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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Kansan
Wednesday March 31,1999
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Vol. 109·No.120
Sports today
The Kansas football team takes to the gridiron as spring practice begins today.
SEE PAGE 1B
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Sweatshop code to be viewed at Senate
Resolution targets Nike labor practices
By Nadia Mustafa
nmustafa@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Students at the University of Kansas are Joining a nationwide surge of campus activism against unfair labor practices.
Student Senate committees will consider a resolution sponsored by 30 senators at 6 p.m. in the Kansas Union. It would implore KU administration to sign a code aimed at stopping sweatshop manufacturing of collegiate apparel.
On March 16, the American Council on Education, an umbrella organization of which the University and the Board of Regents are members, passed a resolution urging institutions to sign the code. Almost 20 universities including
Duke, the University of Arizona and Florida State University have adopted the code.
State University invocation of the KU chapter
Kyle Browning, president of the KU chapter
Kyle Browning of Amnesty International and Overland Park sophomore, said students should be
aware that some companies manufacture KU products using sweatshop labor.
The University received $780,000 in revenues from trademark licensing last year, which was distributed to scholarship funds.
The University of Kansas Athletic Corporation has an exclusive contract with Nike, which has in the past been accused of tolerating unfair labor practices in its Asian factories.
"Although Nike has recently made an effort to shape up its labor practices, there is still criticism and reports against them," Browning said.
The code requires that outside monitors
inspect factories on a regular basis and that each company be annually certified on its protection of workers' rights. Companies also must provide safe and sanitary working conditions, not use child labor or require workers to work more than 48 hours per week or 12 hours per day. They also must allow freedom of association and collective bargaining.
If the University signs the code, it would require companies such as Nike that produce KU products, including sweatshirts, shoes, hats, cups and miniature basketball to comply with the code. In addition, the Senate resolution would request that the administration work to strengthen the code by requiring companies to provide a public release of factory sites and pay its workers living wages.
"That hat you're wearing could be made by a 13-year-old child who makes 25 cents an hour."
Deidre Backs, off-campus senator and the resolution's co-sponsor, said many students were unaware that some of their apparel was produced by companies using sweatshop labor.
she said. "A lot of people would prefer a hat made by a person who had decent working conditions with more than a 20-minute break during a 14-hour work day."
Browning said students' attempts to discuss labor issues with the administration had proven to be unfruitful.
"The administration said it's unaware of any illegal practices," he said. "They're all basically unhelpful and don't admit anything."
Tom Hutton, director of University Relations, said Nike was only one of hundreds or thousands of companies that manufactured KU products that possibly could use sweatshop labor.
Backs: Wants the University to support sweatshoe boycott.
He said the University was exploring an
alliance with other institutions to develop a code of conduct for companies that produced collegiate products.
"The University has been keeping close tabs on this issue nationally for several months," Hutton said. "It's a very, very large market, and working as a group is likely going to be the way that you influence change."
vata Manager, Nike director of global issues management, denied charges that Nike did not comply with the code.
"Nike has manufacturing facilities that are some of the best in the industry," he said.
Manager said Nike would endorse KU Student Senate's resolution. But, he said, universities should agree on a universal code of conduct negotiated by companies and human rights, labor rights and consumer rights groups.
"That's the best chance for everyone's objectives to be met," Manager said. "One good gold standard process is better than 50 different and unenforceable ones."
Spring blooms
A red tulip grows in a flower bed in front of Strong Hall. The tulip is one of many flowers on campus that recently have bloomed because of the warmer weather. Photo by Augustus Anthony Piazza/KANSAN
KJHK jazzes up the Granada with annual benefit concert
By Ezra Sykes
esykes @kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
for three cans of mixed vegetables people could see three jazz combs.
KJHk held its annual benefit jazz concert, KJ Can Jazz, last night at the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St. About 75 people were at the concert.
The Free State Brewery Jazz Quartet, B-Groove and Swing 39 all participated in the festivities, donating their time and music for the benefit show.
Concert-goers were asked either to donate three cans of food or $3. Proceeds from the concert will be given to the Women's Transitional Care Center, a local organization that helps battered or needy women and children, said Brandy Ernzen, promotions director at KJHK.
Tommy Johnson didn't mind tooting his horn for the cause.
"I truly enjoy doing things for a worthy causes," said Johnson, who plays trumpet in the Free State Brewery Jazz Quartet. "And of course KJHK is an institution."
