On Friday, May 1st, a group of staff, students, and faculty held two rallies at Vassar College. We were loud. We were disruptive. For the first time in years students and faculty at Vassar are standing in solidarity with staff with more than just words.
Vassar traditionally has given it's staff summer employment, generally 40 to 50 folks who work in dining centers on campus are assigned to assist in prepping the dorms and grounds for autumn, another 20 or so people remain in the kitchens for summer programs. This year the school, hiding behind the financial crisis, has reduced the number of jobs overall to around 20. This puts a large number of folks who are a part of our community in precarious situations for the summer; many do not know how they will be able to feed their families or keep their houses. And who are those most affected? Working class folks, mostly women, POC, and/or immigrant folks who keep our school running.
The Vassar administration claims there is nothing they can do. That only so much money was allocated to Operations (Well, allocate more!). Or that they are not under a contractual obligation (We say: "So what!"). The school does not have enough money to support the employees at the bottom, but we do have enough for the President of the College, Catherine Bond Hill, to remodel her bathroom ($60,000) and there is enough money for the head of Human Resources, Ruth Spencer, to get a raise.
Even during the Great Depression the school never had to fire, or layoff anyone. So we ask: why now?
Vassar College has lost 300 million dollars from its endowment. It claims that cutting classes, firing professors, and systematically ridding the school of the people who actually make it run, will bring it back. We know that it will not. The school continues to run on the same neoliberal corporate model that put the world in this mess in the first place. We recognize that creative financial thinking is important, not this mimicry of banking giants (Why do these people make up our board of trustees?).
We want to tell other students, the ones who claim we just need more dialogue, more debate, more facts, more numbers; that the only thing we need more of is action. That we've spent months talking and debating and the administration always sets the terms and rules. So it's time to be unruly. Nothing at Vassar (or the world) was ever gotten by asking nicely. It took a takeover of a building to get Black Studies, and some respect for Black Students in the 60s. It took a takeover to get the ALANA (African-American/Black, Latina/o, Asian, and Native American Center) and Blegen House (The GLBTQ house, which was recently moved to a room in Main Building). It will take action to accomplish what needs to be done.
We want to let the administration know that we are not fooled by their vague threats. We shout Worker's Rights!, and they respond with Financial Aid! We refuse to allow the school to make students and staff antagonistic towards each other. We stand in solidarity with staff because we can't let such an important part of our community be pushed around.
This is why on May Day 2009 the students organized under MEChA de Vassar & The May Day Working Group stood in solidarity with staff organized under the SEIU and CWA locals for not one, but two rallies. We marched all around the campus, including outside of a fancy luncheon that Catherine Hill was attending in one of the dorms. We marched into Ruth Spencer's office. We ignored security officers' pleas for us to leave, and left when we were good and ready. We marched into Main Building (twice!) making as much noise as possible, and watched as Dean of the College, Chris Roelke stormed out of his office and down the stairs.
We were pumped. Our student body president showed up at the end asking to speak, and we sent him away. We can not waste time anymore with folks who are in positions to speak out everyday, and only do so when it is advantageous, when they hope it is a good photo-op.
The administration thought that no students would attend a rally in support of staff. They couldn't be more wrong. Each rallied numbered over a hundred people, with students calling their friends to join us as we went along. We forced the rest of the student body, the administration, and the faculty to know that we are here, and we're not done yet.
We also ask that anyone who wants to voice support, especially if you're an alum, to contact Catherine (Cappy) Bond Hill and tell her what you think of Vassar's method of dealing with this "financial crisis" by aiming for those at the bottom of the campus hierarchy. Please help us force President Hill to do what is right. Let Cappy and everyone else in the administration know that they should be getting creative and developing programs that allow for full year employment for all employees. Not attacking the little folks. Not making members of the Vassar community risk homelessness and hunger while members of the administration keep making their six-figures.
You can reach the folks who help make these decisions by email and telephone so you can share with them politely what you think (or flood their emails and voicemails until they decide to do what is right):
President Catherine Bond Hill: chill@vassar.edu, 845-437-7200.
Ruth Spencer, Vice President of Human Resources: ruspencer@vassar.edu, 845-437-5820.
Kim Collier, Associate Director of HR: kicollier@vassar.edu, 845-437-5821.
Tanhena Pacheco Dunn, Assistant Director of HR: tapacheco@vassar.edu, 845-437-5819.
Chris Roellke, Dean of the College: chroellke@vassar.edu, 845-437-5600
Elizabeth Eismeier, VP of Finance: eleismeier@vassar.edu, 845-437-5500
Maureen King, Director of Dining Services: making@vassar.edu, 845-437-7748
Sincerely,
MEChA de Vassar and the May Day Working Group
workinggroup.mayday@gmail.com
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