From email announcement:
The VCU Living Wage Campaign is holding a May Day rally, Wednesday May 1st in the VCU Commons Plaza. The living wage campaign wants students, workers, and educators to be more involved in the Universities allocation of the budget. We do not believe that any university employee (Service workers, Contracted workers, Adjunct professors) should not be paid a living wage.
In the recent Richmond Anti-poverty commission, the committee urged the cities three universities to pay their employees a living wage. We as students are here to see that through. As tuition paying students we allow this University to run, and each year we are paying more. We believe that we should have a say in where our money goes, and demand that it is used in what we believe are ethical ways. VCU Living Wage released a video last semester featuring an interview with Aramark regional manager Michael Martin. Due to Mr. Martin admitting to unacceptable working conditions on camera, Aramark and VCU has bullied and threatened the VCU Living Wage Campaign into taking it down.
We are asking students to show their support by joining us on campus and listen to African drums, spoken word, and speeches about the importance of a living wage in our university community. At the end of the rally we will personally deliver a list of demands to President Rao;s office and Aramark’s campus headquarters. Thank you for your time.
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While not surprised about Aramark, I was shocked to learn how VCU compensates its own faculty. Adjunct Professors, the so called “part-time” and “temporary” faculty that make up 57% of VCU Teaching and Research staff are paid between $1600 and $2300 per course or $12800 to $18400 for a full four class load both semesters (VCU faculty status report 2013). Compared to $48K average of tenure track and $114K of tenured professors. Just like students, the time spent out of the classroom can be just as much as in the classroom as these professors are expected to grade, plan lectures, develop new curriculum, attend faculty meetings and functions, and meet the round-the-clock email office hours that today’s students are accustomed to. Minimum wage is $15080/yr and doesn’t require a masters degree. This is a growing trend with 98% of the 129 new positions added over the past 4 years falling into the “collateral” as opposed to tenured or tenure track positions. This is also not a new trend as part time faculty nationwide has grown 300% since 1975 (Richmond Times dispatch article). While VCU states they are looking into ways to increase Faculty pay, they are referring to the full time positions that together average about 78K with full benefits. How VCU thinks they can provide value by creating a minimum wage class of instructors and how students will continue to pay for classes in which over half of their professors are thinking more about rent and food than teaching are two questions I hope to have answered as a result of this rally.