Emory Students get arrested over peacful protest against Sodexo

[blazak]

In 1985 we built a shantytown on the Quad to protest Emory's Coca-Cola connection (Coke propped up South African apartheid to the bitter end). Glad to see the spirit still lives (although most Emory students in those days were busy with date rape on Frat Row. Sure that's changed, right?)

[gabeshivers]

From what I remember, Jwags, (Emory President James Wagner) gave you plenty of chances to not be arrested and listen to your side; even inviting several protesters into his office at one point. I'm not saying your points aren't valid - but beating a drum and chanting in the middle of campus obstructing other university employees from doing their job (setting up for graduation) just makes you look ridiculous.

[FloRiteEnt]

Very good job. This was a peaceful demonstration of 7 students taking a stand against an injustice. No matter what anybody says they grabbed not only Emory's attention, but i guarantee Sodexo will feel the pressure in the upcoming weeks from people just like these incredible 7 students who are not afraid to stand out and use their freedoms to fight against the worlds corruption. Heres something to chew on" You can be the shepard, or the sheep".

[georjajim]

@dawnderer26: Ummm...they are required by contract to pay $10.75 per hour to their workers on Emory campus. That is a fact.

[Matroilyx]

@georjajim Hahah. I've actually had conversations with employees who are getting paid less than that... And while we want to publish their pay stubs, they are afraid of getting fired... which Sodexo has done when others have stood out of line, or wanted to unionize, and gotten fired for trumped up reasons.

[KundrNik]

@Matroilyx I think presenting this information to the administration is what needs to be done if these individuals are not being paid according to contract.

[undrcvrfreek05]

Please vote this up: Go to the Atlanta Independent Media Center website titled, "Seven Emory Students Arrested in Sodexo Demonstration" [name liable to change] to link to a video that provides a fuller context

[9californication]

im surprised they took the black guy last...

[djluigisantos]

why, instead of protesting and just making noise, dont you guys sit on your asses and research shit and publish to put the corporations in their place? written evidence is much more effective imho

[nedjimb0]

come on guys, it's not a protest unless someone gets tazed

back in my days, we protested Sodexho by not eating at the DUC

also because it was nasty...

[nedjimb0]

thinking about starting a youtube playlist:

privileged college students being dragged out of tents

when I was at Emory I showed my dislike for Sodexho by not eating at the DUC...

[KundrNik]

OK, this was the dumbest way to do this. Go through the proper channels and don't get arrested to have a permanent mark made on your transcript/record. I applaud your passion for the issue, but you would think Emory students would know how to stage a legal protest and properly communicate with the administration. Get your facts straight, and then go protest legally, if necessary.

[dawnderer26]

@KundrNik They have been "getting their facts straight" for well over a year and have been communicating with the administration the entire time. They had staged 'legal' protests and that didn't work. You should be aware of this if you had researched this issue.

[dawnderer26]

@KundrNik So you're saying Emory is responsible for Sodexo? Good to know.

[KundrNik]

@dawnderer26 No, I'm saying you can't just demand something like a kid and get it. It takes time. There are a lot of processes that need to happen. They need to investigate every one of their employees conditions.

[dawnderer26]

@KundrNik How very condescending. Demanding something, not for yourself, but for someone else is childish.

They have investigated these things. Obviously you don't know about what's been happening on campus for over a year. They have gone through these 'processes' and been ignored.

[KundrNik]

@dawnderer26 To make any changes, it needs to research conditions of every employee they have. Sodexo employees only make up a minority of Emory's workers and since they maintain the same "living wage" and conditions that the Cliff bus driver receives, Emory needs to find compensations for everyone... not just Sodexo employees.

[KundrNik]

@KundrNik Furthermore, receiving $10/hr is better than the minimum wage. So the argument against that (e.g. "How could you support a family living off $10/hr) should be taken up with the GA gov't. Not Emory.

[dawnderer26]

@KundrNik I can't help you. You're not familiar with the campaign, or the demands of the workers and it seems like you don't care to be. You're not familiar with the work the workers and students have been doing for over a year (these 'investigations' and 'processes'), yet you look down on them. If these students standing up for the people who serve them food everyday irritate you so much, just turn the other way. The work will continue.

[KundrNik]

@dawnderer26 at a Q&A session. Additionally, I have about 8 very good friends who work at the DUC (none at Cox, however), and this is not a feeling that any of them have expressed to me. Therefore, I think it's wise to ensure that no blanket statements are made, and I apologize if I made any myself. I think both Emory and the students acted too quickly and dramatically. And I think both sides don't see each others' views.

[dawnderer26]

@KundrNik The people who work for Sodexo at Emory have made it clear to other people what their struggles are. Your friends have not informed you about this but their co-workers have made their needs known to other people.

Since you don't seem to be concerned about working conditions and treatment but only the manner in which students who support these workers protest, just keep moving. Like I said, the work will continue.

[jdickgk]

Yeah love blind activism. Pick a cause that really matters and stop the publicity stunts.

[Julian1981]

Where Courageous Inquiry Leads

[kingdom100]

LOL

[georjajim]

Emory requires SODEXHO to pay the living wage rate which is way above the minimum hourly wage required by US government. I have many friends who work for SODEXHO on campus and none of them hate their job or their employer.

It is interesting to note that these are the same students who will order meals at the two "sit down" dining spots on campus and receive table service by an hourly worker...and then don't leave a tip. Hypocrites. Bet when they leave jail they hop into their BMW's.

