Harvard University’s Essential Labor Remains Unseen in Blizzard

Chloe Lee ’29 entered the Holworthy basement with her friends at midnight on Feb. 23, at the tail end of the second blizzard Boston has experienced this year. 

“As I walked in, there was a common room with a bunch of couches, and along the couches was a HUDS worker asleep,” Lee said to the “Independent.” “I didn’t realize that was their situation, and they had nowhere else to go.”

“I felt so bad because it was freezing outside and [students] all had our dorms right here,” Lee said.

On Monday, Feb. 23, a blizzard blanketed the Greater Boston area with snowfall totals that climbed into the double digits. Harvard University adjusted operations in response, telling non-essential employees not to come to campus. Yet, over 2,000 faculty and staff deemed “essential” were still expected to report to their positions as usual. Since Harvard is a residential campus, members of the Harvard University Dining Services and Harvard Campus Services, among others, could not work remotely despite brutal weather conditions. In multiple undergraduate dormitories in particular, these individuals were left with few options besides staying overnight in University spaces while public transit faltered and roads iced over.

Harvard’s central inclement weather policy directs critical employees to refer to local unit plans (including houses and dorms), noting that “local units should establish protocols” for how employees proceed if they cannot come to work. But local-unit discretion varied this past Monday. While some University employees were offered on-site lodging or dedicated spaces to rest for the night, other workers expressed disdain at receiving no transportation or housing support at all, leaving them to sleep where they could.

“In 20 years, we’ve seen nothing like that,” Jose Ramirez, a Kirkland campus services staff member, said in an interview with the “Independent.”

This storm came just weeks after a major late-January blizzard that tested campus operations for the first time this year. Much like on Feb. 23, on Jan. 26 Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences alerted employees that “for employees who are designated as essential, normal work expectations apply.” FAS did not make adjustments for courses, and students were instructed to attend classes in-person, unless instructors opted to teach over Zoom.

In Cambridge, peer institutions have made more sweeping moves to limit in-person staffing. For the January blizzard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced a closure window for non-essential employees from Sunday afternoon through Monday night, with a delay in the first day of classes for students. At Northeastern University, a campus-wide winter storm alert circulated internally that Monday classes would be remote. Both schools enforced similar policies for the February storm.

 In contrast, as Harvard affiliates have witnessed, local-unit discretion can become extremely variable, especially when the University’s baseline expectation remains that essential work will continue even as the region shuts down.

In Kirkland House, one of the upperclassmen residential communities, essential University workers were offered lodging in the I Entryway, which had extra space.

“A lot of [workers] had to come the day before because the MBTA wasn’t running,” Kevin Caballero-Diaz, a Kirkland campus services worker, shared with the “Independent.” Caballero-Diaz manages Kirkland’s operations and maintenance. 

“We didn’t know how much snow there was going to be, when it was going to stop,” Caballero-Diaz said regarding the January blizzard. “We just kept lapping and lapping.” In this earlier instance of intense inclement weather, Kirkland’s essential employees were scattered across open rooms for overnight housing. Though seemingly ideal, this arrangement proved to be difficult for Kirkland management. 

“This time, we were more prepared.” Approximately four days before the blizzard, supervisors informed them that they could stay overnight before the storm—an improvement from January, when workers said preparation felt minimal.

This preparation was made possible by high-level staff members of Kirkland House. “They appreciate our work,” he said. Caballero-Diaz pointed to Kirkland’s building manager, Lucia Baldock, as particularly supportive: “She understood where we were coming from. She understood we had families.” He had two young boys at home who had a snow day.

The scenario was different for the upperclassmen residential community, Quincy House, located just minutes away from Kirkland. Aurora Dalrymple, lead of HUDS at Quincy House, said that after the first storm, workers were offered hotels overnight. However, for the February blizzard, Dalrymple said Harvard did not offer transportation or housing support for Quincy employees. Management’s answer to this dilemma, according to Dalrymple, was rather flippant. “They just said ‘oh, the weather’s going to stop snowing, people can go home,’” she said.

“They should’ve had us stay over another night at a hotel. Especially for me, because I can’t go home,” she said in an interview with the “Independent.” Dalrymple added that many staff members had similar experiences.

Dalrymple has worked at Harvard for 42 years—her commitment to the student body has not wavered since she started at just 20. “In all these years, I only skipped one day off [because of a] snowstorm,” she said. “Because my landlord said, ‘I can’t shovel you out.’”

“I just think Harvard should be better, do more for us than what they do,” Dalrymple added.

For many University employees, students are their motivation despite the struggles that sometimes come with the work. “I like to make sure the food is full, everything is clean, so you guys come here hungry before class … you need to eat. It’s comfort. We want you to feel like you’re at home,” Dalrymple said. 

“We’re here for you, students. If it wasn’t for you students, nobody would have a job.”

When the “Independent” asked to interview staff at first-year dining Annenberg Hall, supervisors turned writers away and directed them to speak to the Director for Strategic Initiatives & Communications of HUDS, Crista Martin. Martin initially agreed to answer questions by email, but did not respond by the time of publication.

In the coming months, the Harvard dining contract, which defines HUDS worker policies like required work on snow days, will expire. Harvard’s Human Resources site lists the UNITE HERE Local 26 contract as extending through June 19, 2026. For HUDS workers, contract negotiations determine wages, benefits, and workplace protections, and they can shape what kinds of support are available in high-risk moments like severe weather.

Student advocacy groups argue they can influence that outcome. Harvard’s Student Labor Action Movement, housed within the Phillips Brooks House Association, organizes with campus unions and workers to advocate for labor justice and collective campaigns. In recent years, dining workers have also rallied to demand adequate staffing and better working conditions.

Courtney Hines (courtneyhines@college.harvard.edu)and Olivia Le (oliviale@college.harvard.edu) write News for the “Independent.”