Emory students stage peaceful protest outside president’s office

UPDATE Thursday:  This morning, Emory spokesman David C. Payne said, “The sit-in ended around 8 p.m last evening when the students left the building. There are no planned meetings between the students and Dr. Wagner at this time although he has offered to meet with a small group of three to four representatives if they so choose.”

About two dozen Emory students protesting the treatment of subcontracted employees on the DeKalb campus are sitting outside the president’s office in an effort to confront him over what they deem the university’s indifference to the workers’ plight.

(Here is some history on the issue from the Emory Wheel and here is a piece by two students explaining their stand. And here is a response to a student about the allegations of worker mistreatment by the food service company from Emory President James Wagner.)

“These workers are not protected by the code of conduct of Emory…by an ethically engaged university. They have no avenue of redress,” said Laura Emiko Soltis, one of the students lining the hallway outside President Wagner’s office at this moment. “Emory is one of the largest employers in Atlanta and this is something that Emory needs to take seriously.”

“A group of 25-30 people are sitting in the fourth floor corridor of the University’s administration building outside his office, but is not true that they have taken over his office,” confirmed Emory spokesman David C. Payne. ” The group includes off campus visitors as well. He is out of the office today and we do not expect him back. The university’s business is continuing without interruption. We are trying to set up a meeting with a select number of student representatives for tomorrow.”

But student organizer Soltis says, “We are going to stay as long as it takes; he has been avoiding us for a year and a half.”

If President Wagner doesn’t show up today, the students plan to occupy the building overnight. But what if Emory refuses to allow them to continue their protest and orders them to leave?

“Each student is going to decide whether they are willing to be arrested,” says Soltis, adding that at least three students are willing to face arrest. (Emory is going to get back to me on what it will do about the students spending the night outside Wagner’s office in the administration building. Will post as soon as Emory responds.)

“We are on our computers. We are singing songs,” Soltis said. “We are waiting for the president to tell us if he is on the side of the workers and students and an ethically engaged university.”

Emory farms out some of its services, including food service, to private contractors, creating what the students consider a two-tier system of worker rights and status on the campus. The contractual employees do not enjoy the benefits or protections afforded Emory direct employees, they say.

The students want Emory to end its multi-million dollar dining services contract and adopt standards to ensure fair treatment of subcontracted workers on campus.

–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog

143 comments Add your comment

Emory Staffer

April 20th, 2011
5:26 pm

Many of you folks seem to know very little about Emory and it’s student population — {newsflash} — not ALL Emory students are priviledged trust fund babies. There are a good amount of students here who receive financial aid and a myriad of student loans and are actually {gasp!} working their way through school. Just sayin.

Kennesaw Dave

April 20th, 2011
5:26 pm

This is so rediculous it makes me almost physically ill. To be fair, I comend the students for having feeling towards their fellow man and wanting to do something to help. But they are sitting outside the wrong office and protesting the wrong people. Emory doesn’t have any business nor the power to tell a sub-contracting company how they should run their business, pay their subcontractors, and what if any bennefits they should receive. I get so tired of this left wing liberal ideology that everyone has to have a fair share. But then again we’re talking about Emory so I really shouldn’t be all that surprised. Either way though, if they students want to do some real good, they need to be protesting outside where the company that subcontracts the workers.

student

April 20th, 2011
5:26 pm

@ joyce – I also agree with you that what servers at red lobster make is not a living wage. They work hard and have to hope people know they make $2.13 an hour and actually live off the tips. The battle going on at emory is part of a larger battle with sodexo about the way they underpay and mistreat their workers across the US (Sodexo contracts at universities all over the US and the world). It didn’t start at emory and it won’t end there.

Also, the concept of fighting for workers to be paid fairly is being fought all the time across the U.S. It’s not always “news worthy” because it’s not about someone being shot or someone famous. The students fighting, possibly facing jail time, to support the emory workers are very aware of their place in the world. They are part of a lucky few that can afford college, which is shrinking as we speak. They are doing what they can to be an active part of making our country a better place for everyone to live, not just rich white kids.

