What began as a response to students sharing their termination stories in the spring of 2013 has brought members of the 43rd ASWSU Senate to approve a resolution urging Residence Life to adjust its employment policies.

Resolution 43-02 requests that the department of Residence Life create a more transparent termination policy for its student employees.

Beginning in September, a team of ASWSU senators investigated student concerns, researched the paraprofessional contract and analyzed several campus-wide termination policies and appeals processes.

“Everything that we have done has been based upon the (Residence Life student employee) contract,” said Sen. Hayley Hohman, one of the leading sponsors of R 43-02. “The only thing that individual testimony has done is to direct us to the contract.”

Sen. Jacob Montaño said unlike the dining services employee contract, which includes two to three pages of disciplinary cycles and an appeals process, the Residence Life contract does not have such procedures in the event of termination. 

“It mentions things like a disciplinary process but not in the detail that these other contracts do, and the appeals process is non-existent,” he said.

Director of Residence Life Edwin Hamada disagreed with the portion of R 43-02 stating Residence Life is “one of the only employers at WSU without an appeals process for employee termination.”

“In some ways it’s a misleading statement to say we’re the only ones without an appeals process,” Hamada said.

Although the process has not been formally written out, Hamada said Residence Life utilizes an integrated appeals process by collaborating with multiple people of authority to finalize a termination decision.

“Every termination is discussed centrally and then on top of that, I talk with Melynda (Huskey), my supervisor, about all of those terminations,” he said.

The decision involves communication between the Residential Education Director (RED), the assistant or associate director of the hall, and Dean of Students Melynda Huskey, he said. 

Students on the brink of termination have opportunities to discuss their case, Hamada said.

“Before a decision is finally handed down, we open it up,” he said. “We say if it is the RED that is having the conversation with that student—they’re unhappy—they’re always welcome to talk to us centrally.”

Students can consult with the Dean of Students, Human Resource Services and the Office of Equal Opportunity.

Hamada said he is open to hearing suggestions from ASWSU.

“If we are doing something wrong, I want to know so we can correct ourselves,” he said. “We’re not in the business of terminating RAs. We’re in the business of creating successful relationships.”

Montaño said ASWSU’s goal is to clarify the paraprofessional contract to address an appeals process for the betterment of student rights and not to create conflict.

“We’re not trying to undermine the Residence Life’s system, and we’re not trying to display that they do a poor job,” he said. “Residence Life does a great job with a majority of their employees.”

Senate Pro-Tempore LaKecia Farmer said modifying the paraprofessional contract is also about upholding the image of Residence Life.

“We’re just asking for a reflection of what they already say they do—is making a safe and supportive environment for their students,” Farmer said.

ASWSU plans to meet with Hamada this week for the first time since the origination of the resolution.