As football fans clad in Bulls apparel walked towards UB Stadium for Saturday's Homecoming football game against Marshall, the advocacy group UB Students Against Sweatshops gathered in a nearby parking lot to protest the university's sweatshop policy.
Members of the anti-sweatshop group dispersed information about the University's alleged relationship with manufacturers who employ men, women and children to work in sweatshop conditions.
Group members said they targeted the homecoming game because they wanted to reach a large number of students.
"It's a good way to get exposure. Also, most of the apparel produced in sweatshops goes toward the use of the sports teams and its fans," said Creighton Randall, a sophomore mechanical engineering major.
"Essentially, every student that pays tuition to UB indirectly supports the growth of business between the school and irresponsible companies."
Carrying drinks and passing a megaphone, the tailgating protesters called upon UB to join the Workers' Rights Consortium.
According to the protesters, the non-profit organization enforces manufacturing "Codes of Conduct" between a company and the university for which it generates products.
"The organization basically goes into a factory whose workers have asked for their help and investigates," said Colin O'Malley, a sophomore undecided major.
Upon the request of employees of the New Era Cap Company, the consortium scrutinized the firm's factory in Derby, N.Y., 20 miles south of Buffalo. New Era manufactures some UB apparel.
O'Malley noted that investigating sweatshops is nearly impossible for UB if it does not join the consortium.
"If we don't have WRC affiliation, we would have to pay for our own investigation teams to go in and investigate the factories," O'Malley said.
Many other institutions of higher learning are affiliated with the consortium, including every university in the University of California system, he said.
Along with the study of the company, the WRC also puts out a lengthy report detailing what their findings are in any given case. "The New Era report was over 50 pages long," O'Malley said.
Protesters also criticized the sweatshops for exploiting children. To express this point, the group has developed an image of Mickey Mouse depicted with bloody fangs.
Felix Gottdiener, a senior community studies major, stressed the need of having the companies disclose the locations where they produce their goods and the age demographics of people they employ.
"Having a Code of Conduct without knowing where the factories operate is about as useless as a pit-bull with dentures," Gottdiener said.
Marquis Woolford, the president of Hip-Hop Student Association, which also attended the rally, emphasized the need for the university to address all issues involving human rights.
"Hip-Hop is against sweatshops," he said. "I support any movement that's progressive and that enhances the advancement of human rights."
Woolford also emphasized the need for students to react against inequality and unfairness.
"We are now equipped to fight the injustices that previous generations haven't fought against," said Woolford.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
