HURA Platform
Since the summer, we’ve gathered input from residential advisors to begin identifying potential issues. While still a work in progress*, we know we believe:
Our workplaces should be transparent and equitable;
We deserve equal pay for equal work, secure housing, and a voice in the workplace, free from fear of retaliation.
*Disclaimer: This draft platform represents concerns brought forward through collective input from tutors, proctors, and house aides in the survey linked above. This platform is not binding, nor does it represent an official bargaining platform as would be drafted and ratified by an elected bargaining committee in the future.
The problem:
Our role on the front lines of residential life is essential. However, our positions—and therefore our housing—are insecure, our duties are poorly-defined and ever-increasing, our working conditions differ wildly between Yards/Houses, and we have no formal channels to make our voices heard.
In no particular order, residential advisors across the College say the following issues are hurting us, and as a result, our students:
Job security
- Without progressive disciplinary procedures, clarity or transparency on discharge procedures or protections from retaliation, proctors, tutors and house aides live at the mercy of our Faculty Deans and/or university administrators.
- The termination of our colleague, Elom, last semester highlighted the precarity of working in these conditions and, in turn, the precarity of our housing and food.
- We value our relationships with our deans and administrators, but the stakes are too high for us to allow the roof over our head to remain at their discretion.
Workload
- Between training, managing entryways, being on call, advising, specialty roles, administrative responsibilities, meetings, house events, annual hiring and ad-hoc tasks, we know tutors and proctors contribute a significant amount of time to their roles.
- Working conditions without predictable time commitments, reasonable duties or formal boundaries are unhealthy at best, and ripe for exploitation at worst.
- House aides must deal with not only their assigned duties, but also ad-hoc requests for help from everyone from Deans to students—the fact they are known in some houses as “elves” says it all.
- Required time commitments can also vary significantly within and between Houses/Yards.
- This inequity falls particularly heavily on first-gen, LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC residential life staff, as their positionality translates into more—and often informal/unrecognized—work supporting students from underrepresented groups.
- Single house aides, tutors and proctors can’t redistribute tasks to their partner, further compounding inequity.
Compensation & reimbursements
- Our residential advisor peers at other schools receive stipends and/or credits to their student accounts as part of their compensation package.
- We also know that between Yards/Houses, different specialty roles are subject to inconsistent compensation (including no compensation at all).
- Quality and adequacy of housing varies dramatically across Yards/Houses, in terms of space, maintenance condition and basic amenities, including in-suite bathrooms and kitchens.
Transparency
- All of these issues are compounded by a systemic lack of transparency within and between Yards/Houses.
Our solutions:
We believe a union will give us a platform to represent our collective goals as residential life staff and build a better workplace for ourselves and our future colleagues. Together, we can shape the changes we’d like to see, not only by sharing each of our lived experiences, but also by voting on a negotiated contract to make sure it addresses the issues we all care about.
Here are the ideas we’ve all had so far:
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Job and housing security, hiring and termination practices
- Disclosure of review metrics at outset of hiring and in written contract.
- Standardized, College-wide renewal procedures, progressive disciplinary procedures and discharge procedures.
- Protections from retaliation.
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Workload
- Limiting and standardizing on-call responsibilities—or abolishing them altogether.
- Requirement to be on campus 5-7 days before move in at most (and therefore moving back the dates for training)
- Guaranteed family leave for 8 weeks
- 14 days of leave without permission + and 14 more days with permission
- Standardized, College-wide job descriptions, to include specialty/advising roles, expectations around attendance at meals, etc, and compensation.
- Protections for international students.
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Compensation & reimbursements
- Stipend (Paid by Harvard as post-tax wages)
- Additional, standardized compensation for specialty roles, additional duties, remaining on campus during breaks
- Adequate housing for all
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- Single tutors should not be forced to share.
- Provision of equivalent housing in event of housing shortages/partner breakups.
- Compensation where accommodations lack standard housing amenities: heating, fan/AC unit, refrigerator, kitchen.
- Transparency in housing unit allocation.
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Transparency
- Standardized policies and benefits, as described above.
- Involvement in training policies and budget adjustments relevant to our roles.
- Standardized complaints procedures for residential advisors, including protection from retaliation.
- Budget allotment for self-organized tutor/proctor events—we should not be siloed into our houses/yards.
