Recently SLAM worked with the Harvard College Democrats to produce a video about the human cost of layoffs:

In an open letter to Harvard University President Drew Faust, co-signed my many organizations including Harvard’s Undergraduate Council SLAM writes:

We write to you as members of the Harvard community because we are concerned with our University’s response to the economic crisis. We recognize that Harvard confronts a difficult challenge with a significant drop in the endowment announced in November 2008. However, Harvard remains the wealthiest university and one of the wealthiest non-profit organizations in the world. In this difficult moment, Harvard faces a choice: we can choose either to use our wealth in order to strengthen our community—students, faculty, and workers together—or to allow greed and fear to divide us and erode our institution of higher learning.

We call upon Harvard in these times to act, not out of a logic of fear, but out of a logic of courage and creativity. In recent months, it appears that Harvard is taking the former path by laying off workers and generating an atmosphere of divisiveness. We reject this approach. Accordingly, we demand that the University suspends layoffs and recalls all workers, full-time and part-time, who have been fired since October 2008.

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First, Harvard has not demonstrated—through transparent, full disclosure of financial information—why job cuts “cannot be averted now.” Second, even if the need for further budgetary cuts were to be transparently demonstrated, the moral logic that should animate a non-profit institution whose motto is “Truth” can never justify forcing its lowest paid workers to pay for a crisis that confronts us all.

Because this is a crisis that involves the entire Harvard community, we must be involved in formulating a comprehensive response. This response must be grounded in an ethos of shared sacrifice and democratic participation. We insist that this process be opened to the community, and thus request a meeting with the President, the Corporation, University administrators, members of the Student Labor Action Movement (SLAM), and other relevant groups in order to begin working together on creative and alternative solutions.

After over a week, the Harvard administration has still not responded to the letter.

Harvard has justified their actions by the recent decline in its endowment, but it refuses to disclose its full budget to the public and executive salaries remain as high as ever.

As Harvard students, we know that we must use our voice to support the workers in our community through this economic crisis. We ask Harvard to fulfill both its mission of education and public service by supporting its workers when it matters most.

We all expect to make sacrifices during these uncertain times, but by targeting its lowest-paid and often immigrant workers, Harvard sends a clear message that some members of our community are more expendable than others.

Join us in fighting for Harvard to protect its workers. Help us show them that people all over the Country are watching their actions by signing our petition and telling others about our campaign.

Together we have already gotten Harvard to rehire Bedardo Sola, the custodial worker in the video, we need everyones help to make Harvard rehire all the workers who have been laid off and to pledge that the richest University in the world will not add to unemployment during this time of economic crisis, but work towards creative solutions that value all members of the Harvard community including students, workers to faculty, administrators, money managers,a residents of the Cambridge and Allston-Brighton communities and more.

We can only rise together.

Significant Impact
“The PBHA Service Scholars program had a significant impact on my professional choices. Arriving at Harvard, I saw my need to work a part-time job and my desire to perform community service as incongruous. The Service Scholars Community Service program gave me the opportunity to pursue my passion for community service – cementing in my mind my life’s desire to serve others – while making the money I needed to put myself through college.”
-Robert Giannino-Racine ’94

Skills and Courage
“Through the PBHA Service Scholars program I learned the skills I need to be a leader in public service and the courage to make the choice to dedicate my professional life to service.”
-Coley Barbee ’05

Confidence
“The most important impact the PBHA Public Service program had was the boost of confidence it gave me. I entered college as a shy, insecure 17-year-old, wondering if I got into Harvard by mistake. I graduated feeling sure that I had the potential to make a significant difference in the world. I knew that I possessed skills and resources, talent and direction that could be used to make a difference. The Service Scholars program and PBHA convinced me that I had a gift and that it was my duty and my joy to use that gift to serve others.”
-Michelle Hickman ’94

Perspective
“I have gained a lot of useful, practical skills, such as those related to leadership, communication, and organizing. At the same time, I think I have also developed a more mature, balanced, and empathetic perspective that I hope to carry with me in my future work.”
-Margaret Hsieh ‘05

Amazing People
“I met some of the most genuine and inspiring people. It is not common to find so many people gathered together who believe that it is fulfilling to serve someone and something other than yourself. It helped me to see the world in a bigger perspective than just Harvard or academia.”
-Sophia Taula ’04

New Ideas
“The PBHA Service Scholars program asked for more from us, making us share our experiences and struggles and confront each other’s viewpoints. This enabled me to get to know people on a whole different level, and exposed me to ideas, backgrounds and worldviews I would not have otherwise encountered. It made me realize how much more there is to learn, and how much variation there is even among a small community wedded to a common cause. It made me a lot more aware and open-minded, something I deeply appreciate.”
-Quang Tran ’05

Reflection
“The PBHA Public Service Scholars program  was my first experience with taking out time to reflect on my service activities, and cultivating the skill of evaluating my performance and determining my areas of strength and weakness helped me throughout college in various leadership positions. I think starting a habit of reflection has made me a more mature person who is able to recognize and willing to correct her shortcomings.”
-Tanya Thompson ’06

Commitment
“Wow. I do not think I would be where I was now personally or professionally had it not been for the PBHA Public Service Scholars program. The Service Scholars program facilitated my total commitment to service. This total commitment is what really pushed me to learn and grow within my service experiences, and to take my programs and my leadership to the next level. Teaching in Uganda and NYC have been incredibly challenging experiences. My participation in the Public Service Scholars  program gave me the confidence to meet the challenges in every professional situation I have come across.”
-Rini Fonseca-Sabuni ’04

Click on the link below to read the story: 

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2009/01/21/brush_with_destitution_fuels_a_desire_to_succeed/