MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State University has joined an anti-sweatshop organization in hopes of helping workers around the globe.

Ball State President Blaine Brownell told the Board of Trustees Dec. 1 the university has become a member of the Fair Labor Association (FLA) to help improve the often oppressive working conditions in sweatshops.

About 147 colleges and universities have affiliated with the FLA to ensure that companies producing goods under their university licenses are operating in accordance with FLA principles and the Workplace Code of Conduct.

Brownell believes the university’s licensed merchandise should be manufactured under conditions that are fair and positive for workers.

"We want assurances that something is being done to overcome sweatshop conditions," he said. "We feel that this relationship with the FLA is in line with the university’s mission."

After an internal review, there were no indications that indicated Ball State-licensed merchandise sold at the university bookstore, through the Alumni Association and intercollegiate athletics is manufactured under sweatshop conditions.

University officials are working with FLA staff members to review companies with licenses to use the Ball State logo on merchandise.

The FLA developed from the Apparel Industry Partnership, a diverse group of manufacturers, consumer groups, labor and human rights organizations and American universities, brought together by the White House in August 1996 to address labor rights standards.

The FLA consists of consumer, human and labor rights groups, including the International Labor Rights Fund, the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, the National Consumers League and the

Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, as well as leading apparel and footwear manufacturers and retailers, including adidas-Salomon A.G., Eddie Bauer, GEAR For Sports, Kathie Lee Gifford, Levi Strauss & Co., Liz Claiborne, L.L. Bean, Nicole Miller, Nike, Patagonia, Phillips Van-Heusen and Reebok.

Under the membership agreement, Ball State will pay an annual membership of 1 percent of the previous year’s licensing revenues. The licensing income for Ball State in fiscal year 2000 was $58,129.72, resulting in a fee of $582.

Students on college campuses nationwide have focused attention in recent years on sweatshop issues. They have organized to protest sweatshops that produce collegiate apparel. American consumers purchase an estimated $2.5 billion of collegiate clothing annually.

In many sweatshops, employees work under oppressive conditions for low pay to produce garments emblazoned with school logos, including baseball caps, jackets, sweaters and footwear.

Brownell said Ball State selected membership in the FLA over participation in Workers Rights Consortium, an independent student-run organization. About 57 colleges and universities are members of the consortium.

"We applaud the students for bringing this issue to the forefront," Brownell said. "However, we feel the FLA is the best option at this time since it has an established monitoring system and works closely with manufacturers. The WRC does not have an adequate monitoring system that we feel would be effective to stop the problem of sweatshops."

Investigation into the anti-sweatshop organizations and subsequent review of Ball State's licensing agreements were done by Norm Beck, associate vice president for human resources and auxiliary services. Responsibility for the ongoing administration of this project will be undertaken by Tom Brinson, acting director of purchasing.

In other business, the board approved the use of eminent domain to acquire property needed for additional parking spaces for faculty and staff as well as for parking for Emens Auditorium and a planned music instructional building.

Lengthy negotiations between university representatives and the owner of properties at 611 and 614 N. Calvert St., have been unsuccessful, said Thomas J. Kinghorn, vice president for business affairs.

Condemnation proceedings are necessary to acquire the land from the property owner and avoid unnecessary delays in construction of additional parking areas.

By Marc Ransford, Communications Manager

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Beck by e-mail at nbeck@bsu.edu or by phone at (765) 285-1133. The Web page for the Fair Labor Association is www.fairlabor.org. Kinghorn may be reached at tkinghorn@bsu.edu and (765) 285-1033.)