Maid for Harvard? - The Harvard Crimson

The elite editorial board of The Harvard Crimson calls for a boycott of a poor enterprising Harvard student:

Students should be wary of Dormaid’s divisive implications
By THE CRIMSON STAFF

After recent approval by Associate Dean of the College Thomas A. Dingman ’67, other members of the Dean’s office, and all 12 House Masters, a new student service is sweeping onto campus. Dormaid, founded by Michael E. Kopko ’07, is a cleaning service that allows students to avoid the perennial problem of dingy, smutty, questionably-habitable rooms. But as appealing as the thought of a perpetually tidy room may be, (independent of family visits), Dormaid could potentially mess up as many rooms as it cleans. By creating yet another differential between the haves and have-nots on campus, Dormaid threatens our student unity. (emphasis added)

I thought Harvard students knew something about differentials. Mr. Kopko's ('07) business is closing income differentials, giving others a chance to earn an income or afford a Harvard degree.

I'll admit it is inconsiderate of Mr. Kopko to bring these differentials to the attention of Harvard students. Life is much more pleasant if you are not constantly reminded that not everyone was born with a silver spoon is his mouth. School should be a safe, if temporary, haven from reality.

This openness must be imbued in the atmosphere of this school, which means that unneeded distinctions between the rich and the poor are the last things that Harvard needs to foster. Although Harvard has given its approval, students don’t have to. We urge the student body to boycott Dormaid. Everyone’s certainly busy, but Harvard students shouldn’t choose convenience over healthy relationships with their blockmates. It’s up to each one of us to ensure that our peers feel comfortable on campus, and if that means plugging in a vacuum every two weeks, then so be it. (emphasis added)

Here, in the UAE, many students can afford their own servant. Others cannot. And no student can afford to compete against the low-wage cleaners of Cleanco to provide maid service to their fellow students. Your average Cleanco worker earns about 400 dirhams a month. There are 3.68 dirhams to the dollar.
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This is the second installment in an irregular series on paying college students to clean dorm rooms. For the first installment, go here. Mr. Chilton teaches labor economics in the U.A.E. His villa is cleaned twice monthly by Cleanco. His labor economics students find the inverted income differential in the UAE between student and faculty income an interesting fact of life. Mr. Chilton is not and nor has he ever been an employee of Teachco.