Written by the MIT Student Worker Alliance comprising undergraduate students, graduate students, and MIT employees in libraries, dining services and contracted workers across campus. 

Contact: swam@mit.edu

On March 10th, due to health and safety concerns regarding COVID-19, MIT announced that all undergraduate students must begin packing and departing from campus by March 14th. All students must be moved off campus by March 17th. Since this initial announcement, MIT has accelerated this move-out by incentivizing undergraduate students to leave by March 15th and strongly urging graduate students to leave campus. As the situation surrounding the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 continues to evolve, MIT must take concrete steps to protect the wellbeing of all members of the MIT community and to minimize the uncertainty that we are all facing.

1) Guarantee continuity in employment, wages, and benefits for all MIT employees

MIT’s response to COVID-19, in particular the cancellation of all events with more than 150 attendees and sending home all undergraduate students, have already resulted in lost wages for some employees, including contracted employees at the Samberg Conference Center and the Sloan building, and will most likely continue to do so. It is not enough to protect the physical wellbeing of the MIT community without also providing economic security. All MIT employees — both direct and contracted — as well as graduate students and work-study students must remain employed with regular wages and benefits, consistent with their weekly average, even if they are off-site or cannot perform their regular work from home.

2) Immediately guarantee all students housing on or off-campus as needed. This would include a housing subsidy and direct assistance in finding suitable housing if they cannot remain on campus.

For many, moving off campus at all is impossible. Many students are on visas that do not allow them to leave and re-enter the United States at will. Many are from countries already on lockdown. LGBTQ+ students may face violence at home, disabled students might not have access to the care they need, and some students have no home to go to. If any student feels unsafe returning to their home life for any reason, or is worried about traveling or infecting their families, MIT should either allow them to stay in student housing or help secure an alternative housing arrangement for them in the Boston area.

International students in particular face steep challenges with short notice and little support for traveling back to their home countries as well as complications with visas. 

MIT claimed that they would consider exemptions to allow students with difficulty returning home to stay, and in particular they highlighted international students whose home countries present particular visa challenges or are especially affected by the coronavirus. Yet, many such students have had their exemptions denied. This is unacceptable.

 It is MIT’s responsibility to protect their students in this time of crisis, not to absolve themselves of this responsibility. MIT should commit to facilitating safe housing for all of its students and accommodate as many of these students as possible on campus. For all other students, MIT must aid students in finding off-campus housing and immediately provide financial support in the form of housing grants. These grants must cover any additional housing costs incurred, and they must cover all housing costs for students on financial aid.

3) Cover travel and storage costs for all MIT community members leaving campus. 

MIT has recently asked all undergrads to leave campus and they may soon ask the same of the graduate population. Even with airline prices decreasing due to COVID-19, airline tickets scheduled within the next week can cost hundreds of dollars. Most students do not have hundreds of dollars in spare emergency funds. In the absence of institutional support for these needs, alumni and community members have organized on a volunteer basis to provide temporary housing, travel assistance, and storage for undergraduates. MIT should not externalize these burdens to the wider community. On Thursday night, MIT offered a $500 travel stipend and free storage to any undergraduates who leave by midnight on Sunday March 15.  MIT has now demonstrated a clear willingness to spend the money. However, the limited time window currently being offered is grossly inadequate and they must extend this deadline to all students. MIT must commit to providing travel stipends to all MIT community members who leave campus to cover airfare and luggage, gasoline costs, and train tickets for the full duration of the current pandemic. Additionally, MIT must offer free storage through the summer for students who have large items or items they cannot take home easily.

4) Provide paid time off for all MIT employees who fall ill

The U.S. Surgeon General has recommended that all employees should stay away from work if we feel sick. For many employees, this sensible ask is not straightforward from an economic perspective. In order to guarantee that all employees can follow this advice, MIT must reward additional paid sick days to any employee who is told to continue to work on-site and falls sick because of COVID-19. No worker who gets sick should have to use their existing PTO or sick leave.

5) Guarantee healthcare, mental healthcare, and food to all students and employees. 

During this time of great stress, keeping mental health services for those who need them is crucial. In the spirit of also protecting MIT Medical staff, all students who want to continue with their mental health programs will be provided with remote assistance. This is particularly important since students' health services do not cover teletherapy with off-campus providers. MIT must provide remote mental healthcare options to all students. 

Additionally, while we understand that shared dining facilities may pose extra risks, it is necessary to make sure those remaining on campus have consistent access to food and other basic needs. This is especially so for first generation, low-income students who may depend on campus jobs, financial aid, or other now-limited sources of income for their daily needs. It is also necessary to ensure that campus staff do not lose crucial income. MIT must guarantee all students who remain on campus have access to adequate dining alternatives.