With the construction on Feb. 22 of a wooden shanty intended to symbolize the living conditions of the "working poor," the Student Labor Action Committee and JHUnity swung into full gear to protest wages paid to employees of the university and health system and of their contractors. The 6-foot structure, which sat in front of the Milton S. Eisenhower Library on the Homewood campus, was occupied by protesters 24 hours a day until last Wednesday.

On Feb. 24, a rally turned into a scuffle resulting in injuries as some protesters tried to force their way into Garland Hall, the main administration building. And on Feb. 28, members of SLAC and JHUnity, a coalition of student activist groups, began a sit-in in Garland, where some participants chained themselves together. As of press time, a march was scheduled for Friday night on North Charles Street.

Background on the situation and a detailed explanation of the university and health system's position has been posted on the Web at www.jhu.edu/news_info/c&pa/position.html.

The site also contains Johns Hopkins' point-by-point response to SLAC's demands, as handed to the protesters in Garland Hall on March 2.