Glenn Luther / Daily
Kent Stater
Anna Merchant, a junior photojournalism major stands tied with red tape to
a lamppost in the middle of Student Center Plaza as they protest the red
tape that the university is giving in order to hide the problems with
using sweat shops to make Kent State merchandise. Merchant said, "We
do not want the jobs to go away from the third world countries, we just
want the factories to have a more humane way to provide their
clothing."
Glenn Luther / Daily
Kent Stater
Christopher Fox, a philosophy and political science junior, waits for
students to pass by the Student Center Plaza as he is tied to a lamp post
with red tape protesting the Universities code of ethics toward the
production of Kent memorabilia in sweat shops. |
3/23/01
Students get in a bind over 'sweat-free' campus
By Leana Donofrio
Daily Kent Stater
A student stood strapped to a light pole with layers of thick
red tape in the Student Center plaza yesterday.
About a dozen other students passed out fliers and said they
are fed up with administrative "red tape" at Kent State.
Students from the Coalition for a Humane And New Economy want
Kent State to become a "sweat-free campus" -- a university at which
all the clothing carrying its logo is made in factories without labor abuse.
The administration started a three-part process in November to
help develop a code of conduct and monitors so Kent State can work with clothing
producers it knows don't make clothing in sweatshops.
"Everything is being delayed," Blue Swadener said.
"We never got anything from the first committee, and they took over six
months."
The process the university is working on involves two
committees.
The first was made up of faculty members whose names will not
be released. Their job, according to University Counsel James Watson, was to
research the issue of labor abuse and the different ways the university could go
about making sure its clothing is not made in sweatshops.
The second committee will be composed of students and faculty.
Members of coalition will sit on this committee, but it has
not yet been formed.
Swadener is a member of the coalition. She and about 10 other
red-tape adorned students spent all day outside in the Student Center plaza.
She said she and the other students want something to happen
now.
"Every day matters -- these are real people working in
real conditions."
Watson said the process the university started in November is
going as planned.
He said it is good the students from the coalition want to
bring attention to such a serious issue, but the university must research and
form committees so it can make an informed decision on how to create a
sweat-free campus.
Watson said after the second committee is formed, it will
discuss and research different aspects of the issue. The committee will then
write a proposal to the administration and President Carol Cartwright. The
proposal will include a code of conduct and provisions for one or two monitoring
companies to enforce the code.
He said the university hopes to have the process completed by
the end of this semester.
The coalition is still going to push for things to move along
faster, Swadener said.
The group is passing around a petition stating students
support a "sweat-free campus." It has collected more than 1,000
signatures.
Copyright 2001 The Daily Kent Stater