“There would be no way to monitor if people were getting laid off or their hours cut because of the policy because [Sodexho is] a non-union shop,” Woolman said.

Students say the impetus for the policy was that managers felt “uncomfortable” being around employees who were speaking languages they did not understand.

“It seems like a control thing for management,” Woolman said. “When students expressed concerns, they said that it was a safety issue but the only people they are making comfortable are the managers, and they are doing it at the expense of all the workers.”

Woolman and Rangel said many of the workers converse with students in Spanish or Portuguese, and after the meeting on Monday, Raffo issued a letter that told staff to “feel free to respond and converse” with students who begin conversations in languages other than English.

Carmen J. Lopez, also a first-year in the MPP program, said Sodexho workers who work in the KSG’s cafeteria have “looked really upset” the last few days.

“The people who work for Sodexho are incredibly friendly and I think this has just been demoralizing for staff,” she said.

“Why does it improve safety? I don’t understand that link at all. [Safety] doesn’t have anything to do with mandating a language.

He added, “Maybe they should teach them English.”

Rangel, who is involved with  the KSG’s STEP program—Staff and Students Towards English Proficiency—agrees with Lopez.

The student-initiated program, which currently enrolls 19 KSG employees, was founded to fill the need for English language instruction.

“[KSG] didn’t support the STEP class. They never gave any money to the student effort,” Rangel said.

“It was very difficult for us to even get a room reservation. Our reservations were canceled. There was always a pat on the back, a ‘Hey, good job,’ but there was never any money or any space to support us.”

“The whole hypocrisy of it all is that they want their employees to speak English but they don’t support efforts to help them learn,” Rangel said.

—Staff writer May Habib can be reached at habib@fas.harvard.edu.