The Marquette Tribune campus news since 1916
Volume 109, Number 19
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
www.marquettewire.org
Dozens protest for student union Ex-track
athlete facing four more criminal charges
By Jack Albright & Sophia Tiedge
jack.albright@marquette.edu sophia.tiedge@marquette.edu
Photo by Lily Wooten lily.wooten@marquette.edu
Grant Gosizk, teaching assistant professor, delivers a message to students outside of Zilber Hall at the student labor rally on Feb. 6.
Group demanded wage increases for campus workers By Mia Thurow
mia.thurow@marquette.edu
W
hen Alannah Gallagher took to the Marquette University streets on Feb. 6, she donned a black newsboy cap — an article of clothing not often seen on a college student. But that day, the hat represented so much more to her than a personal fashion
preference. That’s because it belonged to her grandfather, who always encouraged her to make her voice heard and uplift those around her. Gallagher’s grandfather passed away in November, but she’s making sure to keep his spirit alive. “I’m really carrying that with me right now and hoping to spread it through the rest of the student body,” Gallagher, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, said as she stood outside of Zilber Hall with roughly 40 other protesters rallying for a student union.
The group gathered to demand wage increases and better working conditions for student workers at Marquette on Feb. 6. The average student wage at Marquette is $11.88 an hour — a slightly higher wage scale than other private, nonprofit universities in Wisconsin, university spokesperson Kevin Conway told the Marquette Wire. On the corner of 13th Street and Wisconsin Avenue, students, a handful of faculty and other adults were making their voices heard. Megaphones and
signs in hand, members of the rally could be heard and seen for blocks, with messages like “Marquette runs on student labor,” “Pay students more” and “I work harder than Kimo!” Most students showed up with backpacks on, either coming from or preparing to leave for class. Some mentioned they were skipping it altogether. The crowd, which formed in the middle of a bustling campus the day before National Marquette Day, received mixed reactions from
See PROTEST page 3
Custodial staff contract outsourced Aramark took over man- comparable pay and bene- Wisconsin’s chapter of the National service aging Marquette’s custodi- fits for our custodians who Service Employees Internaal staff after the expiration accepted job offers from Ar- tional Union as custodial provider assumes of the university’s previous amark,” university spokes- staff representatives. management role contract. The Marquette person Kevin Conway told In transitioning to AraBy Lance Schulteis
lance.schulteis@marquette.edu
After years of Marquette University managing its custodial staff, the responsibilities have now been outsourced to Aramark, a food service and facilities services provider. The multi-year agreement will give Aramark the responsibility to oversee staff employment and management on campus.
www.marquettewire.org
Wire reached out to the university seeking contract details — including start and end dates — and has yet to receive the information. As part of the transition, over half of the university’s custodial staff accepted offers from Aramark. “Partnering with Aramark allows Marquette to focus on our core educational mission and provides increased leadership opportunities, better training and
the Wire in a statement. Under the previous contract run through Marquette, custodial staff members had the opportunity to utilize a benefit for tuition remission. Conway said the benefit will be honored for staff members who were using it at the time of the transition. Additionally, union jobs have been retained under the new deal due to Aramark’s recognition of
mark, the university likened the contract to a “successful” decision to outsource its food service to Sodexo, a global management company. “Staffing and managing a custodial workforce is not Marquette’s core area of expertise, but it is Aramark’s core expertise,” Conway told the Wire in a statement. This is a developing story that may be updated with new information.
Index
News
Sports
SPORTS.......................................................5 OPINIONS..................................................9 FUN & GAMES.......................................10 A&E.................................................................11
Abraham Lincoln spoke on MU campus
The former president delivered a speech near now-Schroeder Hall. PAGE 4
Lehman's last ride
2026 Winter Games are Marquette alum's last chance at a gold medal. PAGE 5
William Waterstradt was charged with four more counts of child sex crimes on Jan. 28 in Sheboygan County, meaning the ex-Marquette track athlete has a total of 16 sex crimes — in addition to the 12 from Langlade County — in two different Wisconsin counties. The new counts, all connected to an offense from July 2025, include: second degree sexual assault of a child, using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, exposing genitals to a child and possession of child pornography. Including the Langlade County offense, Waterstradt now has four counts of second degree sexual assault of a child, using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime and exposing genitals to a child. His first child pornography charge was in Sheboygan County. The count of sexual assault of a child alone holds a prison sentence of up to 40 years and/or a $100,000 fine. The 21-year-old from Green Bay plead not guilty to the first 12 counts in Langlade County and was bound over for trial Jan. 21. He’s being held in Langlade County Jail with a cash bond set at $500,000, according to online court records. The Marquette Wire is working on acquiring the newest criminal complaint and reached out to Waterstradt’s lawyer for comment. According to the complaint from Langlade County, police found that Waterstradt was using a fake identity on eight different Snapchat accounts, claiming to be 16-17 years old.
Arts & Entertainment
Al McGuire biopic to begin filming in 2026 The movie will cover the men's basketball team from 1974-77. PAGE 11