SOLE occupies forum, resigns from committee By Jen Fish Daily Staff Reporter John Chamberlin, chair of the University Advisory Committee on Labor Standards and Human Rights said he did not expect anything substantial to happen at last night's open forum on the University's code of conduct for licensed apparel manufacturers. "There are no particular goals for tonight ... I'm just hoping we get some people here to disagree with us and tell us why," he said in before the forum began. But minutes later, about 25 members of Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality stormed the forum. After the students sang and chanted anti-sweatshop messages for about ten minutes, Joe Sexauer, a student representative on the committee also in SOLE, called on the committee's members to vote on the Worker Rights Consortium - a policy to enforce collegiate labor codes developed last year by student leaders in the national anti-sweatshop movement. The advisory committee is currently studying the possible implementation of the WRC, but has not come to a decision on whether or not to endorse the policy. But members of the committee said they did not want to vote on the WRC at that moment, nor at their next regular meeting, which is scheduled for this Friday. "Voting is a responsible act, and I do not want to vote if I am not confident of my position. We have not had adequate time," said Committee member Linda Lim, a Business professor. Committee member Larry Root also did not want to vote on the issue last night, but he acknowledged the role of student activism in the issue. "The students were perfectly within their rights," Root, a Social Work professor, said. "It's student activism that has gotten the issue this far." SOLE members argued that the committee has had more than adequate time to examine the policy and the University should adopt the WRC as soon as possible. "This is a crisis situation. Make the University a leader in this fight. President (Lee) Bollinger needs your recommendation now. You've had five months," SOLE member Lee Palmer, an LSA junior, told the committee. After the committee refused to vote on the issue, Sexauer and fellow student representative Julie Fry, an LSA junior, resigned from the committee and joined SOLE's protest. Bollinger has not yet decided on whether or not the University will join the WRC, but has said in the past that the existing document is vague in areas. After the committee members make their final decision on the WRC, they will pass their recommendation to Bollinger for consideration. Committee member Martha Johnson Chaddock said the committee is "totally in sync with (SOLE's) goals" but added she was not willing to consider an early vote. "We are working very hard. We take this very seriously," said Chaddock, manager of University Trademarks and Licensing, adding that the committee has not been working to meet SOLE's Feb. 2 ultimatum for the University to endorse the WRC. The policy will greatly affect the University and therefore needs to be thoroughly examined, Chamberlin said. If Bollinger does not sign the WRC by the ultimatum date, SOLE members said they will take action, but would not go into details on what action they could take. Last March, 30 SOLE members stormed and occupied Bollinger's office for 51 hours. JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily University Advisory Committee on Labor Standards and Human Rights chair John Chamberlin listens as LSA junior Lee Palmer speaks yesterday at the School of Education Building. Originally on page 1A in the 1-19-2000 issue of the Daily.