[dawnderer26]

@georjajim No one has a BMW and none of the Sodexo workers at Emory earns a living wage. NEXT

[worryingcow]

I'm much more concerned by how shitty sodexo's food is than how they treat their employees. I'll start caring about their welfare when they can properly roll my goddamned sandwich.

[jonathanosim]

I don't why people are protesting the administration rather than the state government in Georgia. There will always be another company like sudexo that gives its employees the bare minimum.

[Matroilyx]

@jonathanosim Sodexo is know for it's international human rights abuses. Georgia can't do anything about that. Furthermore the New York Attorney General found that Sodexo was stealing millions from New York Schools and violating their contracts. Upon further examination, The New York Attorney General said that these practices are normal for business practices for Sodexo.

[worryingcow]

@Matroilyx Quite frankly, if Sodexo were committing "international human rights abuses" and the NY Attorney General has been investigating than a few Emory kids aren't going to change anything.

C'mon people. I know getting arrested during a protest might be on your college bucket list but at least pick a real cause. Best case scenario? Sodexo gets kicked off campus,  Emory rehires the employees and pays them more with our tuition. If you care that much, pay the Sodexo people yourself.

[dawnderer26]

@worryingcow If you don't care about the human rights abuses that are taking place on Emory's campus, then just be real about it. Don't state that this is not a real cause. It's just not important to you. It is important to them, to the Sodexo workers, to many people in the Atlanta community.

[jonathanosim]

@Matroilyx If sodexo is violating Georgia Law, then yes, the state can do something about that - sue, fine, etc. and people should be protesting the state government to enforce its laws. If Sodexo is not violating Georgia Law, then people should be protesting the state government to change the law. If Emory fired Sodexo, that will be a superficial solution for a much bigger problem. I'm just not sure why people are holding Emory accountable for this over the state.

[romanianbambina]

This is so outrageous....bunch of hippies.

[passionfire16]

Love you all. Rog, Emiko, Andrea, Chris, Joe, Amariah, and Mike

-Torie

[sweetiee3704]

Emory makes a living off of screwing over their students. This is a damn shame.

[kmfulto]

stop martyring yourselves and go through the correct channels to engage in your discussion. also, i understand that if sodexo employees protest they will be fired, but if none of them are joining the students, what does that tell you? that they prefer their current job to no job at all.

[passionfire16]

@kmfulto Sodexo employees have joined students in rallies.

[passionfire16]

@kmfulto Sodexo employees have joined students in rallies.

[Matroilyx]

@kmfulto Sodexo employees have joined the cause. Many Sodexo employees stopped by the camp and spent time there (though they have families to go home to at the end of the day).

What would you suggest the "correct channels" are? Students and Workers in Solidarity have held a session where Sodexo from both on-campus and around the world came and spoke to students about their working conditions. SWS has also met with the administration 10 times before it came to this to discuss the issues.

[kmfulto]

sodexo isn't going to do anything about this until they feel direct impact, i.e. through losing (lots of) employees. even as an emory student, this seems to me like a bunch of rich kids taking up a random cause. this is not the way to go about fighting against the company or emory's relations with the company. the students need to provide an alternative to sodexo and do something more productive than posting up on the quad.

[vokatin]

@kmfulto You say, "even as an emory student," this seems meaningless to you. I don't know you personally, but I know plenty of emory students for whom apathy is more or less the default. The students on the quad seriously believe something is wrong, and they have been trying to act on it. They may not be perfect, but I doubt the administration's response is either. I'm glad that students are taking an interest, rather than mindlessly accepting the business model of their academic institution.

[kmfulto]

@vokatin I never said the cause was meaningless. Perhaps I did not make myself clear, but I am opposing the method of protest, not the reasons for it. If there are in fact human rights violations occurring, I will be the first to agree that something must be done. If I was apathetic I would not have taken the time to type out my first post, or to reply to your objections. There are many Americans who are apathetic, not just Emory students. I admit that I am usually among these apathetic citizens

[kmfulto]

@vokatin but it bothers me that Emory students are using such childish measures to bring about their aims. The goal of a protest should not be to go to jail, it should be to spread the word of the cause. Considering that I literally had no idea that there were people camping on the quad until yesterday, and that I heard tell of the protesters making sure there were video cameras present when the police arrived, it seems that the protest was undertaken in the wrong spirit. It was a childish stunt

[vokatin]

@kmfulto Fair. There are a few things that bug me about this, on both sides. I feel like both the students and the administration may be opting for rhetoric over substance.

[dawnderer26]

@kmfulto This cause is not random. Sodexo will feel direct impact, not by losing employees but losing major contracts. Also, these students have been fighting against the company and appealing to Emory to sever ties for well over a year. I promise you they have been very productive. Perhaps you should join them :)

[howdthathappen190]

@kmfulto Sodexo feels direct impact when they lose million dollar contracts with universities. Hence the protest and the leverage that students have.

[aightpeace]

fuck the police

[MrDexterhoff]

fuck dooley he is a slave driving SODEXO assface

[beccarockstarr]

wow.

[dawnderer26]

SHAME ON YOU EMORY!!!

[jklbkl]

This is such a bad decision by Emory! You have chosen your legacy, President Wagner. 

[Gomez2081]

THIS IS SOME BULLSHIT!