Personally, I believe the “naive” people of the world living in a bubble are those who pretend everything is as it should be. It’s much easier to ignore the rising number of people who are struggling just to get by in this country. If you are struggling yourself, working a job that doesn’t pay enough, living pay-check to pay-check, (like I am), than you have more in common with the workers there than their managers or the university administration that makes hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

Those of us who aren’t rich, who understand what it means to work very hard for every dollar that we make, should stand by each other as we fight for what we deserve. We all just want enough, not to be millionaires.

Working4aLiving

April 20th, 2011
5:27 pm

Proud of this students and their efforts! Emory speaks of its ‘ethical commitment to the community’ but allows a multi-billion dollar global food service corporation, Sodexo, to use coercive and intimidating tactics against campus workers when they try to organize.
Remember, all the libertarian and tea party friends here, that the right to organize a union is protected by the constitution of the UNITED STATES, the National Labor Relations Act and the despised (as far as the U.S. right is concerned) the UN’s International Labor Organization.
Emory should be an absolute leader when it comes to attacks on workers’ rights and corporate threats to democratic processes- not stoop to the lowest base level of social darwinianism as expressed by of crass anti-worker cynics on this thread.
Thanks, and by the way, I am a Georgia bred (Coweta County) working union man working 50 hours a week and loving my job for a profitable global company. Your anti-myths are rhetorical deadends when confronted with real working people and our struggles.

John L

April 20th, 2011
5:30 pm

I applaud the courageous students who are willing to take this stand for the rights of workers on Emory’s campus and far beyond. Your courage and passion is an inspiration to all of us young people who want to build a better world. Thank you and good luck!

student

April 20th, 2011
5:35 pm

@ Kennesaw Dave You are right that students and workers should protest sodexo as well, which we do, but the reason we include emory administration is because they make the decisions about who gets those contracts. They have a say in what those contracts look like. Many other universities have something called a “code of conduct”, which means that any contractor needs to meet the same fair labor practices that the university uses. Emory does not have this, except for its own direct employees. We are simply asking that all workers at emory, including those of contractors, receive the same fair standards. That contractors must meet the same ethical standards that emory says it follows.

Pyro

April 20th, 2011
5:40 pm

@Student, The biggest problem with this whole thing is not the workers pay (yes I realize that waiter/waitressess live off tips), but the “standard of living” people expect. In days past few people had washing machines and dryers. Clothes were washed by hand and dried on a line in the sun. People didn’t have cellphones and computers and spend thier time brousing facebook and playing worlds of warcraft. They actually took responsibility for themselves and worked with their hand to create a life and support their families. We are all spoiled (yes, me too) by the conveniences and technology of today. We are dependent on things that cost money to make our lives less labor intense and free our time for leisure pursuits. We are all free to live and work and chosing to work for a company that abuses you is a choice that one is free to make. We are all a product of choices we make and these students want to somehow nullify the choices these workers have made in the name of fairness. Unfortunately life is not fair, and nature is cruel and unforgiving. Learn it, live it, get over yourself.

nativeATL

April 20th, 2011
5:47 pm

Of all the……………..!!!!!!!!!! Those kids better get their butts BACK TO CLASS, concentrate on passing their finals, and graduating for some. By the way, wonder how many of those workers are here legally. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm???

Teresa

April 20th, 2011
5:52 pm

Why does the article not mention that the billionaire food services contract is Sodexo? Visit kickoutsodexo.org for more information

invictus mon

April 20th, 2011
5:54 pm

Get a job, get a life, get a clue! Idealism costs money. Eggheaded protests are nothing but an annoyance to anyone who you choose to afflict with your presence. You want to strengthen someone’s resolve to laugh at you and not give you what you want, this is how you do it. The real world isn’t a household full of rich kids who can just kick and scream until mommy gives you what you demand. Moreso, the President of the University ain’t your mommy. You want to bark up a tree, you bark up the one that actually writes the checks to these people who CHOOSE to be employed there. When you do it though, you set an appointment and act civil. Sit-ins, and chanting, and singing are children’s games that might be fun for those who are there, but believe me when I say we’re not laughing WITH you!

Emory Studentttttt

April 20th, 2011
5:55 pm

@nativeATL: As an Emory student, I personally haven’t seen anyone that even looks like they’re of latino descent from their physical appearance, accent, or name. They’re all citizens, and I know because I eat here everyday. You may be an Atlanta native, as am I, but you know nothing about Emory and its day to day business. Just saying.

