Benjamin L. McKean ’02, a member of PSLM and one of two student representatives on the panel, says he is excited about the broad mandate given the committee by former University President Neil L. Rudenstine—the committee can examine everything from hours to employment status to wages.
And while the University and PSLM have been at odds in the past, both the committee and PSLM have at least one goal in common—working to make this year’s report more inclusive than that of the last committee to examine the living wage issue.
The Mills Committee of 1999 was criticized by PSLM for not interviewing workers and other staff during its investigation.
This summer will be largely given over to speaking to people around the community and the University and gathering data before the committee begins its deliberations in the fall.
“The committee is working now to include outreach to other constituencies, we’re bringing people into the process rather than dealing with who’s already there,” McKean says.
—Staff writer Garrett M. Graff can be reached at ggraff@fas.harvard.edu.