Dining Discord

Student dining service workers urged classmates to boycott campus cafés after the Student Worker Collective and College failed to reach a contract agreement in May. The collective represents about 300 undergrads who work in dining services or as residential undergrad advisors (UGAs). About 90 percent of the union’s members voted for the strike, which ended after two weeks with an agreement to mediate.

Sticking points between College and union representatives included base wages for dining service workers and stipends and meal plan coverage for UGAs. Hours remained the same at ’53 Commons, Collis Café, and Courtyard Café, but other campus cafés and snack bars reduced hours.

Earlier this year students grumbled about changes to venues, with nearly 90 percent of students surveyed by student government “extremely dissatisfied” with the new ordering system at Courtyard Café. Also unpoplular: Two new checkout stations at Novack Café require students to pay separately for items, which could diminish their meal swipes’ full value.

International Support

The College’s immigration legal fund had guaranteed international students up to $2,000 with the potential for more under certain circumstances. It announced in May it was boosting the legal fund support to a maximum amount of $5,000, based on need.

Unanimous Vote

The College Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility voted in May not to advance a proposal from Dartmouth Divest for Palestine, a coalition of students, faculty, staff, and alumni. The group called on Dartmouth to divest from arms manufacturers it argued “directly support Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestine.” The committee, which met eight times to review the 55-page proposal, said it lacked compelling evidence of community support. 

The coalition plans to resubmit the proposal with additional information. It said investments in weapons companies and other corporations complicit in genocide and violations of international law “are not in keeping with Dartmouth’s academic mission and its responsibility to its community and the broader world.”