Brad

April 20th, 2011
6:19 pm

Well, be prepared to pay more money for your school if you get your way. Have you thought about that or are you too busy figuring out how to spell Che Guevara?

itpdude

April 20th, 2011
6:22 pm

Ha ha ha, a bunch of uneducated idiots who barely made it out of high school commenting on the activities of some of the brightest students in Georgia. Lovely.

Just because you all have had it rough at your jobs, no raise, declining benefits, doesn’t mean you need to beat down some of the least amongst us. But hey, you win when someone else loses.

That attitude needs to go to Hell.

itpdude

April 20th, 2011
6:25 pm

Oh, and the issue is this: Emory has a code of ethics that they purport to take seriously yet allow that very code to lapse when it comes to certain employees on the campus. THAT is the issue.

But don’t expect comprehension of such things from a tea party crowd that doesn’t even know what “undergraduate” means.

Alabama Communist

April 20th, 2011
6:31 pm

More Breaking News On Protest…….The protest students were shocked when they found out that the sub-contract workers were really part time Profs working 2 jobs to make ends meet..

proudof'em

April 20th, 2011
6:34 pm

If these kids were really spoiled brats, they wouldn’t give a damn about the folks who dish out their food. They have, in fact, responded to President Wagner’s call to transcend their narrow self- interest and care about others around them. Yes, they are idealistic — that is the way college students should be. They have the rest of their lives to become negative, jaded, and complacent like some of commentators here.

Equitas

April 20th, 2011
6:38 pm

Respectfully @ Crass Realist & I’m Just a Bill

The “real world” cliche should be retired.
Would the “real world” you are boasting
about consist of the financial crisis with
banks,investment firms, insurance
companies,etc. needing TARP funding?
I think the students should focus on
their studies,but it is good to see them
concerned about someone else. The real
test of the students beliefs would be if
they were prepared to pay more money
in tuition and fees for the university to
meet their concerns.

David Patton

April 20th, 2011
6:46 pm

Let’s see–the federal minimum wage is $7.25/hr, and Sodexo employees at Emory are paid $ 10.50/hr. Guess nobody has thought about the fact that when you join a union, you have to pay union dues. That means the amount of money you take home goes down. So, join the union, make less money. For a university that prides itself on how smart its students are, they obviously lack common sense.

I love teaching. I hate what it is becoming...

April 20th, 2011
6:46 pm

How sad. We now seem to live in a world where everyone expects to be screwed over, cause that is the “real world” and when anyone tries to change that or work for something better they are told to “suck it up”. The attitude seems to be, “My life stinks, so yours should too,” and, “If you were worth something and worked hard, you wouldn’t be struggling.”

How easy to throw stones rather than admit that majority of us are being exploited by a small minority…and it is getting worse. We all want to blame the victim, cause if we can make it all *their* fault for being too lazy, or stupid, or entitled or something, then WE won’t have to worry about having the same thing happen to us! Cause *we* are so much better than them!

Funny how that attitude seems to change when it becomes YOUR struggle.

Isawit

April 20th, 2011
6:49 pm

It was quite a site to see. Office doors were locked. The smell od BO was in the air. Kids had cookies and snacks. At least 15 of the kids were sitting there face booking on the nice Mac laptop mommy and daddy bought them. It was just swell. Give em a little more time.

Bob the Bold

April 20th, 2011
6:56 pm

Funny how all those that are saying that “This is America” and that these kids should just shut up, are forgetting that this is America and they have a right to voice their concerns. So, do you of course. But if they feel that there is a problem and that their tuition money is being poorly handled they should stand up and say something, instead of becoming sheeple.

David

April 20th, 2011
7:00 pm

hey, at least SEIU finally did something good… scabs

They are getting ready.

April 20th, 2011
7:11 pm

Maybe they want to get the pay up there because they know that is about the only job they are going to qualitfied for with their teacher union education. Only one in twenty of them will get a good job, ten will work for low wages and the rest will suck momma’s tit for another few years.
People this is the group of our fine young people that we are goint to trust to run this country in the future. GOD HELP US ALL!!!!!!!!

missing the big picture

April 20th, 2011
7:12 pm

The kids are not protesting the subcontractors- They are rolling!! $ and these subcontracts go to family members and friends ~ what they are protesting for are the employees of these subcontractors- I dont think its unreasonable subcontractor employees be held to the same standards in terms of treatment as a regular Emory employee.

