MSA votes to support WRC

The Michigan Student Assembly voted to support the Worker Rights Consortium and defeated a resolution that called for a tuition freeze at last night's weekly assembly meeting held at Stockwell Residence Hall.

The resolution to encourage the University to join the WRC passed, 29-1. MSA Vice President Andy Coulouris, who sponsored the resolution, said that MSA's support for the WRC provides "an opportunity to have a large impact on something that affects us locally."

The consortium examines the working environment of companies that produce apparel for higher educational institutions. The contract makes efforts to ensure that companies adhere to labor laws and stop any existing exploitation of workers.

"I really think this would be one of the extra points that (Students for Organizing Labor and Economic Equality) needs. SOLE has traditionally been really good at finding the pressure points on University administration to affect change. Tonight we

ALLISON CANTER/Daily LSA-Student Government member Rodolfo Palma and Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality member Peter Romer-Friedman display a Michigan T-Shirt at last night's Michigan Student Assembly meeting in Stockwell Residence Hall.

just helped them do that," Coulouris said.

SOLE members attended last night's meeting to speak in favor of the resolution.

"We're really pleased MSA is willing to support us," said LSA first-year student Susie Harter, a SOLE member.

MSA Treasurer Suzanne Owen, who cast the only dissenting vote on the resolution, said the assembly should not rush into a decision about such a grave issue.

"I agree with the spirit of this resolution, but I object to MSA doing something so hastily. We have no real knowledge of the WRC," she said.

The assembly also voted against a resolution, presented by the assembly's Peace and Justice Commission calling for a tuition freeze. The resolution failed 7-23-1.

LSA sophomore Erika Dowdell, who was a co-sponsor of the resolution, said it was unfortunate that the resolution failed.

"This body is the official representative voice on campus," Dowdell said. "Representatives on this body declined to make the most basic objection to high tuition."

PJC Chair Jessica Curtin, who also sponsored the resolution, said it is necessary for the resolution to be extreme, instead of calling for a tuition cap that MSA has supported in the past.

"I feel we should be making up for some of the losses in the last two decades," Curtin said.

In response to arguments that a tuition freeze would result in lack of funding for other student programs, LSA sophomore Kym Stewart said that this does not matter if students cannot even afford to pay tuition.

"Some people come here or a couple years, and can't afford to stay. We should be more concerned about students who can't come here in the first place," Stewart said.

MSA Rep. Peter Handler said the resolution would be ineffective and contradict past MSA resolutions.

"In the past, we've passed resolutions supporting ethnic studies and GEO, which would call for higher wages. It seems hypocritical and unintelligent to support these and then ask them to support a tuition freeze," he said.

MSA Rep. Jen Seamon, a Nursing senior, took an informal survey of her constituency before the meeting because "it was too serious of an issue to come into this meeting with only my own voice and not that of my constituents.

"I received 22 responses between this morning and right before I left for the meeting. Out of these, only two supported the tuition freeze. An overwhelming number mentioned (Michigan State University's) program for tuition not to rise above inflation, and the technology and resources which would be limited because of this," Seamon said.

11-03-99