More than 150 signatures were collected outside of the HUB-Robeson Center on Thursday in an effort to end the violation of workers' rights in sweatshops that produce Penn State apparel.

Members of United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) encouraged other students to sign a petition urging Penn State President Graham Spanier to sign onto the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP). USAS wants Spanier to endorse the DSP so Penn State can become a part of the movement to ensure the organizational efforts of workers in sweatshops, Paige Heimark (freshman-political science and studio art) said.

"It's all about the workers and their rights -- their human rights are being violated," she said. "Penn State is a part of the problem."

Four Big Ten schools have shown their support for the DSP, she said -- the University of Iowa, the University of Indiana, the Ohio State University and the University of Wisconsin. John Fitzgerald, a member of USAS, said the organization has not seen any support from Penn State.

Heimark said while USAS met with Spanier last year, he did not sign on because of some of the problems he found with the DSP that violate anti-trust laws. USAS will meet with Spanier again in the next week, she said.

Penn State spokeswoman Annemarie Mountz said the university has not changed its stance on the DSP since Spanier's last meeting with USAS. The major reason Spanier has opted not to endorse the DSP is because "it does not exist," Mountz said.

Fitzgerald (sophomore-Jewish studies and classics) said there was little opposition to USAS's cause outside of the HUB on Thursday. But many passers-by were curious about the issue, he said.