Lucie

April 20th, 2011
7:31 pm

It’s not just the Emory employees that the students are concerned about. Sodexo has been found to be unethical across the board. They hire women for less money than men, they have been caught significantly overcharging public schools for their services, they mistreat many of their employees, and many other things:

http://kickoutsodexo.usas.org/why-kick-out-sodexo/dr-workers-letter-to-universities/

wsj

April 20th, 2011
7:44 pm

From what I’ve heard about Emory, they are willing to pay well if you’ve a skill set they need. Otherwise their pay is substandard.

TheTruthHurts

April 20th, 2011
7:45 pm

Typical Lazy ass Liberal sit in…these losers are such a lazy bunch of azzholes..all they can do is sit on their azzes and whine….get a job you lazy govt freeloading LOSERS!!!!!!!! These idioys will have it tough when mommy and daddy stop paying for their living expenses and they have to actually work……LOSERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Emory grad

April 20th, 2011
7:56 pm

I’m truly touched by the students’ energy and empathy. And impressed that the AJC is giving them coverage. Go you!

Teodoro

April 20th, 2011
8:05 pm

It is shameful to read these comments. Naive, sure. Spoiled, maybe. But the bottom line is that students care enough about economic justice that they want an answer as to why low paid workers at an institution with a billion dollar endowment are underpaid or mistreated. I’m an Emory alum and I want to know too. If I ever find myself in need of the hope of my fellow man, I sure hope one of these students and not the craven ugly alleged Christians that has posted here is nearby.

A Current Emory Student

April 20th, 2011
8:13 pm

I hope that I will never have the closed-minded apathy for other people nor the willingness to attack people seeking to help others that has been so vehemently exposed on this blog. Your age and/or your political conservatism does not make you more human than these workers. Your access to an education was a blessing; your livable wages are a blessing. If you honestly don’t want those blessings for everyone, I would look at yourself next time you use the phrase “spoiled brat.”

Batgirl

April 20th, 2011
8:13 pm

Emory students–Keep it up. You’re doing a good thing. Please ignore the naysayers. Apparently many on this blog never got a hand up from anybody. No one had help from parents and good home lives. No one benefited from nepotism or the old boys’/girls’ network. No one ever got hired because he could coach or she was better looking than other candidates. Nope, we are all orphans who have succeeded purely with our brilliance and virtuous hard work.

Some of you seem to think that the Sodexo employees should just find another job if they’re not happy. Really? It may be that in this market this is the best they can do. Maybe they were laid off from better jobs and this is all they can find right now. Have some compassion.

Truman Daley-Douglas

April 20th, 2011
8:17 pm

These students should be commended for standing up for workers rights!

Marcus Moore

April 20th, 2011
8:22 pm

I am amazed that people still think, all you have to do is work hard and you will get what you deserve. I am also surprised that people are judging people because of where they work. It is also surprising that what is legally right when it comes to money always trumps what is morally right. I thought Georgia was a Christian state, until money is involved. I guess hard work and the uneducated people are the ones who are making the decisions about our economy. I guess they are the ones who created the big national debt we are in. Give me a fucking break. The kids are right for standing up for what they believe in.

TheTruthHurts

April 20th, 2011
8:26 pm

These workers took the jobs..if they dont like it, then find another….No one has a gun to their head telling them to work for this big bad company…….thats how it works. Enough people dont like working there the company goes out of business……stop trying to force your pathetic views on everyone else. This society of I deserve give me give me give me…these students are a bunch of whiney idiots with no grasp of the real world…the sooner they get a taste of it the better off they will be. They can whine and cry all they want cause thats all liberals do…….They will go home at night to their homes with maids and landscapers being paid below par wages but they can feel good about themselves that they sat on their asses and cried…TYPICAL LIBERAL!!!

TheTruthHurts

April 20th, 2011
8:32 pm

These liberal students are hypocrites just like Obama their hero…Obam whines about how the big bad wealthy people are taking every tax loophole they can to avoid paying taxes….Gee what a surprise to find out Obama did the same thing with his 2010 takes…and donates far less then other presidents have……Liberals like these students are PHONY FAKE HYPOCRITES……you wanna help….give them some of your money uh uh uh geee that wont happen…..I want someone else to do it…I really dont wanna put myself out there like that…TYPICAL PHONY LIBERAL!!!!

northbeach Scott

April 20th, 2011
8:39 pm

What a bunch of douche bag punks. If these brats had to earn their way through school instead of being protesters on mommy and daddy’s dime, perhaps they would mind their own business. Georgia is a right to work state–if they do not like the color of your tie you can be fired and in this job market, folks ought to be focused on giving employers a reason to keep them.

