"Two national advocates for fair wages and civil rights told the scores of energized University of Virginia student protesters before them Monday that they were proud of student efforts to help the school’s lowest-paid workers receive higher wages.

“What students … are saying is essentially ‘we can’t concentrate in classrooms that we know were cleaned overnight by someone who cannot afford to feed her family,” said Barbara Ehrenreich, author of “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America” and living-wage advocate. “You all have given me so much hope.”

Ehrenreich joined civil rights lawyer Mark Lane in a rally where a large crowd filled a lounge in the university’s Newcomb Hall. The event, moved from the front of Madison Hall because of rainy and cold weather, took place at about the same time that 17 student protesters were released from Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail after spending two nights behind bars. The students were arrested on trespassing charges after a four-day sit-in at Madison Hall, which houses university President John T. Casteen III’s office.

“You have to wonder about a university that treats its most moral … and idealistic students as if they were criminals,” Ehrenreich said.

The student movement is pushing for the university to increase its lowest-paid workers’ wages to $10.72 an hour, $1.35 more than they currently make. University officials have said the wage increase is out of the president’s control because the university does not have the authority to require a contractor to pay its employees a certain salary. Such changes, according to officials in Casteen’s office, need to be made through a legislative process in Richmond. “The president is complimentary of the students and the hard work they’ve done so far,” university spokeswoman Carol Wood said. “The door is not closed to ongoing discussion, but the floor of Madison Hall was not the place to continue those conversations.”

Though Saturday’s arrests brought an end to one living wage demonstration, the energy at Monday’s rally made it clear that the movement is far from over. “It’s exciting because the vibes from the university have seemed to be all about shutting us down,” Living Wage Campaign organizer Victoria Young said. “This energy from the community, the students and the professors shows that this movement is still building. It’s really inspiring.”

Wood said university officials welcome the energy of the students. “The students’ passion for this cause has never been the issue,” she said. “In fact, it’s one of the reasons President Casteen wanted to engage these students in a process for change at the legislative level.”

Lane, who has spent decades fighting for civil rights throughout the United States, said after the event that he isn’t the only one who should be impressed with the movement. “If I were President Casteen, I would be very proud of these students,” he said. “This is one pure struggle. These students aren’t asking for lower tuition or changes in classes. They’re looking around at the problems faced by those who work on their campus and are struggling to get by.”

Lane and Ehrenreich both received extensive applause and cheers from the crowd, but some of the biggest reactions came when Lane said Casteen should meet with union representatives and when Ehrenreich said that if any crime is committed on the university’s grounds, it’s that officials keep such a wage policy under the legacy of Thomas Jefferson. “I’m with you,” Ehrenreich said amid cheers at the conclusion of her speech. “I don’t know what the next step is … but I’m with you.”

Campaign organizers plan to continue the momentum from Monday’s speeches with more rallies and teaching events throughout the coming days and weeks. “We’re just gaining speed,” Young said. “This is just the beginning.”" (Jessica Kitchin, The Daily Progress, April 18, 2006)

Contact Jessica Kitchin at (434) 978-7263 or jkitchin@dailyprogress.com.