Yale's strong tradition of student activism has been revived by the labor troubles, but recent events have brought into question the effectiveness of student activism in the conflict. The arrest of 31 undergraduate members of the Student Labor Action Coalition (SLAC) on Mon., Apr. 8, illustrates the many difficulties student activists face in changing University policy.
The SLAC protesters were arrested during a sit-in at Woodbridge Hall after President Richard Levin, GRD '74, failed to meet with members of the organization as previously scheduled, according to SLAC President Francis Engler, ES '96. "We wanted President Levin to give us a sign of good faith and to show us that he was committed to a quick end to the strike," he said. In the subsequent protest, nine students were arrested by Yale University Police for trespassing inside Woodbridge Hall, and 22 others face charges for obstructing free passage to the building. Engler said that SLAC commenced the sit-in not because of Levin's refusal to meet with the students specifically, but rather "to protest an entire history of bad faith actions, of which Levin's failure to meet with us was only one example."
The most significant obstacle SLAC faces is influencing the unresponsive Yale Administration. Members have become especially frustrated by administrators' refusal to simply meet with students. "President Levin has not shown his face in three months when he should be leading the University," SLAC member Katy Unger, BR '98, said.
Monday's turmoil has done little to sway the University's position on union negotiations. According to Gary Fryer, director of Public Affairs, the incident will have no effect on labor policies. "It is unfortunate that the students who were involved didn't seem to have any point in sitting in the office aside from just sitting there," Fryer said.
Fryer denied claims that the Administration does not respond to student concerns. "We have worked very aggressively to inform the community and students about the issues and the progress of the negotiations," he said.
SLAC has begun an aggressive campaign to woo student support for the unions. The organization recently announced that it will ask students to withhold fall tuition in protest of the University's actions and deposit the money into an escrow account controlled by Dwight Hall. "The main power that students have over the Administration is through money," SLAC member Dan Abraham, SM '98, said.
With their current plan of action, SLAC is reading from the playbook of student activism at Yale. In 1986, in protest of Yale's controversial investments in apartheid South Africa, almost 20 Yale undergraduates were arrested for a series of disruptive sit-ins similar to that which took place this past week.
What proved shocking to the Yale community 10 years ago was the University's harsh response to the student actions. Mock shantytown buildings constructed on Beinecke Plaza were promptly bulldozed; many students arrested for the sit-ins were suspended and one was even expelled.
Two years earlier, during Local 34's 1984 strike, student activists organized a tuition strike which was "critical to getting Local 34 recognized," according to Engler. He expressed confidence that students' withholding of tuition this year will give students similar leverage over the University. Engler estimated more than $1.6 million will be withheld from Yale by over 30 students planning to participate.
Borrowing another tactic from 1984, SLAC members are planning a lawsuit against the University for services not rendered. However, this effort may prove to be a greater struggle, as the 1984 suit was dismissed by judges.
A number of student dining hall workers have voiced their support for their union co-workers. According to Meg Riccio, a strike coordinator for Local 35, "Students have offered 100-percent support. They have organized their own picket lines from noon to 5:00 p.m. in front of Woodbridge Hall every Friday." Presently, only a handful of student dining hall workers remain on the job.
In addition to their court dates, the arrested protesters may soon face the Executive Committee, although it is not known what sort of penalties they could receive. SLAC members offered different positions as to whether potential punitive measures would adversely affect student activism. Unger said that although she would have preferred not to have been arrested, such measures would not affect her behavior. Abraham said that the threat of punitive measures "definitely makes [activism] more difficult for people who are sympathetic to the unions."
Students who withhold tuition next fall will also face certain consequences. In addition to being placed on bursar's hold, those who withhold tuition may face other reprisals, according to Fryer. There is no set policy for dealing with such a situation where students intentionally withhold payments.
Members of the unions are especially hopeful and are counting on student activism to make a difference. "There's an enormous amount of student support growing every day," Local 35 President Bob Proto said. "Undergrads are starting to understand what the issues are. They have broken through the false crust the University has put on this."
"There are always going to be students who are pro-union and anti-union," Engler added. "What makes the difference is what you do about it."
Aaron Dalton and Rainer Romero contributed to this article.
Copyright 1996, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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