I hold somewhat of a unique position at this university — I’m a staff member, but also enrolled as a full-time graduate student. As a member of this student body, I’m intimately familiar with the insidious culture of fear and silencing that students feel subjected to on this campus. As a staff member — more specifically, as a union member — I enjoy certain protections in dealing with administration.

So when we arrived to the vigil and were immediately confronted by Vice Chancellor Karen Ferrer-Muñiz, I felt compelled to use this uniquely privileged position that I hold to advocate on behalf of my fellow students.

While the vice chancellor informed me that there had been no ‘Advanced Notice Form’ filed and ordered us to disperse immediately, behind me a student was pouring his heart out expressing his profound grief. I didn’t feel it was an appropriate time to convey the vice chancellor’s orders and risk sullying this healing moment of catharsis for that student.

The Classified Staff Union, Professional Staff Union and Faculty Staff Union have all filed cease and desist letters informing the University that the restrictions it implemented in the “Protest and Demonstration” section of its “Space Use Policy” were a violation of our labor-management relationship and must be bargained over. Administration has yet to acknowledge these letters or act on them in any meaningful way. However, it is now clear that the administration intends to enforce this policy, regardless of its legality.

Now that my colleague Amanda and I have both received these pre-disciplinary letters, every member of the CSU Contract Action Team has been subjected to disciplinary action during the span of our ongoing contract negotiations. Those of us who work here know that it takes the human resources department ages to accomplish anything — even just scheduling our bargaining sessions has been an uphill battle — yet there was no delay when it came to sending out these disciplinary notices. Our original hearings were scheduled for Wednesday, which I cannot help but interpret as a blatant attempt to intimidate us into not holding our union speak-out on Thursday.

The first time Amanda and I were called into HR was actually last spring, when we were reprimanded for documenting the fact that the administration had spent over $130,000 on the chancellor’s inauguration ceremonies the same week that tuition hikes were announced. CSU members are living with our parents, are living with multiple roommates, are living in homes with mice and mold, are living hours away from our workplace — we’re expected to believe that this university doesn’t have the funds to pay us a living wage, while our administration throws around hundreds of thousands of dollars on extravagant celebrations for themselves?

As a silent representative at CSU bargaining sessions, I’ve grown used to witnessing management treat us condescendingly and dismissively, but until the vigil, I had never been treated with outright hostility. During our entire interaction, the vice chancellor was accompanied by Chief of UMass Boston Police Stacy Lloyd and nearly a dozen other armed officers. I cannot emphasize enough the callousness of dispatching armed police to a vigil honoring a life lost to state violence.

I’m not being hyperbolic when I talk about the fear that this police presence instilled in our group. I was at the Emerson encampment dropping off supplies just a few hours before it was brutally attacked by police. I had friends there. I walked through the alleyway the next morning and saw their blood on the walls — red brick walls that look just like the walls of Wheatley Hall. That’s what was on my mind as we were encircled by campus police. They showed up to a vigil with weapons, and then had the audacity to imply that we were the ones being aggressive and disrespectful?

It was as if the administrators present could only conceptualize our vigil as an impediment to be cleared; they could not even fathom the idea that it might represent a space of healing and hope that they could have been constructively engaging with in any way.

I intend to defeat these disciplinary allegations and continue working and studying here for many years to come. I intend to continue defending students’ and staffs’ rights to assert our voices on this campus. I intend to help CSU win a contract that secures a living wage and dignified treatment for all our members. I believe that the power of the people is stronger than the people in power.

This article appeared in print on Page 11 of Vol. LVIII Issue VI, published Nov. 4, 2024.