NYC Alums Protest Potential Layoffs

A group of concerned Harvard alumni organized protests outside of the Harvard Club of New York last Thursday, demanding that the administration save Harvard jobs.

While the University has not officially announced employee layoffs, budgetary cutbacks are expected to result in job losses for workers employed through subcontractors.

The protests in New York were organized in collaboration with the “No Layoffs” campaign organized by the Student Labor Action Movement on campus, according to Alyssa M. Aguilera ’08-’09, an active member of SLAM and an inactive Crimson editorial writer.

“[The campaign] was initiated by alumni in order to show solidarity and express that alums are watching the layoff issues too,” she said.

The protest outside of the Harvard Club of New York was organized by recent graduates Kelly L. Lee ’07, Michael A. Gould-Wartofsky ’07, J. Claire Provost ’07, and Kyle A. Krahel ’08. Both Provost and Gould-Wartofsky were members of SLAM during their undergraduate careers at Harvard.

“We are aware that the economic downturn is affecting every sector of the economy,” Provost said. “But when we were undergraduates, we formed relationships with these workers. Even now that we are alumni, those relationships have not died out.”

The protesters—who, according to Provost, included alumni, students, and parents—held signs saying, “Stop the layoffs,” and “Worker’s lives are not your rainy-day fund.”

The protesters chose the Harvard Club of New York for its symbolic value, Provost said.

“The Harvard Club of New York represents the presence of Harvard in New York as well as the material presence in New York, as well as its connection to alumni.” she said. “The events at the club are ludicrously expensive. And as an alumni, I do not find it a useful resource. It was a good place to stage a symbolic protest.”

The protesters were denied access to the club and were not allowed to speak to a club representative.

The group that organized the demonstration is considering other means through which to further their message. One possibility is a Web site that would aim to convince alumni to withhold donations; another option may be protesting outside of other Harvard clubs in the future.

Provost said these ideas were still in the “development phase.”

As for their plans for further protests outside the Harvard Club of New York, Provost said, “we’ll be back again.”