By Robert W Gehl
Dear Student Government Administrative Subcommittee on Dining Services,
In your recent letter “April Sodexo strike,” which can be found on connect2mason.com, you close by stating, “We, the representatives of the George Mason University student body, strongly condemn the false claims and accusations leveled against Sodexo and Mason Dining by the SEIU [Service Employees International Union].”
You don’t represent me. I am willing to bet that you don’t represent many students. You see, the impositions you endured, where you lost your “ability to have [our] regularly provided services,” pales in comparison to the actual struggle of workers trying to live on low wages in one of the most expensive regions in the country. You speak of rights: “When we (the Taco Bell-deprived) are paying thousands of dollars a year for a meal plan, it is our right to have these regular services provided to us.” You speak of suffering: “When that right is infringed upon, someone must look out for the students, because ultimately we are the ones who suffer.”
Take a deep breath and count the ways in which your lack of Jazzman’s coffee for a few hours on a weekday compares to a family’s lack of health care and benefits. Measure your suffering with that of others for a moment.
Consider the gap between the college-bound and career-bound and those bound for low-wage work. You don’t represent us. We stand with SEIU. But if you’re really having trouble, let me know and I will buy you a Gordita Supreme.
Robert W Gehl
Graduate Student
Cultural Studies
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