April 12, 2021

To: President Weinberg, Vice President Alex Miller, Chief of Staff Raj Bellani, CFO David English, and CIO Kathleen Browne

As a “leader among the nation’s liberal arts colleges,” Denison has a responsibility to set a national precedent for dismantling systems that perpetuate social and economic inequality. We cannot claim to “treat each other and the environment with mutual respect, tolerance, and civility” while maintaining archaic employment standards and wages for our own students and staff. We cannot claim to be actively fighting for diversity, equity, and inclusion while upholding these practices. Denison cannot claim to “inspire and educate our students to become autonomous thinkers, discerning moral agents and active citizens of a democratic society” without actively working with those who attempt to fulfill these ideals.

We must foster an environment on campus that prioritizes justice, equity, and security. To be successful in this undertaking, we are calling for a series of changes to labor conditions on campus that will improve working conditions, job and wage stability, worker-supervisor relationships, and amplify student voices and experiences. 

The demands listed below are by no means an exhaustive list of the ways that Denison must support its student workers. However, they provide a novel, grounded structure to labor at Denison that must be employed for all student workers going forward. Denison is already in the process of addressing many of these demands. However, as those directly affected by their decisions, we demand transparency.  By April 23rd, we ask that the administration provide a detailed explanation and timeline of how they intend to meet the following demands and prioritize student voices in the process:

I. Given that tuition has increased by 13.21% since 2018, but wages have remained stagnant, Denison must implement at least an $11 minimum wage across all campus jobs.
- A proportional increase between wages and current tuition determined this value. Additionally, this number brings Denison up to par with our peer institutions regarding discrepancies between tuition and wage rates.
- This wage increase must not affect financial aid or jeopardize the employment status of any workers.
- This increase in wages must not reduce the number of hours students are permitted to work weekly.
- Wages must increase annually proportional to the estimated yearly increase in expenses of tuition, room, and dining. 

II. Since certain student workers maintain several free hours each week where they cannot work other jobs, schedule meetings, or otherwise, they should receive compensation for these allocated times. Denison must guarantee payment for every scheduled hour that student workers are able and willing to work.
- Departments must guarantee a minimum number of work hours each week to prevent under-earning of wages due to canceled or unworked hours, where there is no culpability on the employee. 
- Denison must standardize that it is the responsibility of the supervisor to work with their employees to create alternative work opportunities to compensate for the cancellation or rescheduling of expected hours by supervisors.
- This demand intends to address student labor from a human rights perspective in that it creates space for students to gain experience as undergraduate workers while prioritizing the student need for stable wages.

III. Denison must increase and standardize training for supervisors of student workers. 
- Employers must receive adequate training on the resources that exist for student workers and how to effectively educate their staff on how to utilize said resources.
- Denison must standardize and clarify the responsibilities of all department and office supervisors in relation to their supervision of student staff members. 
- Denison should provide adequate and specialized training for supervisors dealing with the interaction and management of student workers.

IV. Denison must implement a system that requires employers to be responsible for developing and implementing policies that ensure student workers may take a leave of absence as necessary for their wellness, so long as there is adequate notice to their supervisor. 
- Denison University must develop increased programming for supervisors and student workers on how and where to access mental health resources and promote anti-racism, diversity, and inclusion in work spaces.
- The University and its respective supervisors of student employment must advocate for student workers struggling with mental illness in accordance with the coverage of mental illnesses and psychiatric disabilities listed under the Americans with Disability Act of 1990.  https://adata.org/factsheet/health

V. Given that the student employment handbook is severely outdated, incomplete, and unused across campus, the student employment handbook must be reformed.  We demand the restructuring of the current set of ethical standards specific to student employment, workers’ rights and responsibilities, and hiring and firing.
- All student workers have the right to be aware of their rights and responsibilities in the workplace. These standards must be outlined by supervisors at the beginning of employment. 
- These reforms must ensure that Denison communicates clearly to students their rights and protections as workers under federal, state, and local laws.
- We also encourage the administration to work with students to perform an investigation into unpaid labor done by student workers across campus. 

VI. Given that Denison has been ineffective in communicating widely to the student body on information regarding employment and work-study, we demand that Denison reform its relationship with the Federal Work-Study program as the law permits. 
- Students must be afforded the opportunity to earn the entirety of their federal work-study allowance.
- We demand that Human Resources provide students with information regarding their federal work-study on a semester basis, as well as to prioritize work study-eligible students in the hiring process for jobs relating to the student’s course of study. Please reference: 34 CFR 675.26(d) and 34 CFR 675.26(a)(2).
- Any updates or changes made to Denison policy on domestic student labor, in or outside of the context of work-study, must be mirrored for International Students within the constraints of the law. 

VII. Given that there is no central space for students to bring their questions, comments, and concerns regarding employment, and no employee on staff charged with ensuring the continued review of ethical employment practices, Denison must review its administrative home of student employment. We demand that Denison hire a specific employee within the office of Human Resources, not the Knowlton Center, to be charged with maintaining a positive relationship with all student employees.
- Student employees want and need more representation, organization, education, and accountability from the administration.  
- The Knowlton Center is not capable of meeting the needs of student employees as laborers or fully understanding the laborious aspects of student employment and is thus not a suitable home for student employment.

VIII. Given that tiered wage systems are a divisive issue both nationally and locally, Denison must ensure that a plethora of student voices are sufficiently heard when determining how to develop an effective wage tier for the University, if at all.

These reforms will create more opportunities, transparency, and stability for student workers at Denison. Not only will they provide benefits to students and supervisors in fostering healthier work environments, but they will ensure that worker’s rights are at the forefront of our approach to undergraduate labor. Therefore, we demand that by April 23rd, 2021, Denison Administration work with representatives from the denison Labor Organizing Committee to commit to developing a detailed plan to implement the stipulations described here within the 2021-2022 academic year, and make the details of this plan public knowledge.

We are more than open to clarify these demands further and reserve the right to adjust our demands as we see fit, with fair communication. However, given that these are incredibly achievable demands, we expect them to be met fully and within the given time frame. We maintain that we are legally protected to make these demands under Section 7 of The National Labor Rights Act, as we understand it.

We look forward to working with you to achieve these goals for the good of the student body, staff, and greater Denison community.  We hope to continue a positive working relationship with the administration in order to ensure the protection and support of all future Denisonians.