CHANGE OF DATE: RALLY and SPEAK OUT SEPTEMBER 9th! In support of workers rights at UW!

NOTICE: CHANGE OF DATE TO SEPTEMBER 9TH!

by Democracy Insurgent; d.insurg@gmail.com

As you know, ABC/custodial workers at UW have been fighting against retaliation and further abuse due to uneven and unfair distribution of budget cuts, that are really just being used as legitimation to make changes to a "private model" that the university has wanted to make for years (see below).

Well, after a summer of organizing, the movement has grown to include student workers and trades-folk as well! As negotiations unfold we are fighting for a strong contract, that will stand up for workers rights! So please come out September 9th, 2009 to support the united front of custodians and trades-folk!

Response to President Emmert

Below is a response written by an ABC member to president Emmert, linking budget cuts concerns and TC3; this letter was cc'd to Doug Wadden, Norm Arkans, and Phyllis Wise:

Subject: Tent City 3
Date: August 2, 2009


Dear President Emmert,
I am very disappointed to hear of your decision not to allow UW to host Tent City 3, despite the fact that the proposal put forth by Students for Civic Engagement on Homelessness won the support of ASUW, GPSS Senate, and Faculty Senate, and despite numerous actions and events put on both by residents of TC3, students, faculty, and workers at UW, and members of the greater Seattle community

As I am sure you are aware, Tent Cities have been hosted by educational institutions in the past, and have served as an important tool for engaging students with issues of poverty and lack of affordable housing and jobs. As a teacher, graduate student, and advocate for persons facing homelessness and hospitalization, I am extremely upset that UW is missing this opportunity, and that the residents of Tent City will have to find another place to move, despite such vast resources at the University.

It's safe to say that as an educator, my most engaged, successful, and promising students are those who have worked with un-employed or under-employed members of their communities, including people who are un-housed. Additionally, a number of my students come from families that have experienced or are experiencing homelessness. What kind of message does this send to students in these situations about UW's values? Students of color, students with disabilities, and students from non-traditional families are already experiencing economic and social violence due to the budget cuts imposed unevenly on students, workers, and graduate students at UW. For example, many custodial staff facing abuses due to decisions made around the budget have children who go to the University, or would like to. Not allowing Tent City 3 is yet another assault by the elite within the University against those who are not already privileged.

In your letter to SCEH, you said that "To introduce a tent city into this mix would compound the complexity of our daily activity in ways that would further complicate the business of the University,". This language, in addition to comments you have made about using a private model to run the University, is disturbing and in contradiction to comments you have made about the openness of UW, and to the overall mission of public education. UW is a place for learning, not business, and this is a time when the University, as a public institution should be reaching out to community members, city residents, and leaders in public affairs. Instead, the University is further alienating itself; and you, as president, are explicitly and embarrassingly positioning it for an even further ostracization from the rest of the city. If UW is really going to claim not to be an elitist institution, it needs to stop favoring the salaries of you, its president, and other upper level administration through eliminating opportunities for women, people with disabilities, people of color, immigrants, and workers--all of whom have been specifically targeted by budget cuts. Not allowing TC3 to come to UW campus despite enormous student, faculty, and community need is a poor decision for public relations, but also for all who interact with UW, and for UW's future in Seattle.

President Emmert Blocks Tent City 3--Despite overwhelming support!

After almost a year of work by students, community members, faculty, workers, and activists, President Mark Emmert at UW has unilaterally decided not to allow Tent City 3 to set up at UW, despite overwhelming student, grad student, and faculty support. See the message from Students for Civic Engagement with Homelessness (SCEH) below. Below their message, see a response from an ABC member. We in ABC see this struggle as related to budget cuts in a number of ways. Mark Emmert claimed that part of the reason he decided not to support TC3 was due to other things at the university--again he is acting as if the dire situation of folks at UW is inevitable, when in fact, it is the direct result of decisions made by upper level administrators!
You can visit the SCEH at
http://sites.google.com/site/tc3atuw/; send them a letter of support, and answer their call to tell Emmert what you think of his decision! Feel free to take up some of our points, or lay on your own!

From SCEH, via Facebook:
Subject: The President's Decision

Friends,

Yesterday we received the disappointing news that President Emmert has denied our request that the U.W. host Tent City in spite of the fact the proposal had won the support of the ASUW Senate, GPSS Senate and Faculty Senate.

Before I go on, let me pause to thank all of you for the support you have given with respect to our proposal to host Tent City 3 at the University of Washington. Without you, this proposal never would have been anything more than an idea.

Although this decision has been made for now, we feel that this is far from the end to this debate. Our group, Students for Civic Engagement on Homelessness, is planning numerous events for the fall, where we hope to see you. These include an art exhibit, teach in, and fundraiser for tent city. We hope that through encouraging the already present dialogue surrounding this issue we can continue to keep this subject at the forefront of everyone’s minds.

Please feel free to express your thoughts on the decision by letters to the editor, to Mark Emmert himself, and the list of other administrators whose e-mails are located at the bottom of this page.

Again thank you for your continued support, and please look for further e-mails in the fall regarding the events mentioned above.

On behalf of SCEH,
Hunter Marshall (treasurer)

Mark Emmert - pres@u.washington.edu
Doug Wadden - djwad@u.washington.edu
Norm Arkans - arkans@u.washington.edu
Phyllis Wise - provost@u.washington.edu
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