Students begin sit-in at Washington University

By Clay Barbour
Of the Post-Dispatch
04/05/2005
The scene inside Washington University's admissions office Monday was a throwback to the 1970s as 18 students staged a sit-in. Armed with signs, petitions and fliers, the students crowded the small office to take a stand against what they say are low wages paid to as many as 500 employees of the prestigious university. And while iPods and laptops outnumbered peace signs and paisley, the young activists proved that a passion for justice is as hip as ever. "We are here to stay," said Joe Thomas, a sophomore and one of the sit-in organizers. "We will miss classes if necessary. We'll even go to jail. We will be here 24 hours a day, seven days a week until the chancellor decides it's better to pay his employees a living wage than to deal with us for another day."
In a statement released late Monday, a spokesman for the university said a group of administrators was reviewing the school's pay scale and how it fits in the St. Louis market. The statement also said university Chancellor Mark Wrighton would consider the students' requests.

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