While Ryan and PSLM members clash over Harvard's involvement with the FLA, both sides agree that they have made significant progress. PSLM has moved beyond the rallying stage and meets with Ryan on a regular basis to negotiate for change.

Ryan says PSLM has been successful because University policy does not conflict with the campaign's core demands regarding sweatshop labor.

In addition, a change in Harvard policy primarily affects licensed manufactures, not the University itself. "We and the students want the same thing," Ryan says, "for Harvard to do everything in its power to improve conditions in factories in which University-licensed apparel is made."

Waging a Campaign

PSLM's living wage campaign has encountered significantly more resistance from the administration.

Last spring, the administration created an ad-hoc Faculty committee to study the labor situation at Harvard but has yet to take any other action.

"Sweatshops has gotten a whole lot more victories. Living wage doesn't have that much to show for it," said PSLM member William W. Erickson '00-'01.

PSLM calls this committee, scheduled to release a report in the spring, a stalling tactic. In order to break the deadlock, it has turned to more aggressive public demonstrations than those necessary in the anti-sweatshop campaign.