ASM Calls for International Student Telecommuters to be Paid
MADISON, WI — Tonight, the ASM Student Council unanimously passed legislation to compensate all student workers telecommuting from abroad who are being denied wages and being discriminated against, as well as urging administration to issue an inclusive Pass/Fail policy and inclusive final exam times to accommodate the needs of students in all time zones.
Additionally, ASM respectfully requests for a list of risks and liabilities associated with international telecommuting to be provided, in addition to the legal reasoning that may prevent such risks and liabilities from being overcome. ASM also demands that the University retroactively compensate all students who were denied wages under the current policies.
Grant Allocation Committee Chair Samuel Jorudd sponsored the legislation and shared: “I am so glad that we were able to avoid semantic arguments and finally give international students the support they deserve. I am looking forward to working with the administration on how to implement this legislation.”
Representative Brian Li is one of the students who was denied wages by this institution. He also sponsored the legislation and used his story to shed light on the discrimination international students face on a daily basis by this administration. After the representatives tabled the legislation last week, Li expressed gratitude for tonight’s passage: “I’m happy to see Student Council this time stand as a whole against inequalities on this campus.”
On the item to adopt inclusive Pass/Fail and final exam policies, Nominations Board Chair Owino had this to say: “The ASM Student Council has spoken on behalf of students who want to know that the school recognizes that they are struggling academically this semester by implementing a Pass/Fail system to accommodate the current pandemic learning environment.”
This was the final meeting of the fall semester. ASM Chair Matthew Mitnick stated: “This semester represented progress in making strides to return ASM back to being the voice of students and not the administration. Everything we have accomplished so far could not have been done without every speaker in open forum and member of the public who participated in our meetings. We have big plans in place for the spring and will challenge the status-quo!”
-- Associated Students of Madison: Jacob Broehm