The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

Food Service Pay

To the Editor:

The purpose of my statement is twofold: the first part has been a concern of mine since my first days on campus, and the second, which has just come to my attention, seems to be a travesty of college level administration.

Both of these cases have to do with the food services at UVM, and the later is disturbing and confusing.

First, the cost of food for students on the UVM campus is ridiculous when compared to other schools. I attended a private school last year, Bucknell University, a school filled with predominantly upper middle to upper class students, and the rates there were much more reasonable.

I visited SUNY Binghamton a month ago and received a meal for two people at a price of $4.30. The students there pay $600.00 for their semester meal plans.

At UVM, a salad with half a chicken breast cold is $6.00. A student pays 8.75 for dinner at the cafeteria, and much more if one decides to eat at the nicer places.

I realized after the first week here that my $1200.00 meal plan would not be sufficient for the semester.

This first part was a concern to me, but the second ignited outrage as I heard of the UVM administration’s stingy accommodations for the food preparation and custodial staff.

After much opposition from the union and student petitions, UVM finally agreed to raise the starting salary to $9.05/hr. It is known that Burlington is an expensive place to live, and the living wage for a single, non-married person is 10.82/hr; the living wage for 1 parent/1 child family is 17.96/hr.

It is blatantly obvious that these UVM workers are just barely making the living wage, or they surely are not.

The statistics reflect what I feared, in that 80% of 1 parent/1 child families in Burlington earn less than the living wage.

It’s not like UVM is giving students a good deal on food, as I stated above. In a partially state-run school we, the students, are paying probably twice of what is necessary for food, with no benefit for the workers: those who really deserve the extra money. At this revelation I am dumbfounded and appalled.

I thought UVM to be a liberal place with a free-loving atmosphere and I have found out that this is nothing more than a money-making scheme for the university magistrate through exploitation of the local workers.

Timothy De LiseUVM

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