Members of the Free State Brewery Jazz Quartet perform at the annual KJHK benefit jazz concert at the Granada. The show, which also featured B-Groove and Swing 39, was organized to support the Women's Transitional Care Center, a local organization that helps battered or needy women and children. Photo by Jay Sheperd/KANSAN
Ben Graham, saxophone player and leader of the group, said the band had participated in the KJHK benefit show last year and had no doubts about doing the show this year.
"The Women's Transitional Center is a good deal, and this is also good publicity for us," he said. "We do it for the love of it anyway. We all love the music that we play."
Ernzen said that the station had been advertising the event but that it wasn't easy to get the word out immediately after spring break.
"It's kind of like the used car dealer thing, only hopefully a little more effective." KJHK's Erznen said.
She said that by producing a jazz
Although the show was not broadcast, there were a few Deejay call-ins to see what was going down at the benefit.
snow, KJHK could draw in a crowd that usually wouldn't show up at the typical rock'n' roll show.
"Traditionally we get older and different types of listeners here," she said.
older, agreed.
Matt Dunehoo, KJHK staff member,
came in just as the Free State Brewery
Matt Dunehoo, KJHK staff member,
came in just as the Free State Brewery
Jazz Quartet began to play at about 9
p.m.
Although Dunehoo plays guitar in a rock group named Proudentall, he said he loved jazz but wished it was more accessible to younger people.
"Jazz, at least in Lawrence, is usually
only presented to those over 21 years of age," he said.
And although the music moves him, he probably won't be doing any dancing tonight.
"I only know one swing move," he said. "And it's more of a nervous walk."
Last year, the event was held at The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St., but Ernzen said the Granada was better because it had a larger dance floor.
Ernzen said the Granada was provided free of cost, except for a $100 fee to pay the sound technician.
- Edited by Steph Brewer
Congressman Moore gives class lesson on commercial appeal
By Chris Hopkins
chopkins@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Congressman Dennis Moore, D-Kan, visited a University of Kansas communications class yesterday to talk about his campaign last year against Snow burglar.
bighall year ago.
Robert Rowland, professor of communications, said that the class, Rhetoric and Social Influence, is about the ways communication can persuade people.
Rowland said that Moore's TV spots
Rowland said that Moore's TV spots were helpful real-world examples to show his students. Lawrence is in Moore's district.
learn tangible," he said. "What better way to highlight the importance of rhetoric than to invite our representative to Congress?"
During class Rowland showed three of Moore's commercials from the previous campaign. After showing each commercial, he asked the class which tactics were used and then asked Moore to comment.
"In essence, he makes the things they
One of the commercials, "Music Lessons with Dennis Moore," won a national award for the best congressional campaign commercial last year. In it, Moore played different styles of music on the guitar and said lines such as, "Rock. Our social security system needs to be as strong as a rock."
Moore said he didn't like the idea for the
The commercial turned out to be a boon for the campaign because when it ran, the airwaves were dominated by mudslinging. Moore said.
commercial and told the person directing it: "I feel totally stupid, I can't do this."
"I think this ad, which played in the last 10 days of the campaign, cut right through all that nastiness," he said.
Moore said the commercial established him as a person who could be spoken and related to by others.
One reason Moore said he enjoyed speaking to Rowland's class was because he thought he performed better in an interactive atmosphere rather than just giving speeches.
Barry Cohen, New Orleans sophomore, said that Moore, who wandered around the classroom when fielding questions, did a good job communicating.
"What politics is all about is communicating with people," he said.
"He does seem like he connects," he said. Crissy Hodges, Topeka junior, said Moore's discussion was relevant to what was being discussed in the class.
"I thought he had a lot of good insights," she said.
Moore also spoke to the class about some of the issues that he concentrated on in the campaign and those he is concentrating on now.
One of his main concerns is campaign
"We spent in this last campaign $855,000, which to me is obscene." Moore said. "Unfortunately, with the laws that we have in this country, that's the only way to get elected."
Moore said a reason campaigns needed to be regulated was to improve public opinion of the parties, which he said the public thought were corrupt.
finance reform, an issue on which he has sponsored a bill.
Rowland, who helped write speeches for Moore during the campaign but tried not to advocate him in his classes, said the presentation had gone well and that he would invite Moore back next year.
0 4
Moore: Says TV ads helped him connect with voters.
Edited by Duane Wagler