December 9, 2009.
Poughkeepsie- An autonomous group of Vassar students who resist the corporatization of their college began a hunger strike at 11:59 pm on Tuesday, December 8th. The hunger strikers will not eat until the administration cancels the layoffs of 13 members of the Vassar community, who have been notified that their jobs will no longer exist come Christmas break. The administration has refused to engage in direct negotiations with the unions on campus.
This is the second time in eight months that Vassar students have a held hunger strike to protest the treatment of members of our community as interchangeable and disposable parts. Last spring, five students did not eat for five days in protest of the laying off of employees over the summer months. This resulted in a temporary Hardship Fund. This time the hunger strikers will not accept temporary fixes or band-aids. They refuse to nourish their bodies until jobs are restored.
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