A Hunger Striker’s Journal
Published May 1, 2007
By Michael Taras
DAY one (Monday)
7:55 am- Still full from last night’s dinner, this shouldn’t be that hard.
1:00 pm - Blood sugar is low, so I drink some cider. My blood sugar quickly rises and then plummets. I lie down and nap for a bit. I dream of a big, cheesy pizza. It has been five hours.
DAY two
6:15am- I go into Waterman and take an Austin Powers-style pee.
11:12am- Upon seeing my “HUNGER STRIKER” sash, my professor lectures me about capitalism.
12:30 pm- Channels 3 & 5 come to film. I am too tired to care enough about being on TV, so I read Adbusters while others look motivated and hand out flyers.
3:30 pm- A man wearing tie-dye pants and a muscle shirt comes over. “Unbelievable,” he says. “You guys are actually out here.” I mistake this for encouragement – then, he calls me a pussy from Connecticut who has never worked a day in his life. After some arguing, he walks over to punch me in the face. If the woman who intervened reads this—I sincerely thank you.
11:08pm- SGA senate almost unanimously supports our protest. Very tired, and going to bed. We make the Boston Globe’s website.
DAY 3
7:45am- Pound some cider. It feels good for one minute. Then I need to drink water because the sugar is hurting my stomach. I do Latin homework; the guy driving the Physical Plant truck thanks me.
1:10 pm- I get back from Latin class, and learn that the man who almost punched me yesterday came by and offered his apology and some juice. A female electrical worker thanks me, and promises to be at the rally on Friday at noon.
5:20 pm- Inspired by Elie Wiesel’s speech, ignore the hunger, keep on drinking (water), and email some journal entries to The Water Tower.
DAY 4
9:30-11:00 am- Go to my room and space out. Lots of Daft Punk. Time flies.
12:00 noon - The professor who lectured me on capitalism informs me he is coming to the rally the next day. “Someone has to speak up for the little guys,” he says.
9:00 pm- Report from the Joint Fiscal Office confirms Fogel’s hypothesis: UVM is already paying progressive wages at the moment. I realize that this is the result of two years of campaigning and several months of bargaining, and that the dining hall staff is still left unaccounted for, as they are contracted by Sodexho.
Day 5
7:15 am- Drink breakfast: cider and water. It’s getting pretty old now.
10:00am- Meeting with Fogel. We tell him we would like a policy implemented regarding a livable wage, and a committee organized in order to see that employees are compensated fairly in the future, some arguing ensues. He agrees to meet us again at 2:30
2:30pm- Meeting with Fogel. We are pleased that he is forming a committee that will include two student members to further research the livable wage situation here, specifically regarding employee’s benefits. We take this as a victory. We end the hunger strike.
5:15pm- I go to the Grundle and eat fish sticks and French fries, disregarding recommendations to avoid fats for a few days. I care only about calories at this point.
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