If the working conditions are so aggregious, then perhaps the sub-contractors should go find another job. No one forces them to work, there.

I have cancelled my annual Emory gift contribution as I would hate to think I might be subsidizing these stupid kids.

the "naive" Emory student

April 20th, 2011
8:52 pm

Thank God compassion exists somewhere.

Sodexo has violated a number of human rights both nationally and internationally through racial and gender discrimination, the prevention of union formation by way of scare tactics (and job dismissal), the payment of unfair wages, and more. Why would any institution–let alone one that prides itself in seeking “to create, preserve, teach, and apply knowledge in the service of humanity”–accept that? I fully support Students and Workers in Solidarity at Emory University because they are serving humanity through the recognition that injustice still exists in the “real world” and the recognition that we have a responsibility to seek change if able.

I encourage you all to take a moment and research this issue before making inaccurate assumptions.

Sam

April 20th, 2011
8:54 pm

About half the students at Emory are here on scholarships, whether they received a merit scholarship from Emory, a financial aid scholarship, or a Questbridge scholarship (which gives successful students in low income families the means to study at places like Emory), so you have no right to call these students spoiled bratty punks. You should not be criticizing the protesting students. Sodexo has done a lot more damage than people think. Employees might not be forced to work there, but that does not mean Sodexo has the right to treat their employees based on that fact. In many cases, Sodexo is the only place where they can find a job. Obviously, if employees were able to find a job somewhere else then Sodexo would be out of business. But it isn’t. At all. Emory freshman are FORCED, however, to have a meal plan that gives almost $5000 dollars a year to Sodexo per student. We should not be forced to pay a company that we do not support.

Kat

April 20th, 2011
8:55 pm

If the guy isn’t there, then staying overnight (and getting arrested) is just plain old dumb! I would expect more from an Emory student – much more!

northbeach Scott

April 20th, 2011
9:00 pm

Why on earth would sub-contracted employees be given the same rights as full-time Emory employees? They do not deserve the same level of treatment.

I find it amusing to hear of all these concerns about “unfair” wages, treatment, etc. News flash, life is unfair and it always will be.

These silly students sound like some of the same vacuous Emory undergrads that I have interviewed in the past few years. So ill prepared to come into the work force and so ready to be in “management” so that can use their minds to think big thoughts and worry about social causes.

Thank goodness some of the public school graduates and out of state candidates seem to be more grounded and capable. What a sad, misguided bunch of fools.

Joyce

April 20th, 2011
9:11 pm

Maybe we can get these students to protest the injustice that is happening to the teachers in Clayton County, Clarke County, Dekalb County…..really all over the state of Georgia. Teachers, Paraprofessionals, Custodians are losing their jobs right and left but the administrators are not being cut. Now, you talk about fairness…the people at the topic make well over $150,000. with benefits a year but the Teachers, Paraprofessionals, and Custodians do not make 6 figures an they are the ones to go out the door. I believe the top should shrink because they were the ones who managed the money poorly.
If you don’t believe me, look at the contract for people working in the Clarke County Board of Education Office and the other administrator. They had their contracts written so they could never be RIF’d but teachers, paraprofessionals, and custodians were not given that priviledge. You see the people at the top always take care of one another. So please come and help.
This type of employee verses employer has been going on for sometime and it needs to stop in all areas of employment. Also, when you apply for a job and for some odd reason someone else (who is less qualified gets the job) look around they are probably related or a good friend of the family. I thought as I got older things in Georgia (or US) would change but it has not.
If you check it out, you might find policy regulations on contract bids at Emory. They have to have a procedure for awarding contracts. They should have received a least 3 bids or more. Check this out.
If you want to see the contract, and they do not want to give it to you, you can use the freedom of information act (GA Code) This works. Many people have had to use this to get information from school systems. There are many ways to get the solution for this crisis handled.
But, the people who work in the cafeteria are under the company that pays there check. Also, if you would like to look at another interesting point, check out these companies who take application for other companies. They are called temp services. That is really a hoot! Why have a middle man/woman to get you the job. And, when you get a job you will work so many weeks before you are premanently hired. And, it is my understanding the temp service recoops your wages from the employer from the first day you worked as a temporary employee. This must have been a government plan of some kind.
Hope you all of studying so you can pass your exams.

