Volume 125 Issue 91
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
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bball News
Apparel brand provides ethical wages and working conditions for employees
LEMMA LEGAULT
elegault@kansan.com
In a campaign to raise awareness about workers' rights and factory conditions around the world, United Students Against Sweatshops has partnered with the KU Bookstore to introduce a new line of clothing to be available later in April.
Alta Gracia is a union-made apparel brand started in 2010 that is currently available at more than 450 college and university bookstores around the country. Based in a town in the Dominican Republic, Alta Gracia strives to provide
ethical wages and conditions for its workers while providing high-quality, affordable collegiate apparel.
After visiting the factory and living with an
Gragg
the brand's story. Gragg founded the KU chapter of United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) at the beginning of this semester.
In January, USAS contacted the KU Bookstore to discuss bringing Alta Gracia to KU. Gragg believes ordering the clothing is the first step in raising consumer awareness.
"Usually when you buy something, you don't know where it's made," she said. "Usually you know the country, but you don't know the story behind it. It's hard to realize that it's actually another human being on the other side of the world making your apparel, and a lot of times that's in really terrible conditions."
Alta Gracia carries a line of 13 products, including crew neck and V-neck shirts, a crew neck sweat-shirt and hoodies. Currently, there are no children, performance wear or pant-type products.
The price is slightly higher than similar merchandise, but the brand is designed to be budget-friendly for the variety of the bookstore
customers.
"If they're going to buy KU apparel anyway, purchasing KU apparel that is at a similar price point that has some kind of altruistic message that is providing a better life for a worker, it's a great opportunity to be able to support a cause," said Estella McCollum, director of the KU Bookstore.
"The key is growing demand and awareness that turn into sales," she said. "And it's key to make sure we're purchasing the appropriate amount at first without causing damage to Alta Gracia by requesting that it grow too quickly."
McCollum met with an Alta Gracia brand manager on March 8 to discuss the best strategy to order merchandise reasonably and responsibly to benefit both the brand and the bookstore.
To promote the Alta Gracia campaign and to raise awareness, the bookstore launched a Facebook page for the brand and is distributing flyers with discounts.
"We're really trying to put a face to the name of Alta Gracia for our
community, for our shopers, and allow them an opportunity to understand what Alta Gracia is and why they would want to support it." McCollum said.
By creating a coalition of other campus and community groups, USAS hopes to continue to address the larger issue of ending university affiliation with brands based in sweatshops.
"That's a first step to a larger issue of combating sweatshop factory conditions around the world," said Brian Sultana, a senior USAS
Sultana
member from Manhattan. "[Students] can put pressure on companies to stop perpetuating these abuses when workers are not paid."
Edited by Paige Lytle
Wanna get in on the cause?
JOIN THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE!
POLITICS
Kansas House passes restrictive abortion bill
MATTHEW JOHNSON
mjohnson@kansan.com
The Kansas House passed an anti-abortion bill Wednesday that would prevent state funds from being used to promote or provide abortion services. The House also overwhelmingly rejected a proposed amendment that would have allowed exemptions for incest and rape victims.
House Bill 2253 was referred to the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare on Thursday. The committee made no changes and advanced it Friday.
A section of the bill states, "Except to the extent required by federal law: No moneys appropriated from the state general fund or from any special revenue fund shall be expended for any abortion." This includes tax credits, tax deductions on sales to clinics that offer abortion services and health care services offered by any state agency.
The bill, which was approved 92-31 in the House, is now in the Senate, which vowed to "consider the bill quickly." A similar bill was rejected by the Senate in May 2012 because of a provision that affected the KU School of Medicine's ability to accredit OB/GYN students.
The bill also prohibits public schools from providing abortion services or allowing "an employee, agent or volunteer of an abortion services provider" to speak to students about sexuality or distribute materials about sexuality.
Amanda Schulze, president of the University chapter of the Commission on the Status of Women, a student organization that works toward social and political equality, and student correspondent for Choice USA, explained how she thinks this bill might affect University students.
"If a student is working for an organization—such as Planned Parenthood—that either provides abortions or is affiliated with an organization that provides abortions, he or she won't be allowed to volunteer at public schools," Schulze said.
Along with provisions that disallow abortion providers from receiving tax exemptions, the bill also prevents women from claiming tax deductions for the medical expenses incurred by having an abortion.
"Instead of making the abortion illegal, they're trying to destroy the institutions financially so it's not even feasible to offer abortions," Schulze said. "The bill also creates
a 'personhood' trigger, so if Roe v. Wade is overturned, it would make all abortions in Kansas illegal."
The bill requires abortion clinics to provide controversial information to the pregnant woman about the medical risks associated with each procedure, including "risk of premature birth in future pregnancies, risk of breast cancer, risks to the woman's reproductive health and the medical risks associated with carrying an unborn child to term." According to the National Cancer Institute, early studies examining the link between abortions and breast cancer were "flawed in a number of ways" and provided inconsistent results. Newer studies have consistently shown that there is no correlation between abortions and increased risk of breast cancer
The bill also requires doctors to provide information describing abortion procedures and the characteristics of the fetus at "two-week gestational increments from fertilization to full term."
"Nobody wants to be lied to by their doctors," Schulze said of the requirement. "The information doctors are forced to provide is being determined by policy makers and not by medical professionals."
Edited by Madison Schultz
About the bill
The 72-page anti-abortion bill was passed by a 92-31 vote in the Kansas House.
It prevents abortion providers from being tax exempt.
It prohibits women from claiming tax deductions for medical expenses incurred by having an abortion.
It disallows anyone who's affiliated with an abortion provider from speaking to public school students about sexuality.
If passed, doctors would be required to share information with patients, such as the increased chance of breast cancer after receiving an abortion.
More info about Kansas' abortion laws
Kansas has imposed stricter regulations on late-term abortions over the past two years.
Arkansas recently passed a similar bill, but it included an exception for incidences of rape and incest. The Kansas bill currently does not.
Kansas already bans most abortions starting in the 22nd week of pregnancy.
Voting for student senate elections will take place on April 10 and 11, and results will be announced on April 17. Brandon Woodard, a senior from Topeka, is KUnited's 2013 presidential candidate and Blaine Bengston, a junior from Salina, is KUnited's 2013 vice-presidential candidate. Marcus Tetwiler, a junior from Paola, is Ad Astra's 2013 presidential candidate and Emma Halling, a junior from Elkhart, Ind., is running as Ad Astra's 2013 vice president.
Index
Voting stations will be located on Wescoe Beach and Mrs. E's Dining Hall. Students are also able to vote online. If any student is unable to vote at either location or online, they must contact the Student Senate Elections Commission by 5 p.m. tomorrow at commission@wke.edu.
CLASSIFIEDS 9
CROSSWORD 5
Hannah Barling
CRYPTOQUIPS 5 SPORTS 10
OPINION 4 SUDOKU 5
Student senate offers two voting stations online ballot option
STUDENT SENATE
Today's Weather
All contents, unless stated otherwise; © 2013 The University Daily Kansan
Don't Today is Make Up Your Own Holiday Day! forget Here's to whatever you want.
Partly cloudy. 20 percent chance of rain. Wind NW at 8 mph.
否
Apparently it's still winter.
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