Mississippi United Campus Workers

04/16/2026

Are Student Workers Paid Enough?

While working more hours is an option, the issue calls for collective action.

“Individually, you can’t do anything,” Goldberg said. “But if we come together, we can say, ‘This needs to change. This needs to happen.’”

Student workers at the University of Mississippi are struggling to pay their bills working the maximum number of hours allotted

02/18/2026

I am passing along information about how to receive assistance in the Oxford/Lafayette community after the ice storm. Please share with those in need. The storm has passed and the temperatures have risen but the damage remains.

Oxford Lafayette Community Assistance Application
Winter Storm Fern caused widespread damage across our community. Many residents are facing urgent and overwhelming home repairs. Please complete this form as accurately as possible. Submitting this form does not guarantee assistance, but it allows us to assess needs and coordinate available resources fairly and efficiently. The focus for this round of assistance will be on Plumbing, Electrical, or Large Tree Damage. Payments will be made directly to the vendor.

Please click the link to complete this form.

02/13/2026

Dear Friends, Coworkers, and Comrades,

The community of Oxford, Lafayette County, and the University of Mississippi were among the hardest hit by Winter Storm Fern. In response, the members of UCW-MS's steering committee voted at our last meeting to donate one month's worth of dues to United Way of Oxford to aid in relief and recovery efforts.

Our fellow higher education workers were hit with frigid temperatures and blankets of ice, and, as a result, many lost power, heat, and access to water, some intermittently, some for days at a time. As Mississippians, we know well that the human toll of natural disasters is never merely natural. When a state chronically underinvests in its infrastructure, it is no surprise that utilities are incapable of withstanding extreme weather. When a community puts the demands of housing developers, landlords, and gameday home owners above workers, tenants, and those who live in the community, it is no surprise that people struggle to afford places to live, let alone homes that are prepared for extreme cold and ice. When the state continues to pay low and in some cases poverty wages to the workers who keep our universities functioning, clean, safe, and filled with educational opportunities, it is no surprise that some in the community will struggle more with recovery than others. Generous and often courageous efforts were made by people in the community, from those working through the cold to repair utilities to those setting up warming shelters and serving meals. But these community efforts should not rely on others who are also underpaid and also struggling.

We know all of this to be true. Because of this, we are dedicated to continuing the patient, sometimes difficult, but always important work of building power among workers at Mississippi's universities. We are dedicated to working with those in our communities who want justice in pay, housing, education, and health care. And we hope that you will renew your dedication to being a part of this work. But in this moment, we recognize that one source of our collective strength is the ability to pool our resources, and our donation to the United Way is an expression of this.

If you would like to give an individual donation, you can do so here: https://www.uwoxfordms.org/disaster/

In solidarity,

The UCW-MS Steering Committee

01/30/2026

Fill out this form to request assistance from Second Responders:

We know this is an incredibly difficult time for our community. Please complete this form to request assistance. We will try to assist you. / Complete este formulario para solicitar asistencia. Intentaremos ayudarle.

01/30/2026

The university promises that donations here will go directly to students in need. Direct students to UMatter to receive those funds: https://olemiss.edu/umatter/

Winter Storm Fern didn’t just damage our campus. It disrupted lives.

Right now, Ole Miss students are facing power and water outages, lost wages and unexpected costs.

The Rebel Relief Disaster Fund provides immediate support when students need it most. Help can’t wait.

Please give now. Our students need you today.

Give: https://bit.ly/46kQ6Ro

01/30/2026

OXCM lists places that are taking donations here.

01/30/2026

More than a meal, seeking donations

Looking to aid in Oxford's recovery? Donate to More Than A Meal, a local nonprofit that is distributing food, hygiene products, and more to those without power and supplies. Go to their Venmo or scan the code. Thank you, Oxford!

01/30/2026

Notes from Community Response meeting on January 29. This lists resources as well as places to volunteer. Not listed here is Stronger Together Oxford is coordinating volunteer efforts at the warming shelter. https://strongertogetheroxford.galaxydigital.com/
Start with your neighborhood, check on your friends and work outward from there.

Community response meeting (January 29, at Christ Presbyterian Church, 901 Sisk Avenue)

Laura Martin, Betsy Chapman, and Abbie Austin running the meeting. Some county supervisors and Board of Aldermen were present.

County Supervisor Larson spoke first. Still lots of power loss across the county, and it will take awhile to get everyone back up and running. Crews are working to clear roads for EMS and other emergency personnel.

Lafayette County Elementary School is serving as the shelter that the county is managing. It has room for around 200 people, and currently has 130 there. They are serving meals at the shelter.

The City of Oxford has opened a shelter at the Oxford Conference Center. The shelters have limited potable water, but they have portable toilets. There are medical services at the Lafayette Elementary School shelter for those who need them, including triage support. There is a shortage of baby formula at the city shelter.

Currently FEMA and the National Guard are present in the county, and are working to help with clean up and provide meals, water, and other emergency services. There is a need for more bottles of water and MREs, and the county expects a shipment this afternoon or tomorrow but it’s unclear because of the issue with the highways. Relatedly, food trucks delivering to Oxford are having to deal with the highway closures on I-55 and I-22, and that is preventing our grocery stores from maintaining a full stock.

For people who want to donate, the needs right now are: clothing, water, socks, hygiene items, and nonperishable foods. There is also a need for volunteers at both shelters, including people who have medical training and people who can work with kids, and elderly.

For now, volunteers can go directly to the shelters to help. But, the hope is that MEMA and Volunteer Mississippi will set up a volunteer reception center next week to coordinate volunteer services. Right now, the advice from city and county officials is to direct your volunteer efforts towards your immediate neighborhoods and community members you live nearby. If you are able to remove debris safely in your neighborhood, that is helpful. So is bringing medicine and groceries to your neighbors who need them and can’t leave their homes. Please inspect properties before moving anything, and make sure there are no fallen power lines nearby. If you see a fallen power line, stay away!

A lot of the meeting focused on where people can bring donated goods for distribution. Many places volunteered their space to serve as collection sites. These include: the old athletic facility at the Oxford Middle School, which will be open from 7am to dark starting tomorrow (Friday, January 30). Visit Oxford on the square will also serve as a collection site starting tomorrow (Friday, January 30). Chicory Market volunteered to serve as a donation site, as did St. John’s on campus. Grace Bible Warehouse also volunteered to serve as a collection site. Big Truck Theater will take donations in Taylor, Mississippi.

Brittany Woods needs help removing debris, and people were encouraged to reach out to Keisha Howell-Atkinson (Board of Alderman) for information on which households need immediate help. You can contact Keisha directly at 662-380-1110.

Starting tomorrow, Operation BBQ will be preparing food for dinner at the old mall on Jackson Avenue. They aim to provide 2000 meals, first come first serve. Chic-Fil-A is setting up a mobile food center in the parking lot of the Pine Lake Church starting tomorrow, too. Start

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11/10/2025

Thank you everyone for participating in our Food Drive this past Friday. Items were dropped off at The Pantry in town and Grove Grocery on campus. People also made monetary donations to the Pantry.

No one who works at the University should struggle to afford food. Receiving SNAP benefits is proof that our systems are failing working people. We demand living wages.

AND NO ONE, whether you work or don’t work – whether you are a student, a child, a person with disabilities, an elderly person, a single parent, or just a person struggling to find work – should go hungry. The government should open full SNAP benefits.

We call on UCWMS members to stand up for our workers and for the members of our community.

10/21/2025

UCWMS is a member of Higher Education Labor United (HELU).

Please join us and your colleagues at this screening.