As a freshman at Columbia, I was surprised to find many upperclassmen jaded to the possibility of changing anything ... To get people involved you have to give them something to which they can relate; you have to give them something to fight for. The face of a Barnard office worker is a reality people can’t ignore.

It was a bright happy day of barbeque and Top 40 hits this Tuesday at the Founder’s Day Celebrations, but something was sunny at Barnard. The office and clerical workers represented by the UAW Local 2110 are in a state of limbo.

On a dark, cold Monday evening nearly a hundred students, faculty member, and union organizers sat together at Barnard in the group’s first sign of solidarity. The struggle, pitting Barnard President Debora Spar against 130 of the lowest paid employees on campus, will determine whether these workers get to maintain basic labor rights ranging from serious cuts to healthcare and maternity leave to controversial proposals like the elimination of sexual harassment claims and child care leave.

Mind-boggingly, last week Barnard President Debora Spar herself wrote, “Of course, companies should strive to create generous maternity leaves,” and “…keep fighting the proverbial fights—better day care, better family leaves, more flex time at work and co-parenting at home. These are important goals.” Yet she is in charge of demanding huge cuts to maternity leave and flex time.