Students Strip to Protest USC's New Apparel Agreement

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In the parking lot of the University's Unitarian Church, speakers blasted pump-up music and stacks of pizza boxes and liters of soda perspire in the noonday heat, while students...undressed.

"It's symbolically naked. I actually welcome people to get naked if they want to," said protester Hadley Greswold.

But no one did. The crowd of 30 or so students kept on their sports bras, shorts and boxers, leaving plenty of exposed flesh to paint slogans like "expose the truth" in red.

"The message that we're trying to send is that we'd rather not wear Trojan apparel than wear Trojan apparel that's made in sweatshops," she said.

The group sponsoring all the action is the Student Coalition Against Labor Exploitation. They were sparked into action by an investigative report filed by ESPN, after the company took cameras into apparel factories in Cambodia. ESPN alleges that Silver Star Merchandising, the apparel company used by USC and the Dallas Cowboys, among others, uses factories with substandard working conditions.

Max Hoiland, another student protesting, said the group is pressing USC's President Nikias to adopt a solution: an independent monitoring system that will enforce workers' rights.

"There's a factory monitor called the Workers' Rights Consortium, which is a not for profit the only one in the world that monitors factories," he said.

Matt Curran, USC's Director for Trademark Licensing & Social Responsibility, said USC has a strict code of ethics.

And Hoiland agrees: "USC actually has a very good code of conduct."

Curran said USC turns down a lot of vendors. Out of 100 applicants only about 15% will make the grade.

But the protesters said the mechanisms USC is using to review labor practices are ineffective. And they said without an independent review organization like the Worker's Rights Consortium, abuses will continue.

Curran said the university hasn't ruled that option out but they need more information about the Consortium.

Hadley Greswold says organizers want the university to work with them.

"And when they see that students really care I think they will sign on. I think that's the most important thing."

If not, they'll keep at it, she said.

After bodies had been painted and pizza consumed, the group grabbed their signs and banners and left the parking lot en masse, headed straight for USC President Nikias's office.

Next Tuesday, the group is holding a teach in in Taper Hall at 6:30 pm.