Members of United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) met with prominent Penn State administrators Tuesday night in a meeting both sides said accomplished little.
USAS used the closed meeting to lobby members of the administration to sign onto the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP), which requires college apparel to be made in factories where workers' rights are protected.
USAS again sought Spanier's support of the DSP, and Spanier again said he would not sign it.
"The administration feels that the DSP will not be passed by the Department of Justice because it will be found to violate anti-trust laws," USAS member Paige Heimark (freshman-political science and studio art) said. "But we're asking they sign it with a clause that if it violates the laws, we will pull our support."
Penn State President Graham Spanier, who attended the meeting, said he was unwilling to sign on to the DSP before the Department of Justice's ruling and continues to support only the Knight Apparel "Above and Beyond" program.
In January, the university signed on to "Above and Beyond," which strives to improve working conditions, wages and benefits for those who manufacture Knight Apparel-brand collegiate clothing, according to a statement Spanier released then.
But that's not enough for USAS.
"He clearly stated he wouldn't budge," USAS member Chris Stevens (junior-anthropology) said after Tuesday's meeting.
But USAS members are not giving up on receiving the university's support, Stevens said, and will lobby through alternative routes, like the Board of Trustees.
Vice President for Student Affairs Damon Sims, who attended the meeting, said he is puzzled by USAS members' continued desire to have Spanier write a letter of support for the DSP.
"I came from an institution that signed on to the DSP," Sims said. "I have confidence that if anyone reads Indiana's short letter, they will find that President Spanier's comprehensive letter from last year has the same principles with disclaimers."
Sims said he did not understand why students were unhappy with what was being offered to them.
But the students said what's been offered is not enough.
"I'm proud that we are doing ["Above and Beyond"] and we're having meaningful change now, but we need to look to the future and solve the whole problem, and the DSP does that," Stevens said.
"Above and Beyond" does not address supply chain issues as a whole, but only one factory of 300 workers, Stevens said.
"This is not an alternative," he said. "They are voicing it as a solution, though it is only the first step."
Sims and Spanier both said they were disappointed in the meeting.
"I was looking forward to having students support us in making important decisions in the apparel situation, but they were very narrowly focused on one thing," Spanier said after the meeting.
USAS members requested to meet with Sims and Spanier, Sims said, and both administrators were willing to exchange ideas on the situation.
But both parties acknowledged the need for a change in future dialogue.
Heimark said she would like to see a more "open and creative dialogue." And Spanier said he hopes students in future meetings will not have so narrow a focus.
"We wanted to engage in a much broader discussion," Spanier said.
