Once again campus is abuzz with protest in front of Johnson Hall. While last year it was diversity, this year is about the University joining the Worker Rights Consortium. The funny thing is both sides agree on the issue, but while students demand immediate action, University President Dave Frohnmayer is taking a reasonable and measured approach to licensing responsibility.
The basic point of this entire discussion, that the University should band with others in the nation to join the WRC, is agreed upon by all sides. Students overwhelmingly passed a ballot measure in the recent ASUO elections in support of membership, which the Emerald supported vigorously. And Frohnmayer has been saying all along that he would be moving in that direction.
The basic point of contention, the reason students have been blaring out disgust for the University administration on the steps of its building, is that the process is not moving fast enough. The Human Rights Alliance set a March 31 date for University compliance that came and went without administration action. Thus in front of Johnson Hall there stand the tents, megaphones, drum circles and protesters — 14 who were arrested for civil disobedience Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Frohnmayer’s approach may be slow, but it is definitely a wise way to go. The expiration date for the majority of licensing contracts with the University is June 30. That makes it unnecessary to rush at this point. And while the desire for immediacy may make some anxious for rapid results, the administration knows the results of these policies made today will either haunt or benefit them years from now when current student protesters are years gone and into new avenues of their lives.
We sincerely appreciate the ability for all students and citizens to have their voices heard through public gatherings. In this case it’s a protest, and we certainly wouldn’t ask that their voices be diminished in any fashion. For it’s often protesters who keep the rights of free speech alive and well for the rest of us. But in this case, the protesters continue fighting a battle they’ve already won.
Protesting students should consider, however, that the University has long been on the right path to becoming responsible in its licensing contracts. Last June, Frohnmayer informed licensee companies that the school would be moving in the direction of the WRC goals. Later he set up the Licensing Code of Conduct Committee, which has just finished its assigned tasks and advised, as expected, that Frohnmayer should join the WRC. And Frohnmayer wants to continue the process through the University Senate, which is reasonable. By following a long process involving as many campus groups as possible, the end result of Frohnmayer’s efforts should be the most responsible and long-lasting.
Frohnmayer has everything to gain from a successful worker rights policy and should be trusted to follow through on the effort. If Frohnmayer claims, as he has done repeatedly, that the University will adopt licensing guidelines, there is no reason for students to believe otherwise at this point. President Frohnmayer has never shown himself to be untrustworthy or one to go back on his word.
The end result will hopefully be a practical, honorable worker rights policy of which students can be proud. Students have a right to take credit for their role in bringing about these positive changes. Through hard work, serious discussion and a sincere compassion for the plight of faraway workers the University soon will be a more responsible organization in its licensing practices.
But it should nonetheless be recognized that serious matters such as joining the WRC should be examined carefully through a responsible and pensive process. Even though students have every right to speak their minds, in this instance Frohnmayer’s method of making sure the final decision is widely accepted and passed through all the proper channels is responsible and should be commended.