The Task Force on Contractor Employees came about after Wrighton reviewed the current standards in place for the contracting of outside sources to provide ongoing services to the Hilltop Campus community.

"I am mindful of, and grateful for, the vital roles that all who work on the Hilltop Campus play in advancing the mission of Washington University," Wrighton wrote in announcing the formation of the task force. "Some who work here daily are employed by firms that the University has identified as possessing distinctive competencies in managing the delivery of certain important services to the students, faculty and others who use our facilities.

"My review of the arrangements Washington University currently has in place with firms to provide certain services on the Hilltop Campus suggests that the University only 'outsources' where the University is not itself positioned or staffed to manage the delivery of the needed services as well and as efficiently as a specialized contractor can; and where the contractors entrusted with work on our campus have demonstrated their commitment to providing the most competitive wages and benefits to their employees in a work-place that is respectful and welcoming.

"But my review also suggests that while our contracting procedures are very much directed to these ends, they are not formalized and available to all for review and comment."

Ann B. Prenatt, vice chancellor for human resources, is chairing the task force, which will provide its recommendations to Wrighton by July 1.

"Our goal should be nothing less than a campus where all who work here do so with pride and with confidence that they have been well and fairly rewarded," Wrighton said.