ACTIVISM AS CREATION —Grad Students for Working Wage Photos Reshad Hemaoun Words Haley Harris Edits Morgan Dunstan Direction Lina Willey
ARMOUR MAGAZINE
5:15 P.M. Campus is quiet at dusk on Wednesday evening and I walk along the path next to the green of Mudd Field, the site of the Tent City occupation a mere six months ago. I cut through Holmes Lounge as a shortcut, noticing the intricate ceiling detail and the grand oil portrait of the building’s donor. Spilling out into Brookings Quad I see the cobblestones and the dual towers which create an undeniable and intentional collegiate feeling. These are the structures which inform and shape my daily experience as a student on this campus. Heading into Duncker Hall, I meet with Trent McDonald, one of the co-executive chairs for the Washington University Graduate Workers Union. After hours, the otherwise vacant building is brought to life by the flip of a light switch, illuminating a long row of desks, each representing distinct personalities, genres, and modes of study. Trent’s cubicle is orderly, and several books line his top shelf. In his third year PhD program, his desk is one of many units within this cross section of the Graduate English Literature Department. I notice the pin on his shirt reading “I Heart TA’s.” A pop of color, he’s pinned up a purple activism poster on his right wall. The desk itself is clear, and clean. “Nothing too fancy,” 54
