Letter to the Editor

University should join WRC to shape labor policies

I'd like to respond to the Collegian's editorial, "WRC entry requires careful consideration." First, let me clear up false and misleading reports that members of Students for Accountablity and Reform vacated the steps of Old Main because of police intervention.

We were questioned informally by a police officer regarding reports that there were people walking on a third-story ledge of Sackett Building where a second banner was hung. We refused to comment on that, and the officer left.

We then continued to demonstrate on the steps of Old Main for an hour and a half until we felt satisfied that we had made enough students aware of our cause.

To be honest, the police response to our demonstration was a complete non-issue, yet it became sensationalized in the Collegian article that appeared the next day.

Then to magnify an already non-issue, the Collegian chose to further misrepresent our dedication to the cause of protecting workers' rights around the world and specifically the rights of workers who make Penn State licensed apparel.

The board should have been questioning the working conditions in Nike factories following the announcement that the factories cannot live up to the standards set forth by the Workers Rights Consortium. It's obvious that Nike would not approach Penn State's multimillion-dollar contract the same way it would a small liberal arts college like Brown University.

This was clearly an attempt by Nike to pressure administrators with threats of losing its contract to remain in the FLA while staying off the WRC. My question is, how many more decisions on this campus are to be made for the appeasement of our corporate sponsors?

In light of Nike's announcement, STAR here and now is formally requesting that the administration make available to the public, in full, Penn State's contract with Nike.

Above all, the Collegian should pay more attention to details when it takes a stance on important matters like these. I do not agree with its wait-and-see stance. Many people advocate this when they do not have all the facts.

As of Wednesday, 34 universities have signed on to the WRC. Six of the 11 Big Ten schools including the University of Wisconsin, University of Michigan, University of Illinois, University of Minnesota, Indiana University and the University of Iowa became founding members of the WRC.

What are we waiting for? Penn State students who agree that we should join the WRC by Friday, despite Nike's direct pressure against it, should e-mail Penn State President Graham Spanier at gspanier@psu.edu.

Justin Leto
Students for Accountability and Reform