Friday, March 13, 2009
Education / Hannan Adorably Idealistic Vandy Kids Demand Administration Spare Janitors
Posted by Caleb Hannan on Fri, Mar 13, 2009 at 1:10 PM
Two years after demanding landscapers, janitors and housekeepers be paid a living wage, a tanking economy has forced the crusaders at Living Income for Vanderbilt Employees (LIVE) to adjust their message. Now they're just hoping no one gets a pink slip.
Vandy's endowment got creamed this year, so LIVE's actions represent a preemptive argument against layoffs. And judging by the way some of these kids talk, they may just get their way.
"Chancellor (Nicholas) Zeppos loves to speak about the community at Vanderbilt and we're trying to hold him accountable," says senior Ashley Pasquariello. "We know the administration has good intentions. We want to turn those intentions into commitments."
Jesus. Thirty years ago Ms. Pasquariello would have dropped a tab, formed a drum circle and called it a day. Now she sounds like Lamar Alexander's press secretary.
The full letter, in which students ask Zeppos to cut his salary in order to save jobs, after the jump...
Dear Chancellor Zeppos,
We are Living Income for Vanderbilt Employees. This
letter is written in regards to the No Cuts Campaign aimed at protecting
Vanderbilt's lowest wage workers from layoffs, hour cutbacks and loss of
benefits.
We have previously met with Jerry Fife, Mark Bandas and
Judson Newbern to better understand the administration's position on the issue.
We appreciate the willingness of the administration to engage in a dialogue
with us as well as their genuine concern for the welfare of these workers.
However, we were disappointed with the aforementioned administrators refusal to
unequivocally guarantee the job security of Vanderbilt's lowest-wage workers.
We recognize that requesting communal solidarity and
financial stability may appear unrealistic given the current financial climate.
However, it is precisely during these times of crisis that Vanderbilt, the
second largest employer in Tennessee and one of the most prestigious
universities in the nation, must step forward as a leader in its own community
by recognizing the dignity and prioritizing the well-being of all: student,
faculty, and staff.
Workers
are terrified by the potential repercussions of job loss. The market has frozen
for low-wage labor and the loss of a Vanderbilt job may not be balanced by
openings in other industries. To state it bluntly, if Vanderbilt workers lose
their jobs it is unlikely they will find another means of supporting their
families. The consequences for these families' futures as well as the futures
of their neighborhoods would be devastating. Over the past few weeks, the
Vanderbilt community has rejected and recognized any course of action that
involves labor cuts as contradictory to its standards and ethics. More than 800
students, faculty and staff have signed a petition demanding that the
University seek opportunities for financial relief other than labor cuts
against its most vulnerable workers.
As
students we stand ready to sacrifice and are willing to entertain any
initiatives that would save the university money, provided a direct assurance
that the money saved will be used to protect the jobs of our lowest-wage
workers. We hope that this sentiment is mutual amongst the administration.
This is why we ask you, Chancellor Zeppos, to guarantee
that no Plant Operations or Dining workers experience layoffs, hourly
reductions or loss of benefits on account of budgetary cutbacks for the
remainder of this school year and 2009-2010. We ask that you pledge to maintain
the same work force as previous years, subject to negotiation with the labor
union.
We
have been told that the administration is doing everything in its power to
avoid cutbacks. We are hopeful that creative, positive collaboration between
the administration, faculty, and student body will reduce costs to the extent
that renders layoffs unnecessary. However,
assuming all other cost-cutting
opportunities have been exhausted, we ask that you, Chancellor Zeppos, make a
commitment to take a salary reduction within seven days of reaching such a
determination as a last-resort measure to prevent additional layoffs. In
doing so, you will set an example of shared sacrifice for the Vanderbilt
community, the Nashville community, and the national community which has been
so riveted by recent job loss numbers. Heads of elite private universities such
as Washington University in St. Louis and University of Pennsylvania have made
substantial financial sacrifices for their Universities and have set the
precedent for such an action. Therefore, this request is neither unrealistic
nor without merit.
We ask that you respond to this letter with a clear
statement on whether or not you agree to our request. We appreciate your
dedication as a leader of this University and we look forward to hearing from
you.
Sincerely,
Living Income for Vanderbilt
Employees
Comments (7)
Showing 1-7 of 7
Georgetown University's president and senior administrators have already committed to freeze their own salaries for the next fiscal year in order to guarantee faculty & staff job security. Vanderbilt, which is in a similar financial condition and is roughly equivalent in national rankings, should be ashamed to do any less.
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Come on, Caleb, "don't fire the help"? It sounds to me like they're showing quite a bit of genuine compassion and concern for their community, even offering make whatever sacrifices might be asked of them in return. Is the cheap shot really justified?
Though I'm a fan of most Caleb posts, I'm going to side with Brandon here. And you seem to use the word "janitor" in a somewhat pejorative way. There's no shame in being a janitor.
OK. Now that I've been shamed by Jack I know I've done wrong.
Brandon, you're right about the cheap shot. Sorry for the (hopefully) momentary lapse into smug assholishness.
