A year ago this fall, a small number of students saw the hourly staff struggling to make ends meet and created an organization dedicated to working with the Miami University staff to help better their lives.

Called Students For Staff (SFS), the organization was formed in response to the workers' strike in fall of 2003 on Miami's campus. The group's goal is to "urge our administration to adopt a blanket living wage policy as a constructive solution to the economic disparities on our campus," according to their mission statement.

SFS is now dealing with the results of the recently signed local workers' union three-year contract, between Miami and the members of Local 209 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The contract allotted for a guaranteed 3 percent raise in wages per year, which is the same rate as the past two years, and an increase in the starting wage by 20 cents, making wages $9 per hour.

SFS hoped not to see a repeat of the situation that took place in 2003, especially during the summer, a time at which the debate would not be covered by the media and when students are in short supply on campus.

"It's another way to quiet a potentially explosive situation and keep (the students) out of it," said senior SFS member Ben Spanner.

As for the group's reaction to the new contract, they are disappointed and agree that their work is not finished, even though the contract has been drafted.

"There's a lot of other things outside the contract we're worried about, like fair representation," said senior member John Tuzcu.

According to Tuzcu, when a worker has an issue, they are represented by a group of their peers. Those peers have been chosen by Miami and act as only messengers to the administration; therefore many of those chosen are sympathetic to Miami.

SFS members are also concerned about a large sum of excess money found by an audit, which had been done at the request of the workers' union during the summer.

"The auditor found the university had an unrestricted surplus of $26.8 million," Tuzcu said. "That's money not dedicated to any specific project."

With the administration saying that they are giving all they can to the workers, SFS hopes this information will raise a few eyebrows along with student awareness.

As for now, the organization will continue to work with the staff to try and keep the issue afloat.

"We have to measure our short term goals for now and worry about the contract in another three years," said senior SFS member Kerry Nordstrom.

They hope to gain strength so that in three years when the next renegotiation takes place they will be able to fulfill their mission statement. SFS will work toward this goal by working closely with employees and holding events, to be attended by staff members.

"We don't ever want our goals to not match theirs," said Spanner, in regards to the Miami workers SFS lobbies for. "It's not what we want, but what they want."