strictures of pro-this and anti-that and embrace the sentiment, the spirit of SWA. Let’s think openly, work steadfastly and above all else, let’s turn shared values into action.