ORONO – Some University of Maine students are not happy with how the university system is treating student workers.
A petition with 300 signatures — calling out the university for what students say are moves that hurt workers — was delivered to the office of the University of Maine System chancellor on Orono’s campus Wednesday.
“For me, it’s really disheartening to have a system go against its workers that are the foundation for their own system. So just to have a system that is refusing to support the people that help it be successful and have more and more students come here and have it be a great university, that’s what was most disheartening for me and that’s why I think there should be a change about it,” said Aubrey Humpage, founder of Maine Student Action.
She said university system officials had lobbied against certain legislation that would increase wages and give additional benefits to students working on campus.
“And these student workers, they pay so much money to go here,” Aubrey said. “We all do to get this education. It’s really important that we show support of those student workers. They’re paying so much to go here. They should have a system that supports them as well.”
According to school officials, the chancellor was not present to review the petition.
