About one year ago, a group of student protesters filed into the Allen Building, appropriated the phone lines, unfurled their sleeping bags and began a 31-hour sit-in that would set the standard for anti-sweatshop activism on college campuses. Now that 12 months and two deadlines have passed, most of the companies that make University apparel have honored their Duke contracts and provided lists of factory addresses.
But Students Against Sweatshops members insist that, after a full year, Duke should have a full list-as was agreed upon during the sit-in negotiations. "The excuses we're hearing hinge on them not having enough time, but we've basically given them a full year," said Trinity sophomore Snehal Patel, an SAS member.
Of the 409 companies that make Duke clothing, 72 percent-or about 300-have submitted contact information to the Collegiate Licensing Company, which is coordinating information-gathering for many schools that demand full disclosure.
"In terms of what we've agreed to, I think we're almost there," said Executive Vice President Tallman Trask. "To suggest that we have not held up our part of the bargain is just not really appropriate."
Starting Monday, Duke began sending certified letters to the remaining companies, giving them 15 days to come into compliance. Their licensing contracts initially called for address lists by Jan. 1, but that deadline was extended to Jan. 31.
"If they still don't get us the information, then we'll begin sending out letters of termination," said Jim Wilkerson, director of University licensing. As per the sit-in agreement, Duke re-negotiated all its contracts in the past year so companies would provide addresses of all factories making University-licensed apparel.
All the University's major licensees have disclosed, Wilkerson said, and none has told Duke it wants out of its contract.
To highlight the fact that the University has not achieved full disclosure, SAS members have planned a noon rally today in front of the Allen Building and are preparing to take a more aggressive stance in dealing with the administration. "We're not going to enter into a relationship in which they give us information on a need-to-know basis... and we're supposed to be happy with that," said SAS's Casey Harrell, a Trinity senior.
Although some disclosure is better than none, student activists have deemed Duke's draft list of 1,000 factories both "inadequate and incomplete." Specifically, they said some companies list addresses as only a post office box or an e-mail address and others give no phone number, still making it impossible for rights groups to do independent monitoring.
Administrators say they share the students' concerns that companies are intentionally giving the University the runaround on disclosure. "That is not acceptable...," said Trask, who said he made it clear to the companies that they must provide street addresses, not box numbers. "Giving us wrong information does not mean you're in compliance." Companies giving inadequate information will also be informed of the 15-day deadline.
SAS leaders are also skeptical that all the companies are being totally honest with Duke. "Small licensees might list 90 to 100 factories, while Champion or Russell might list 10," Patel said, speaking hypothetically. "So it's pretty clear they aren't disclosing everything."
Wilkerson said it is impossible to tell whether companies are being honest, and that once students and non-governmental organizations begin their independent monitoring, they will help verify information on the list. "If we find that companies have misreported information, that will be a serious violation," he added.
Although it may take several weeks to sift through the existing information and hear back from the other companies, Trask and Wilkerson said they are confident they will soon reach full disclosure.
Student activists are equally convinced that the location of each and every factory will eventually be known; they just think the administration might need an additional push to get there. "We're not going to protest until the time is right," Harrell said. "The time is getting right."
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