Energy vibrated off the walls of 177 Lawrence Hall Wednesday night as roughly 200 students, faculty and administration members watched University President Dave Frohnmayer sign on to the Worker Rights Consortium.
The action came following a University Senate meeting, during which the senate voted their approval of joining the WRC. In a gathering with students Monday, Frohnmayer said that he would agree to sign on if the senate recommended him to do so.
After a brief introduction from the students resulting in a round of clapping, cheering and finger-snapping, Frohnmayer added his signature to two documents and effectively joined the University to the WRC.
“Ladies and gentleman,” ASUO President Wylie Chen said, holding up the two sheets of paper for the audience to see. “We are a member of the WRC.”
The documents signed by Frohnmayer make the University a member of the WRC for a period of one year, with the option to renew annually.
“I realize it’s been a long day, a long week, and of course — for some of you — a long year,” Frohnmayer said.
With the stroke of a pen, protesters occupying the space outside Johnson hall saw one of their goals accomplished. And in a meeting that lasted approximately 35 minutes, over a year and a half of work by some students met its destination.
“This was a process that was started by students, it was pushed by students and was won by the students,” ASUO President-elect Jay Breslow said. “We did this. This is student power.”
The fact that the commitment remains at only a year, however, is a sore spot for many of the protesters, who originally demanded that the membership be set for five years. As Breslow announced that the guaranteed membership was for one year, hisses arose from the crowd.
A sentiment that was expressed often, however, was that Frohnmayer’s signature Wednesday night was just the beginning of an even bigger battle.
“Today we have taken one small, tangible step toward correcting the injustices that workers all over the world face every day,” Human Rights Alliance member Chad Sullivan said. “This doesn’t end today. We will have shared governance. We will have democracy. We will have a voice on this campus.”
In a short speech after signing the papers, Frohnmayer addressed the issue of democracy and said that he did not sign on to the WRC earlier because he was waiting for the University Senate to review the proposal.
“In my view, if we have a community, we need to have all the constituent parts of that community to be heard,” he said.
Some students did not see things the same way.
“I don’t want to be told what community is,” student protester Laura Close said. “I want to sit at the table and participate.”
Frohnmayer said that his hesitation in signing was not for lack of concern about workers or student democracy.
“This is a crucial issue for us all,” he said. “I want to thank you for your concern, your passion [and] your help.”
HRA member Randy Newnham said that he was glad the students had won this time. That protesters had to camp out on the Johnson Hall lawn, however, speaks to the wider issue of democracy, according to Newnham.
“If we have to do this every time an issue comes up,” he said, “where is the power?”
At press time, the protesters outside Johnson Hall were still deciding whether to end their occupation of the administration building or remain until Frohnmayer fully meets their demands.