In response to what they believe are improper work practices carried out by Tufts' management against Dining Services employees, students last month launched an online petition on Change.org calling for an investigation into the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) and Human Resources.
There is currently no supervisory body that oversees either the OEO or Human Resources, according to the petition.
The petition letter, which is addressed to University President Anthony Monaco, claims that workers at Tufts, particularly at Dining Services, do not remain anonymous and are not protected against retaliatory firing when they make complaints about discriminatory work practices. It currently has over 220 signatures.
The petition, created by Gaia Weise, claims that these grievances have been disregarded by the OEO and Human Resources.
"We believe that Human Resources as well as the Office of Equal Opportunity are working to protect those who hold managerial positions and to silence the legitimate complaints of employees," the petition letter says.
According to Weise, a junior, two Dewick-MacPhie Dining Hall employees have filed complaints this year, and she does not believe that they received fair treatment from Human Resources in response to their complaints. These incidences, she said, impelled her to address the issue.
In response to the petition, Executive Vice President Patricia Campbell told the Daily that she has asked Human Resources to identify an external consultant who will design and implement a workplace climate survey for Dining Services. She has also asked the OEO to begin a training program for Dining Services to maintain a discrimination-free work environment.
"Tufts policy prohibits any sort of retaliation against an employee who has filed a complaint with the university," Campbell told the Daily in an email. "I have full confidence in the processes that OEO and Human Resources have in place to foster a fair and supportive work environment and assist any employee with workplace issues."
Weise, who worked at Dewick during her freshman year, said that when it was time for the student workers to be elected for supervising positions, all of the students who were elected were white males, and she was not given an equal opportunity to be elected. She said that at the time, she did not fully understand the process to file a formal complaint about discrimination in the workplace.
"I didn't really realize at the time that I could even file complaints based on discrimination, because they don't exactly advertise the fact that you can go to Human Resources, go to the Office of Equal Opportunity," Weise said.
Diego Laurenti Sellers, who has worked for three years as a student manager for Dining Services, supports the petition because he believes there is a lack of oversight and accountability for these organizations.
"Some of us are starting to think that these institutions are silencing mechanisms rather than instruments at our disposal," Sellers, a junior, said. "That is why I signed this petition, along with so many other students, saying that the issue is not just one racist boss or a few bad apples, but a mechanism for reporting abuse that does not work because there is absolutely no oversight."
Amanda Greaves, a sophomore who is one of the signatories, said she signed the petition because she believes comments and complaints from workers should remain confidential.
"It should be common sense that any problems or concerns from staff should be confidential," Greaves said.
Weise has a number of goals in mind in promulgating the petition, including a fair working environment, fair promotion practices, justice for the Dining Services employees and increased campus awareness of the issues.
"It's time someone spoke up," she said.
