A Necessary Evil

Harvard has not escaped the recession. President Faust sent an e-mail last Wednesday to the Harvard community detailing just how grim the state of the endowment is. To compensate for the loss of at least $8 billion, Harvard has understandably chosen to cut down its staff. While it is unfortunate that some may lose their jobs due to the impending cuts, Harvard must be fiscally responsible and carefully define its priorities in such times.

Harvard has rightly targeted outsourced custodial labor as a sector of the operational budget that can be cut. One Source, a contractor company that cleans properties operated by Harvard Real Estate Services, has been asked to cut costs by 30 to 40 percent. American Clean Company, a contractor that services the Harvard Medical School, has been requested by HMS custodial directors to eliminate 13 of its 27 workers. These reductions do not seem unreasonably drastic compared to the layoffs occurring outside of Harvard. Economic recession inevitably affects jobs.

In the larger scheme of things, it must be remembered that the custodial staff cuts do not occur in a vacuum. If cuts are not made here, they will be made somewhere else. The educational mission of Harvard must be the main determinant when considering what programs and staff to eliminated, and cutting outsourced custodial labor is a reasonable place to reduce spending. Harvard spokesperson Kevin Galvin explained that the cuts are due to “unprecedented fiscal situation [at] Harvard” that is causing the university to carefully consider funding for each of the programs it administers.

At a university whose mission is to educate, the educators should be the first priority during downsizing. Eliminating custodial staff will not have the academic consequences of decreased faculty hiring, hopefully allowing Harvard students to still receive a high quality academic experience regardless of the economic state outside of Harvard.

The cuts have been challenged by the custodial workers’ union, SEIU 615. However, Harvard notified the organization of the cuts in January, and even postponed the layoffs to allow them more time to adapt. Harvard seems to have taken reasonable steps with the union, making the group’s criticisms seem a little hollow.

While it is disheartening to see staff lose their jobs, it is encouraging to see that the people leaving are not those who would otherwise be in the classroom teaching undergraduates. The economic recession affecting the nation is causing Harvard to feel a pinch, and the administration must respond. By deciding to downsize the amount of subcontracted custodial workers, the university is acting in the best interest of preserving the quality of its classrooms, and should not be unreasonably criticized.