Socialist students petition Wayne State to discontinue background checks, stock abortion pills on campus
A petition created by the Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter at Wayne State University demands the school discontinue background and drug tests, and offer abortion pills at the Health Center.
A number of schools across the country have reportedly forgone asking applicants about their criminal history, a practice known as “ban the box.”
The Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) chapter at Wayne State University (WSU) created a petition with a lengthy list of demands.
The petition, titled “Save Our Campus,” calls on the administration to implement a $15 minimum wage, reduce tuition by 15%, eliminate background and drug testing for university employment, and to stock abortion pills and Plan B in the Campus Health Center.
“We demand that these goals be met no later than the end of the Winter 2023 semester,” the petition states.
The chapter stipulates that the demands will be funded by “reducing administrator salaries and from the $185 million in unreserved funds that the university currently holds.”
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A number of schools across the country have reportedly forgone asking applicants about their criminal history, a practice known as “ban the box.”
The University of Michigan announced in November 2021 that the school removed questions about criminal backgrounds from its job application.
Several states have also passed legislation since 2017 that “prohibits or limits colleges and universities” from asking about criminal history on job applications, reports Operation Restoration.
Drug tests have also loosened to permit college athletes to retain eligibility.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) increased the amount of THC that a college athlete can have in their system before triggering a positive test last February.
Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in June, Campus Reform has also reported on the call to stock abortion pills in campus clinics.
Controversy shook University of Massachusetts, Amherst’s campus earlier this semester after the Student Government Association publicly supported the administration’s decision to “provide the medical abortion pill to students on site[.]”
Wayne State YDSA’s petition currently has over 600 signatures.
Supporters were also encouraged to send an email to WSU President M. Roy Wilson using a provided template.
According to the template, the demands will “save [WSU] from ruin and… return dignity to those employees working at [WSU].” The template further states the demands “address several long-standing issues and new issues brought forward by our current national climate.”
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The chapter alleged that the “campus has been crumbling for years,” and accused the university of not allocating funding to conduct “basic services” including elevator maintenance and building upkeep.
Matthew Lockwood, Associate Vice President of University Communications, told Campus Reform that “[a]s with any campus or complex that has so many buildings, there are always repairs that need to be done or that are in progress[.]”
He then stated that the university invested $80 million in renovation of State Hall, which is reported to conclude fall 2023.
He did not comment on whether or not the university will be implementing any of the demands outlined by the YDSA chapter.
Campus Reform has reached out to all individuals mentioned above, and this article will be updated accordingly.
