The administration continued to point to the report released last spring as the extent of their movement on the issue, and as a result, PSLM members said they were left no choice but to escalate their campaign.

“We’re not a student group--we’re a campaign and campaigns end,” McKean said earlier this year. “We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure it ends this semester.”

Staying Power

So at 1:23 p.m. on April 18, after weeks of quiet planning, nearly 50 PSLM members stormed Mass. Hall. They said they would remain indefinitely to demand a living wage.

“We wish we didn’t have to do this, but we have to because the administration has resisted all the attempts at dialogue we’ve had in the past,” said PSLM member Amy C. Offner ’01.

At the start of the sit-in, administrators showed no intention of budging.

In the opening days, Rudenstine issued a statement pledging not to negotiate with the protesters while they occupied his office.

“The view that efforts at coercion and disruption, as opposed to discussion and persuasion, represent a proper means to achieve a desired result is mistaken, and inconsistent with the fundamental principles of a university,” he said.

For days, the administration and the students occupying the building appeared to have reached a standstill.

Despite the administration’s refusal to negotiate, the sit-in gained momentum, gathering endorsements from local politicians and even sparking a “counter-protest” from first-years living above the protesters in Mass. Hall and in surrounding Yard dorms.

The protesters held daily noon rallies outside Mass. Hall that attracted up to 1,000 supporters over the course of the sit-in. They organized nightly vigils, featuring spoken word poetry and folk music.

But administrators continued to refuse to negotiate with the students while the occupation of the building continued.

The tide seemed to turn, however, as the student protesters built a strong base of support among House Masters and faculty members.

On the fourth day of the Mass. Hall occupation, Masters of all the Houses issued a letter urging administrators to negotiate with the student protesters.

“We urge that a process be put in place to move beyond the present impasse,” the letter read. “We suggest a face to face meeting between student leaders and the administration and a step-by-step plan for a larger community dialogue.”