Groups against conflict clothing

Matt Critton/The Lantern Protesters gather to voice their opinions at an anti-sweatshop rally held at the Oval Thursday.

Student human rights organizations rallied behind a common cause Thursday: to institute the Designated Suppliers Program at Ohio State.

According to a statement from the campus organization United Students Against Sweatshops, the DSP will take three years to implement and would ensure university apparel to be 75 percent sweatshop free.

"OSU is the largest college clothing supplier in the world," said Rachael Needham, a junior in strategic communication and co-president of USAS. "This would be a humongous deal if we got this passed."

Matt Critton/The Lantern Elizabeth Lenons (left) and other students protested for Ohio State to distance itself from sweatshops at a rally on the Oval Thursday afternoon.

The rally took place on the Oval, with other student organizations including Women for Making a Difference, Amnesty and Students Against Coke.

"I think it's awesome, it's important for organizations to support one another," Needham said.

Needham said she was concerned students worry that the price of OSU apparel will increase or OSU will lose sponsors like Nike or Adidas if the DSP is implemented.

"The prices would absolutely not increase," Needham said. "We're the biggest university in the nation. They're not going to want to get rid of our business."

She said these companies will have to make cuts in other areas, such as advertising, to allot for improved working conditions in their factories.

The keynote speaker was Zack Knorr, 29, the International Campaigns Coordinator for USAS. Knorr said he hopes OSU will be the 43rd university to join the DSP and other universities such as Iowa, Duke and Syracuse.

"Before Nike and Adidas can use the OSU logo, they have to get approval from the university," Knorr said. "I'm always excited to see students doing great work about these issues."

Students at the rally listened to the Floorwalkers, a local human rights band, while enjoying complementary bagels and drinks.

Rally protesters held signs with variations of "I LOVE DSP" and offered information and refreshments to passersby.

"They have a solution to this problem and it's legit," said Nicole Klimas, a freshman in social work. "Students want this and this is one we can fix."

Klimas said she feels that not enough attention is paid to the sweatshop conditions in South Africa and Asia.

"A lot of people don't have a voice there, and when they protest they are killed," she said. "We are giving them a voice."

Angela Henderson can be reached at henderson.419@osu.edu.