'Stop lobbying against us' - UMaine students deliver hundreds of messages to admin
Calling on administrators to stop lobbying against the economic interests of its student workers and lowest-paid faculty, students from the University of Maine in Orono delivered hundreds of petition signatures to the Chancellor’s office on Wednesday afternoon.
“Without student workers, this university would crumble, and it’s time that the system does something to recognize that,” said Aubrey Humpage, a junior UMaine student and fellow with Maine Student Action who addressed reporters before handing off the signatures. “It’s time to tell the University of Maine System to stop lobbying against those that hold the system together.”
The petition was created in response to a Beacon investigation that exposed the legislative lobbying activities of university system administrators including Samantha Warren, the UMaine system’s director of government and community relations. Both publicly and behind the scenes, the system worked to oppose or weaken bills to establish overtime pay, wage increases, paid time off and other worker protections, including and especially for students working on campus.
More than 200 of the 361 messages were from UMaine students or alumni who asked Chancellor Dannel Malloy to “stop fighting against Maine workers.” Many signed on after Humpage’s petition was forwarded to members of the Maine People’s Alliance, of which Beacon is a project.
Read more: https://mainebeacon.com/stop-lobbying-against-us-umaine-students-deliver-hundreds-of-messages-to-admin/