I was very disappointed with the way UB President William Greiner conducted himself at this year's Preview Day on April 13. High school students and parents came to Preview Day with a multitude of questions regarding the way the university operates, as is expected. However, the way President Greiner chose to deal with these questions this year was unacceptable.
The UB Students Against Sweatshops leafletted at Preview Day in order to inform prospective students and their parents about the university's connection to sweatshop policies, focusing on the New Era Cap issue. Unfortunately, when prospective students brought concerns about these connections to sweatshop policies to President Greiner, he dismissed them just as quickly as he has dimissed the concerns of current UB students. The UB Student Assembly and the UB Student Association President Chris Oliver, along with hundreds upon hundreds of students, have declared that UB should not be tied to sweatshop policies as is the case with UB and New Era. Yet President Greiner has refused to listen. And even worse, not only did President Greiner dismiss the concerns of prospective students at Preview Day, he also became aggressive and irate towards these students.
As a UB student that has been pretty involved in pressuring President Greiner to join the UB community in opposing UB's ties to sweatshop polices, I am very disappointed by Greiner's blatant disrespect for the concerns of both present and future students. Students have a right to know what unjust ties the university has, and President Greiner has a responsibility to make sure this right is respected. Unfortunately, he has not lived up to this expectation.
