By Lisa Berkman and Anastasia Millicker / Staff Writers
Several faculty and staff members protested during yesterday’s Board of Governor’s meeting, which ended with a closed session that did not have public comment.
Before the meeting outside Winants Hall on the College Avenue campus, a table was set with a toy bone on a plate surrounded by chalices. Garlands strung with cards written to the Board of Governors decorated a wooden Christmas tree on the square lawn of Old Queens — all part of the demonstration against the salary freeze of unionized workers.
“What we’re doing here is the Board of Governor’s feast,” said Mieke Paulsen, a graduate student and teaching assistant. “They feasted on funding for the last several years. The Scarlet Knight was eaten down to the last bone.”
The salary issue and those decisions are ongoing within the University, said E.J. Miranda, a University spokesman.
“When I can’t pay my bills, worry about feeding my kids, while paying off student loans, it’s a problem,” Paulsen said.
The protestors eventually took their seats in Winants Hall, some with blankets and books as part of a sit-in while others held signs with slogans saying, “Give us what we earned” or “We got sold out”, as they waited for University President Richard L. McCormick’s overview of the University’s budget.
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