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Duke University students on Friday afternoon ended a weeklong occupation of the president's office. The students made many demands -- including the firing of several senior administrators -- that were not met. But the university did make a number of concessions that relate to its treatment of its workers -- the main subject of the protest. A statement the students protested on their Facebook page said that they were continuing to fight for all of their demands but were taking their campaign beyond the president's office. "There are many different types of labor that undergird and sustain our university -- the labor of housekeepers, dining staff, bus drivers and so many more. We are here in order to name and recognize that important and foundational work," said the statement.
Richard Brodhead, Duke's president, released this statement: "This afternoon the group of students who had occupied the Allen Building since last Friday voluntarily left the building. Though we have disagreed about the specifics of their demands and their choice of means, I respect their underlying passion for making Duke and the world a better place. The university renews its commitments toward advancing the causes of fairness and inclusion across this community, including for workers."
