Oxford, Ohio: A popular image of today’s college students is the dominating notion of ‘the me generation’, the idea being that never before has there been such a pampered, spoiled, and selfish generation. These ‘Generation Y’ers are supposedly the most entitled and self -centered in history. Political apathy is an assumed fact, and the stereotype being as long as no one touches the ipods, tivos, and facebook accounts of these students, apathy will continue.
Here on the Oxford campus of Miami University, a student group is challenging the very notion of the ‘me generation’. They are Students for Staff, a group that is dedicated to social justice by getting a living wage for all of the full time staff at Miami University. The group started out as the Fair Labor Coalition, which was formed around the time Local 209, the Miami worker’s union, was preparing to strike in 2003. The FLC supported the union throughout the strike from staging marches, to standing with workers in picket lines as well as holding press conferences.
After the strike ended, many problems remained. Students for Staff, made up of members from the old FLC, was formed in September 2005 to help address these remaining problems. The main contention was that Miami continued to refuse to pay its workers a living wage. Students for Staff defines a ‘living wage’ as “ a community defined wage policy for all Miami University employees, that ensures each full time staff member does not require additional jobs, government assistance, or poverty reduction programs in order to get by.” The current number for what a living wage should be in Butler County is 200% of the poverty line, according to the SFS campaign summery. This number means that currently over 400 of Miami’s full time staff are not making a living wage. In order to change this, SFS has been putting pressure on Miami with protests and letter writing campaigns; as well as forming a Living Wage Committee, which is presently exploring how a living wage can be instituted on campus.
For SFS members their organization is critical to getting social change done on campus. Christine Miller, a fourth year SFS member remarked, “Miami needs SFS, because it is necessary that students of this university stand in solidarity with the staff of this campus. I find it indisputable at this point that Miami University is paying unjust wages to its full time staff, and because of this students must work together to get the administration to change their policy.” And working they are, already this year SFS has formed the Living Wage Committee, passed out information at both Convocation and Alumni weekend, helped the union in letter writing campaigns, held a staff appreciation day, and staged protests. Just one look at all these students do and it is hard to still believe in the idea of the ‘me generation’. When asked about the work she does for SFS, Christine Miller said, “I am part of SFS, because it seems like the most important local work I could be doing at this time, as a student that pays tuition to go to Miami, I want to ensure that I am contributing to a just institution. I think it is an absolute moral obligation to work to change the wage policy of this university.” As long as economic injustice continues at Miami University, political apathy will be the furthest thing in the minds of Students for Staff organizers.