FAYETTEVILLE, Ark — Eighteen men and women from across the University have been named to a new Committee on Fair Labor and University Licensing, committee chairwoman and UA women’s athletic director Bev Lewis announced today.

UA Chancellor John A. White established the Committee on Fair Labor and University Licensing in late July, asking Lewis to serve as chair and appoint the members.

White has asked that the committee examine various proposals for monitoring the conditions under which products bearing the University’s marks and logos are manufactured, particularly in less developed nations.

The committee also has been asked to draft a set of recommendations by January 30, 2000, for consideration by the Chancellor’s executive committee. Consisting of the University’s five vice chancellors, the executive committee will deliberate and vote on the recommendations and send them on to White for final approval.

The members of the committee, appointed by Lewis, are:

Johnetta Cross Brazzell, vice chancellor for Student Affairs
Roger Williams, associate vice chancellor for University Relations
Claudia Mobley, instructor and managing director, Center for Retailing Excellence
Jerry Musick, chair, Faculty Senate
Linda Dizney, chair, Staff Senate
Matt Shanklin, assistant athletic director for marketing/licensing, Men’s Athletics
Lori Holyfield, assistant professor, Sociology
Bill Smith, associate director, Women’s Athletics
David Martinson, associate vice chancellor, Business Affairs
Ali Sadeghi, manager, University Book Store
Angie Maxwell, president, Associated Student Government
Cynthia Kendall, president, Graduate Student Association
Lyndsey Norman, undergraduate student, Campus Democracy Collective
Roberto Bermudez, international graduate student from Nicaragua
Carlyne Jean-baptiste [editor’s note: this small "b" for baptiste is correct], international undergraduate student from Haiti
Haiming Xu, vice president, Chinese Student & Scholar Association
Nicole Savary, international student-athlete from Trinidad

In addition, Scott Varady, associate general counsel for the UA System, will serve as the Committee’s legal adviser.

"I believe we have put together a very good committee, broadly representative of the University community," Lewis said. "Each member will bring valuable experience and insight to bear on our work, and I’m grateful they have consented to serve."

In his letter to Lewis establishing the committee, White said he believed that the University of Arkansas "should be a leader in the national effort to ensure that products bearing an institution’s marks are produced in working conditions that are safe, healthy and fair to workers."

Several initiatives designed to meet that goal are pending with the University.

Late last year, the Collegiate Licensing Company-which represents a consortium of nearly 200 universities across the nation-presented the Collegiate Code of Conduct for review and adoption by its membership (which includes the University of Arkansas).

In March, Stan Ikenberry, president of the American Council on Education, announced the adoption of a Code of Conduct by the Fair Labor Association-a non-profit entity established by the Apparel Industry Partnership, with the collaboration of the U.S. Department of Labor and the White House.

More recently, the Collegiate Licensing Company recommended that its members consider joining the Fair Labor Association initiative as a vehicle for monitoring both organizations’ codes of conduct. Some colleges and universities have declined to join the Fair Labor Association, however; instead, they have voiced their intent to establish monitoring mechanisms directly under their control to guard against abusive labor practices.

And late last spring, the Campus Democracy Collective was invited to propose amendments and revisions to the Collegiate Licensing Company’s proposed code of conduct.

"Now our task is to sort through all these proposals, look at all the changes that have occurred over the summer months in regard to this critical issue, and come up with recommendations for a code of conduct that we think will serve the interests of the University, its licensees and the workers in the best ways possible," Lewis said. "It will be a tough but exciting challenge, and I’m confident our committee will come up with equitable proposals."

The committee is in the process of scheduling its first meeting.

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