The Open Seat Food Pantry, run by part-time student employees, is asking the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus leaders for help.
The pantry distributes over 32,000 pounds of food to students monthly.
The eight part-time student staff said in an online petition that they are proud of the work they do but are “overworked, overwhelmed and stretched beyond what students alone can reasonably sustain,” often missing classes to work at the pantry.
The Open Seat is asking for the following in the petition:
-
Provide the Open Seat Food Pantry with a full-time (40 hours/week) professional staff member dedicated solely to pantry operations;
-
Ensure a competitive salary and benefits package to recruit and retain a qualified candidate for said full-time position;
-
Ensure that said full-time staff position is permanent and institutionally funded, not a limited-term appointment or funded through student segregated fees;
-
Ensure the Open Seat student staff have meaningful hiring authority, including a student hiring committee co-chair and power to reject candidates who are not a strong fit at any stage of the hiring process; and
Advertisement -
Provide tuition remission for the graduate student adviser, ensuring that they can adequately support pantry operations and student staff.
