In the dark and bitter cold, about 50 white paper bags illuminated by candlelight lined the steps of Old Main last night, forming the letters "DSP".

The "candlelight vigil" was held for the United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) national day of service by members of Penn State's USAS chapter and Student Labor Action Project (SLAP), said Mikana Maeda (junior-landscape architecture), a USAS member.

"It is hard to have school pride when it has a part in sweatshops," she said.

The group's main focus is to compel Penn State administrators to sign the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP), which is a plan created to ensure that university apparel is not made in sweatshops.

"How can people be against basic human rights?" said Megan Quinn (junior-biology), a USAS member. "We think the DSP is the most efficient way to remove Penn State apparel from sweatshops."

After all the bags were lit, a passage from Martin Luther King Jr's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was read by USAS member Aaron Troisi (senior-sociology). King imparts a strong message to groups fighting for rights in a nice, succinct way, Troisi said.

Four anti-war protestors joined the 13 students for the hour-long event to show support for the students and their campaign, said Peter Morris, a retired Penn State faculty member and Borough Council member.

"The idea of the DSP seems like a common-sense thing to do," Morris said.

Morris said that Graham Spanier seemed to contradict himself when he gave a heartfelt speech at a Martin Luther King banquet on Monday, outlining the story of his cousin who harbored a fugitive Nelson Mandela in South Africa. "I think Spanier ought to see that the teachings of Martin Luther King would oppose what he is doing," he said.

Another anti-war protestor attending the vigil said people need to "hold Penn State accountable." "Penn State is supposed to stand for human rights and dignity. The administration should act in concert with those ideas," said Paul Durrenberger, a retired Penn State professor.