Wash U sit-in demands living wages for workers

Members of the Student Worker Alliance (SWA) at Washington State University in Saint Louis are protesting low workers’ wages at their college. Escalating from occupying administrative offices to a hunger strike, After receiving endorsement from Vice Presidental hopeful Senator John Edwards, Wash U students met with Chancellor Mark Wrighton after many previous attempts to schedule an appointment.

*As reported in The Student Life's “Workers afraid to speak out,” 8 April 2005; “SWA to sit down with University Council,” 11 April 2005; and “Campuses across country demand workers' rights,” 11 April 2005.—Anita Varma, News Editor

Laura Geggel & Sarah Kliff The Student Life, Washington U.-St. Louis

University administrators issued judicial summonses to 12 of the Student Worker Alliance (SWA) protesters late Tuesday afternoon, raising the stakes in an already heated battle over whether the University will negotiate on its proposed “Code of Conduct.”

Protesters received a letter from Judicial Administrator Tamara King yesterday afternoon, notifying them that they had allegedly violated the University Student Judicial Code after not complying with the University's demand that they vacate Brookings Hall and Brookings Quad. To continue occupying the area, the letter said, “is interfering with [the admissions office's] ability to conduct lawful University business.”

The letter also told protesters that they should contact King by 5 p.m. yesterday in order “to meet with [King on Wednesday] to discuss the alleged violations.” SWA members made no attempts to contact King.

“It's simply not the point of why we are here,”said SWA organizer sophomore Joe Thomas. “They're only doing this to fight us or distract us or argue about charges. We're here to argue about living wage.”

Even with the recent events, Chancellor Mark Wrighton insisted that communications are continuing. In a letter sent to the University community, he wrote that “the dialogue with student members of the SWA participating in the sit-in in South Brookings Hall remains open.”

The University Student Judicial Code stipulates that the judicial administrator should meet with those summoned for an “informal” fact-finding meeting. If the judicial administrator determines that there has been a violation of the code, she will refer it to the Judicial Board. The code does not specify consequences for students who do not respond to a University summons.

On Monday afternoon, SWA received a letter from Dean of Students Justin Carroll stating that they must leave Brookings Hall and Brookings Quad by 11:30 p.m. that night. Coincidentally, the letter arrived an hour after SWA had begun going on a hunger strike.

The letter, delivered to the protesters at 8:45 p.m. on Monday night, informed them that their “continued presence in South Brookings Hall and the Brookings Quadrangle interferes with the rights of other members of the University community, and our visitors, to conduct their routine activities.”
The letter called the protesters’ occupation “an unauthorized occupation of campus spaces and a disruption of the work of the University, in clear violation of the University's Student Judicial Code.
Dean Carroll did not respond to multiple messages requesting comment on the situation. The 12 judicial summonses are the only step that University administrators have thus far taken in an attempt to enforce the Monday night deadline.

SWA members are now focusing on the hunger strike that began at 7:35 p.m Monday night. Stuart Acuff, national organizing director of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), joined protesters last night in hunger striking.
Thomas stressed that as long as the group can stay united, they will be more able to make it through the hunger strike.

“We're all doing just fine,” said Thomas. “We do have plans to deal with hunger strikers and make sure that we maintain solidarity and support. I think we're all doing pretty well. We'll all continue to do well.”

Dean Carroll’s Monday evening letter led to a large show of SWA support from the University community. As the 11:30 p.m. deadline neared, supporters began to pour in. Over 200 students and faculty members attended the impromptu late-night rally to show their support.

“We were amazed and overwhelmed at the response,” said Thomas. “I don't think I or anyone else have seen anyone mobilize so quickly for something that wasn't planned two weeks in advance.”
The crowd dissipated as approximately 20 students marched to Chancellor Wrighton's house.
“We went over there and rang the doorbell. We didn't want to create a huge disturbance or yell or anything,” said sophomore Nick Beary.

Supporters of SWA were planning to tell the chancellor about their presence at Brookings and ask him to join them in their protest.

“I think it was just to make him aware that there were students over there-[to tell him] we're supporting the sit-in and, we don't want our friends [to be] arrested,” said freshman Christina Durchholz.

When nobody answered the door, the crowd of students began to depart, but they doubled back when three WUPD cars parked in Chancellor Wrighton's driveway.

WUPD officers threatened arrest for trespassing when a handful of students attempted to go back to the house. WUPD stopped freshman Cary Euwer as he was walking back to the South 40 past Wrighton's house. “[Campus police] told me that if I put one foot on the chancellor's property I would be arrested,” said Euwer.

Other protesters remained inside the admissions office, risking arrest. Thomas instructed crowds on what to do if the police did attempt to arrest them, explaining that all possible charges would be misdemeanors. Many of those risking arrest had not been involved in the original sit-in.

“The worst thing that could happen to you is you might miss class tomorrow,” Thomas told protesters. “And you might have to sleep on an uncomfortable bed.”