A Conservative Voice

April 20th, 2011
9:19 pm

We’re heading down a dangerous road, folks. As Barney would say….”we need to nip this in the bud”.

Emory Food Service Worker

April 20th, 2011
9:20 pm

To everyone who is ranting and raving about raised tuition and costs to students, please note that: RESPECT IS FREE! In response to the wage debate, I’d gladly make a dollar or two less an hour to feel respected and enjoy coming to work on a daily basis. Money doesn’t solve everything.

Thank you to all the students who are willing to take social responsibility and stand up for what they believe is right. Sodexo management on Emory’s campus ROUTINELY intimidates and degrades hourly workers when complaints or concerns are brought to their attention. I have firsthand knowledge of many of these concerns and I am throughly disgusted by how they have been handled to date. To state (paraphrasing) “if you don’t like it you should go seek employment elsewhere” is an extremely short sighted mindset. Especially in a state where the unemployment rate is two points higher then the national average. The economy is hurting and jobs are hard to find. To simply pack up shop and move elsewhere is not plausible for most hourly workers.

The administration has every right to demand that sub-contractors treat their workers in a manner they deem appropriate. At the end of the day, Emory University via students and parents are still footing the bill and anything happening (or not happening) on Emory’s campus still reflects on the University itself.

william thomas

April 20th, 2011
9:23 pm

plz call the press bout them trying to arrest us at emory for a peacefull sit in!

vanilla

April 20th, 2011
9:24 pm

Good on them. Don’t let the greedy corporate bastards jade ya’ll.

faculty member

April 20th, 2011
9:30 pm

No one forces anyone to work for a particular employer. I haven’t always been happy with Emory, but life is full of trade-offs. The “living wage” idea is a false premise. No one forces an employee to have a family and children if they don’t have the job skills and market value to support them. Grow up!

william thomas

April 20th, 2011
9:32 pm

northbeach Scott

April 20th, 2011
9:33 pm

Definition of a Conservative: A liberal with a mortgage and children.

These childish students will look back on this experience and realize what chumps they have been after a few years. Or perhaps they will never realize it and they will continue to try and tell those of use who create wealth how we should spend our hard earned money on their perceived just causes.

For arguement’s sake, let’s just say that a “living wage” is $36k per year. Should an unskilled worker who goes throught the motions like a zombie be paid with no real thought on how to create wealth for the business almost half of what a jr management person is paid?

I do not think so. The difference in wages is what hopefully motivates folks to do well in school, learn critical thinking skills,understand how business works and then apply them. It is so easy to speak of fairness with other people’s money. Just like with Obama, who wants to make things “fair” for the clueless and shiftless and wants me to pay for it.

Emory Grad X 3

April 20th, 2011
9:36 pm

Really pathetic to blame food workers’ lack of initiative in finding a job with more r-e-s-p-e-c-t on the economy. Bush and Obama, both supported by >90% of the people writing these inane comments, are to blame. I hear Mickey D’s is hiring 50,000 employees (see AJC article Monday); McDonalds is a testament to the enduring power of capitalism and has served as the source of first jobs for many who went on to great success there and in other busiensses. To blame lack of “respectful” jobs on the economy is myopic and hypocritical coming from people who supported the proximate causes of our economic situation. Go find some r-e-s-p-e-c-t. We’re all out of it here.

Light

April 20th, 2011
9:37 pm

Wow, so critical of the college students. Besides getting an education, isn’t being a student also an opportunity for them to explore and learn?. They will experience enough of the real world when that time occurs and hopefully be grateful for the time they had in college to fight for causes they believe in. For now,leave them alone and quit bashing them…Geesh, some of these posts sound like angry people who are mad with their lives and careers. If a college student can’t be idealistic and believe s/he can change the world (regardless of how anyone else feels about their cause), we have a REALLY BIG problem with higher education and their learning environments…lol, lol…I’m just saying…