University administrators sent paychecks to 15 student guards this week, after delays in payment prevented some guards from receiving back pay for months, members of the student guard program said yesterday.

The guards, who briefly considered a strike last week, said that the paychecks included all of the wages from the opening of the semester that they said the university had not paid them.

Amber Kurtz (COL ’06), one of the co-organizers of the proposed strike, said she was relieved to receive the wages, but was dissatisfied with the lack of information the university offered about why the pay had been stalled in the first place.

“Many administrators kept mentioning glitches, which I find to be an unacceptable explanation for delaying my pay six weeks,” Kurtz said.

Administrators apologized last week for the delay in payment to some of the guards, promising to resolve the situation promptly.

Kurtz and Lisa Gallo (COL ’06), who also helped organize the student guards, said they both intend to leave the student guard program over the pay dispute. Kurtz said that while she is still on the guard program’s employee list, she is seeking new employment off campus.

The apparent resolution of the dispute comes as members of the Georgetown Solidarity Committee continue to press the university to increase compensation given to subcontracted employees, particularly for professional guards contracted by Allied Barton Security Services.

Working with the Service Employees International Union and GUSC, over a dozen guards sent a petition to university officials last month alleging that the university’s commitment to a wage of $13 per hour has not been met.

Members of GUSC had planned a rally in Red Square yesterday to bring attention to the issue of employee wages in response to a meeting on Friday of the Advisory Committee on Business Practices, but cancelled it because they said they did not have exact figures on the wages the university is paying.

“The university won’t discuss that information and the guards can’t get the information from the university,” Emily Napalo (COL ’06), a member of GUSC, said.

“The workers aren’t making what they should be making and the committee isn’t giving transparency as promised,” GUSC spokeswoman Maya Zwerdling (SFS ’08) said.

University spokeswoman Julie Bataille said that since agreeing to a just employment policy this July, the university has implemented it in every contract except one.

“We are still in the process of negotiating one contract, which impacts three employees, and we anticipate that process to conclude so that the employees’ compensation

levels are retroactive to July 1,” Bataille said.

She added that all subcontracted workers, including professional security guards, are currently making $13 per hour including salary and benefits, and that that wage will be increased to $14 per hour by July 1, 2007. She also provided documentation of increases in wages given to subcontracted employees.

“The university has had conversations with all of its contractors to ensure that they understand our expectations of how the just employment policy should be implemented,” Bataille said. “If and when issues arise, university officials will be in touch with employers to ensure that our expectations are being met.”

GUSC also held a meeting last night to formulate a strategy for how to bring greater attention to the issue of wages. Members said it was unlikely that they would hold a hunger strike as they did last year, but that the actions they do take will be dramatic.

“We’re always prepared to apply more pressure on the administration,” GUSC member Rachel Murray (COL ’06) said.

HOYA Staff Writer Vidhya Murugesan contributed to this report.