Resident assistants at Ohio University were recently fired due to what seems like a largely illegitimate cause, sparking demonstrations and renewed calls for the unionization of student workers.
On Saturday, members of the Ohio University Student Union, along with several resident assistants, disrupted the ribbon cutting for the grand opening of new residence halls to show support for the unionization of RAs. That demonstration was largely a response to the recent firing of seven RAs working at the Boyd/Treudley complex, dismissed last week after another staff member overheard them discussing drinking. This event, for reasons outlined below, illustrates all too clearly the need for student worker unionization on our campus.
According to multiple anonymous sources, many of the fired RAs had been off-campus the previous night at a small social gathering. The majority of these RAs later admitted to consuming small amounts of alcohol at that gathering. Higher-ups at Boyd/Treudley told the seven RAs that if they were all honest and confessed to underage drinking, they were most likely to receive short term probation for this incident as the most severe possible consequence. The RAs were later informed that there was a possibility they would be fired, although this was unlikely.
Furthermore, the Housing and Residence Life Department did not follow the Student Staff Disciplinary Process in the termination of the RAs. In the SSDP, it clearly states that if an RA accuses another RA of underage drinking it must be done in writing, which, according to the sources, did not happen in this incident.
With no prior complaints or letters on any of their records, the seven RAs were fired. Meanwhile, another RA who had also been out with the group that night and later confessed to drinking was not fired, demonstrating that discipline procedures are inconsistently and sloppily applied.
Due to what seems like a largely illegitimate cause, Boyd/Treudley is now severely understaffed and Housing and Residence Life is unprepared to adequately serve the needs of the roughly 400 residents in the complex. Should a dangerous situation arise in the complex, the residents will have just over half of the regular staff there to offer support. This demonstrates that respecting student workers means, in turn, respecting all students.
However, as the events described here clearly show, student workers are not respected on this campus right now. And, to other student workers, these events should demonstrate how deeply student worker unionization is needed on this campus. Unionization would allow for the negotiation of a contract, collective bargaining for fair wages and, especially relevant in this context, due process and representation in disciplinary procedures.
Being an RA is the only way many students can stay at Ohio University. With these unexpected firings, the students involved will suddenly have to find their own housing and will be faced with expenses that they cannot afford, which, according to the sources, may ultimately lead to the departure of many of these students from OU.
It’s not like these RAs were exactly making bank prior to this incident either. Although the university covers housing costs for RAs, they are forced to live in the dorms and generally do not have access to kitchens, meaning many are forced to purchase extremely overpriced meal plans at the very university that is their employer. Furthermore, it is a common sentiment among RAs that they work far more hours each week than the twenty hours for which they are paid. To add to all of this, most student workers also suffer from crippling tuition.
Income inequality is one of those things that is hard to define, but it’s often clear when we see it. While thousands of student workers earn poverty wages, top administrators receive pay that can only be described as completely excessive (see: McDavis’ absurd new raise).
It’s time we take on the the oligarchy that's been mismanaging our community resources. It’s time we build a local economy that reflects our Bobcat values, and respects that all work has dignity and deserves a fair wage.
McDavis and the current administration can leave a legacy that remembers it for its contempt for shared governance, and the poverty wages it has set for many of OU employees, or it can be remembered as the administration that helped transform OU into a fairer, just community that let student employees form unions when they chose to do so, and paid campus employees a fair wage. It’s up to them — and only time will tell what they will decide.
This column was produced with the aid of the Ohio University Student Union’s media team.
Daniel Kington is a sophomore studying English and a Student Union organizer. He is also the HTC senator in Student Senate and an officer of the Sierra Student Coalition. Do you think student workers should be able to form unions? Email him at dk982513@ohio.edu.
