"In coming out to the vigil, students will demonstrate to staffers that we truly, deeply feel that Dartmouth staffers are vital members of our Dartmouth family," co-founder of Students Stand with Staff Lina Stepick '10 said before the event.
Dartmouth Students Stand with Staff planned the vigil to coincide with the arrival of the Board of Trustees on campus, Gabrielle Emanuel '10, a co-founder of Students Stand with Staff, said.
The Board is meeting this weekend to propose a budget for the next fiscal year and is expected to include budget cuts amounting to $100 million over two years. Last year, the College laid off 60 employees, and more layoffs are anticipated this year.
"It's timed specifically as the trustees come in for this weekend's big vote on the over-arching plan on how to fix this budget crisis," Emanuel said. "It will show the trustees, but also the administration, the community and the staff how much we care about their contribution."
The vigil included speeches by Students Stand with Staff co-founder Eric Schildge '10, union members Mark Mackenzie and Earl Sweet, the president of the Service Employees International Union Local 560, history professor Annelise Orleck and Nancy Vogele '85, a priest from St. Paul's Episcopal Church in White River Junction, Vt. The Rockapellas also performed two songs.
"Put people first," Vogele said to cheers and whistles from the crowd. "My faith dictates that you always lend a helping hand to those who need it. In this situation that's the hourly worker."
The leaders of Dartmouth Students Stand with Staff stressed that the vigil was not a protest, but rather an expression of solidarity.
"We've chosen to have a vigil instead of picketing or rallying to make sure that this isn't a divisive response to the administration," Students Stand with Staff co-founder Phoebe Gardener '11 said. "This is something that is solemn and will bring the community together to come to a solution, instead of dividing the community."
The budget cuts and expected layoff plans have had an enormous emotional impact on Dartmouth workers, Stepick said.
"The majority of them have broken down in tears at the mention of the budget-cuts process and the proposed layoffs," Stepick said. "My main hope is to show the staff that we really care."
Non-unionized workers are in particular need of student and community support, Emanuel said.
"The non-unionized staff has been particularly anxious about their lack of job security and their lack of input in this process," Emanuel said. "They're particularly vulnerable because they have no legal representation with the union."
These workers are afraid to speak out against the administration because of possible repercussions, according to SEIU Local 560 Vice President Chris Peck.
"A lot of people feel that if someone sees them out there or sees them speak out, there will be retribution, whether being scolded by their boss, director or administrator," Peck said.
In response to this anxiety and the general fear of layoffs, Dartmouth Students Stand with Staff demanded that the administration incorporate input from the staff before deciding on layoffs, Gardener said.
"We want the College to not have layoffs until negotiations with the staff are carried out," Gardener said. "Not in a superficial level, but in in-depth, comprehensive, sustained negotiations. We only want layoffs when it is the last solution that has been agreed upon by everyone that will be affected by the layoffs."
Although Stepick requested transparency in the layoff process, she acknowledged that such layoffs might be necessary.
"Dartmouth Students Stand with Staff has never said that there should be no layoffs," Stepick said. "We understand this is a dire situation and that cuts need to be made. But we think there is a more just and equitable way to go about this."
The candlelight vigil was mainly intended to provide emotional support to those dreading layoffs, but supporters also wanted to make a point to the administration, Emanuel said.
