Eliminating positions affects livelihoods: jobs aren't figures, but homes and families

I must begin with a disclaimer: I am working with various people and groups on campus to struggle for what we think is just, but I write independently and as an individual, not as any type of spokesperson. And contrary to what some faculty members and administrators think, neither I nor anyone I know of is acting in any way, shape, or form at the instigation of any faculty or staff members.

That being said, it seems to me that for some time people have sensed that all is not right here at Vassar College. The recent layoffs merely provided the impetus for these concerns to begin to be voiced.

Campus-wide meetings and the demonstration on Oct. 14 are ways of expressing frustrations, and clearly not everybody will agree with the motivations, sentiments or actions of those involved in what many see as struggles for justice.

When the Oct. 14 demonstration ended outside of the faculty meeting (where administrators were given the List of Demands of those involved in the demonstration), faculty members were told that the intent of the action was not to disrupt their business, but to attract the attention of administrators in a way that conventional avenues of communication have not. Yet the action was disruptive, and a subsequent message sent to faculty members sought to defend it.

The administration's immediate response was to invite two students to address the Board of Trustees two days later.

The opportunity was inadequate in discussing what has been going on, but is the beginning of a process of deeper engagement. This process has not happened thus far, but when it begins it must allow all members of this community to be heard and listened to, and provide a more transparent and participatory decision-making process.

To begin with, I am personally tired of hearing every change here being blamed on "the economic crisis." Certainly, the College must be careful about spending. But the most recent layoffs represent an annual savings to the College of about one half of one percent of the total operating budget.

Frankly, I find it insulting when administrators tell us that they have examined all areas of the budget, and that the means of survival for those individuals fired are the most necessary cuts for the College to make.

What is worse is that it seems that so many students seem to blindly accept these rationalizations. Are we not here to challenge our assumptions, to be critical of the information we receive? While I personally think we need to stop blaming individual administrators so much for these changes, people are making conscious choices. At the same time, we must understand that we are all (including senior administrators) positioned in social locations which influence our ways of thinking and behavior.

We can expect financial decision-makers to justify their choices as financially necessary. But let us be clear that for all this talk of cutting "positions," we are really talking about individuals and their families losing their means of survival. Cleaning shifts begin at 5 a.m., but the days of those cleaning begin considerably earlier. And to think of jobs and salaries as mere "expenditures" of the College ignores the reality that they are compensation and support for those who provide us a home, food and an education.

Many students, faculty, and staff remain apathetic about these issues, or think (maybe hope?) that they don't affect their lives in any real way. But the most recent layoffs are part of a larger decision-making process of which most students, and faculty and staff have been left out. When faculty cuts are announced, course selections will decrease, as will the immediate academic health of the College.

Which is not to say that we have not already suffered. The demonstration several weeks ago, multiple instances of graffiti and various signs around campus, the creation of (any) list of demands—none of these are signs of a healthy community. Many see that conventional methods of communication have failed, and that individuals are seen not as such but as members of disparate groups. We argue amongst ourselves yet lose sight of the fact that voices are not being heard, listened to, or taken seriously, and those of us not of the privileged few are increasingly closed off from decision-making processes.

At some point, we will have to individually and collectively consider these issues. And we will have choices to make. Do we accept that we are told of decisions only after they have been made, like in administrative town hall "forums?" Or do we demand more active and participatory roles in the decision-making process?

Will we allow people to be fired, losing the means to support their families, but only fight to protect that which we deem important to ourselves? Or will we see all changes as part of a larger process from which we have been excluded?

Will we continue to see certain members of this community as unnecessary "expenditures," while they see this community as absolutely necessary to their beings? Or will we begin to see all members of this community as important, and, as some have suggested, begin to seriously ask ourselves what we can sacrifice without sacrificing anybody?

Again, though I do not claim to represent anybody but myself, I have tried to convey sentiments I believe others feel. I have referenced several documents, which, due to inadequate means of distribution, have no doubt not reached many (perhaps most) members of the College community. I am happy to provide them to anybody who is interested. I hope that, through these considerations and out of deep individual and collective love of Vassar College, we can begin to transform this school, home, and workplace into one in which we all have loving, respected, and valuable parts to play.

—John Joyce '12 is a member of the Campus Solidarity Working Group; opinions expressed in this column are not are reflective of the Group or of any of its members.