Nike CEO Phil Knight is back, and many students are not surprised.
The University alumnus, who withdrew a $30 million donation to the University almost two years ago, announced his decision to “reunite” with the University and make a large monetary donation Wednesday. Although he has not decided on an exact amount, he said the contribution will allow the Athletic Department to complete renovation of Autzen Stadium.
Unlike his 2000 decision to cut financial ties with the University, Knight’s recent announcement has not produced astonishment through most of the campus community. Some students are relieved, while others have mixed feelings — but many people are not shocked.
“Big surprise,” ASUO President Nilda Brooklyn said. “We knew the University was waiting for him to come back, and we knew it would be coming. We just didn’t know when.”
Knight pulled his donation 17 months ago, following the University’s decision to become a member of the Worker Rights Consortium, a labor monitoring group. The Nike co-founder said his trust in the University had been torn.
Although the University has since cut WRC associations, Brooklyn said most students’ stances on sweatshops and human rights have remained intact.
“For the mass movement that happened several years ago, things haven’t changed as far as the University’s responsibility for workers’ rights or equal pay for garments we wear,” she said, adding that she does not necessarily see Knight’s donation pledge as positive.
Others, however, don’t reflect fondly or proudly on the well-known Johnson Hall protest or efforts to sign on to the WRC.
“Our long campus nightmare is finally over,” senior business major Bret Jacobson said. “It took awhile, but common sense won over blind radicalism.”
Jacobson, who is also the publisher of the Oregon Commentator, added that aside from the monetary benefits, Knight’s decision sends a positive message to other donors.
“Hopefully, this will be a final symbol to our alumni that this institution takes their opinions and not just their donations seriously,” he said.
Senior Scott Rawitscher, president of the Beta Alpha Psi accounting fraternity, said Knight’s withdrawal was a big loss, but his return to donor status will prove beneficial to all students.
“This just goes to show how loyal he is to the University,” he said. “Some people would probably cut ties altogether, and I think this is really positive. Getting more donations — and the kind of money Phil Knight gives — brings more to the students and higher recognition to the schools.”
But some students still remember the long fight in front of Johnson Hall spring term of 2000, which gained national attention and united hundreds of students who camped for days to show their dedication to improved labor conditions. When Frohnmayer signed on to the WRC, they thought they had reached a pinnacle.
Senior Jevon Cutler, who spent days on the Johnson Hall lawn in support of the WRC, said he saw Knight’s return coming. Last year, the State Board of Higher Education approved a rule which effectively banned the University from joining the WRC. Frohnmayer also signed the University on to the Fair Labor Association, a different labor monitoring group accused by activists of working for corporations. Both actions probably helped win back Knight’s support, he said.
“Even when he was pulling his money, I was saying, ‘He’ll be back,’” Cutler said. “The (University) took all the right steps to get him to come back. We’re back to Nike campus.”