'Student Strike' nets results but no fee rollbacks

AMHERST - After months of negotiations, University of Massachusetts students who organized a two-day "student strike" over the fall semester may have won a hand in shaping some police policies.

In addition to university officials' agreeing to a newly formed Community/Police Advisory Board, students will assemble an advisory committee on diversity issues. Students also won some added diversity funding for outreach programs and additional faculty hires.

Students were unable to make much headway on their third gripe with administrators - the high cost of mandatory student fees. Fees will not be rolled back as students had requested. This week, trustees recommended a 3.1 percent tuition and fee increase for the next academic year.
However, UMass administrators have agreed to fund a "lobby day," an opportunity for students to head to Boston and petition lawmakers for increased funds, which could alleviate student fees. The event is expected to cost $5,000--$10,000.

Also, Edward F. Blaguszewski, director of news and information at UMass, said meetings between the administrators and students forged during negotiations will continue, allowing administrators to stay in closer and more consistent contact with students.

The continued conversations and the establishment of advisory committees is being hailed by student leaders as a good first step toward improved administration-student relations.
"The main thing is that we institutionalized these negotiations," said student trustee Ruth Thompson. "Never before have students had a voice like they do now, and we aren't done. There is still a lot about the university that can be improved, and these meetings with the administration will help to do that."

Board's duties

The Community/Police Advisory Board will be charged with making recommendations on safety and police matters to the vice chancellor for student affairs. Work will also be done to make the complaint process against police officers more accessible and less intimidating to students, said Heather McCormack, a student negotiator.

The board will consist of four undergraduate and two graduate students as well as the vice chancellor for student affairs, the dean of students, the chief of police, the director of housing and residential life and three faculty members.

During the strike, students complained about intrusive police patrols in their dorms. Police administrators denied that officers were patrolling residential hallways.

Another committee that will be formed under the new student-administrator agreement will bring student voices to issues on diversity programs.

A diversity council will be created to advise the chancellor on related issues. Administrators also agreed to put $25,000 toward a faculty adviser for the student bridges program, which is designed to reach out to low income, area high school students.

Some $160,000 will be allotted to fund the hiring of more teaching assistants for general education courses that customarily consist of the most diverse mix of students. The university is currently reviewing personnel and programing in campus diversity organizations like the Everywoman's Center and the Stonewall Center to ensure adequate funding.

During the strike, which took place on Nov. 15 and 16, approximately 800 students rallied and effectively shut down the university's administration building as they lined the its hallways chanting slogans demanding a rollback of student fees, an increase in diversity funding, a stop to police presence in private areas of student dormitories and the restoration of student control over areas of the campus the group deemed theirs.

In the following days student leaders presented their demands to administrators and the two groups have met every other week to come to a compromise.

Students and administrators agreed that the inclusion of students on boards that oversee key areas of the campus will improve communication.