About 300 rocks were dumped on MSU President M. Peter McPherson’s office floor Wednesday, each representing one student who supports the Graduate Employees Union.
The rocks were signed by undergraduates and collected by Students for Economic Justice and Direct Action. The activist groups are supporting the union’s one-day walkout today that could lead to a work stoppage during finals week because of slow contract negotiations.
“The GEU doesn’t always know they have as much support as they do,” said David Mitchell, an SEJ member and political science sophomore. “We want to cause awareness. This is something we can do, an action we can take. I don’t know if we will influence anything, but we’ll get noticed.”
MSU Provost Lou Anna Simon said a walkout would disrupt learning processes at the university and recommended all undergraduates attend class.
“I have every expectation that all individuals responsible for instruction will honor their obligations,” she said in an e-mail to the university. “The academic progress or graduation of students should not be jeopardized by a walkout or other actions that conflict with the core value of instruction upon which we stand.”
Communication sophomore Lena Piskorowski said her class was supposed to take a quiz, but has been canceled. Although she said there will be one less chance to help bring her grade up, she sees the need for a walkout.
“They are teachers and a big part of the faculty,” Piskorowski said. “You should get health care benefits in a union. I don’t know if I’m happy they’re doing it now, but it’s a good time to get what they want.”
John Beck, professor of labor and industrial relations, said the undergraduate support of the union could prove beneficial toward achieving the contract.
“Community support is always an important thing,” he said. “The management may very well be limited by their perception on how widespread the support is. It can be quite helpful, but tactic is in the eyes of the beholder.
“There will be undergraduates on all sides of this issue if there is a strike.”
Rory Kraft, a philosophy teaching assistant and member of the union, said he plans to honor the walkout as a last resort.
“I’m conflicted, which I think most of the people in the union are,” he said. “I think most of us know this is the action we need to do, but we’re all concerned about the impact on students.”
Kraft said the last thing union members want to do is disadvantage students.
“I think this is a clever move on the administration’s part,” he said. “By pushing this back from April 15, it now puts the GEU in the bad-guy role.”
Engineering arts freshman Doug Snyder said he has one class where his teaching assistant does much of the grading. He said his professor would be lost without the help.
“It’s smart to do it when they’re doing it,” said Snyder, who said he will attend class. “They will get more attention. I think everyone will still get everything done they need to.”
And MSU’s union is not the only one receiving undergraduate support.
Mark Dilley, organizer of the University of Michigan’s Graduate Employees Organization, said undergraduate students at U-M have been important to the organization’s cause.
“The university always tries to pitch it that we’re hurting undergraduate education, but we’re forced to do what we do,” he said. “We don’t think we’re the ones hurting undergraduate education, we think we’re a defense in that.”
