Many protesters in yesterday's "Rally for Justice" held their ground for more than three hours. In the end, they were freezing cold. They were hoarse. But they were happy.

About halfway through the rally, the protesters learned that the University had agreed to one of their demands: it would advocate full disclosure of the locations of factories that manufacture Harvard apparel.

"That's phenomenal!" yelled Elizabeth C. Vladeck '99, the rally's emcee, as she read the University press release in front of University Hall.

And when the news finally reached ralliers at 6:30 p.m. that the Faculty had voted to dismiss D. Drew Douglas, Class of 2000, rally organizers said the long hours in 30 degree weather had been worth it.

"The rally absolutely served its purpose," Vladeck said.

About 350 students joined three campus activist groups in the rally designed to protest Harvard's involvement in overseas sweatshops, to fight for higher wages for University employees and to urge the faculty to take a firmer stand on sexual assault.

The rally, organized by the Progressive Students Labor Movement (PSLM), the Coalition against Sexual Violence (CASV) and the Living Wage Campaign, was planned to coincide with the full Faculty meeting that began at 4 p.m. in University Hall.

The rally began on the steps of Memorial Church at 2:30 p.m. with a chant of "Hey Harvard, here's the word, student voices must be heard."

"We are organized, we are strong and we are determined to be heard on this campus," Vladeck announced to ralliers. She said the rally was inspired by "empty promises" from the "maze of the Harvard administration."

CASV member Brina Milikowsky '00 said Harvard does not have enough resources to handle sexual assault.

"Harvard does not take rape seriously," Milikowsky said. "The rape prevention and survivor resources lag far behind other schools."

As ralliers cheered each of her proclamations and waved signs with slogans such as "Rape Happens at Harvard," Milikowsky outlined the demands of the CASV, which include a mandatory first year outreach program dealing with sexual assault issues and a 24-hour rape crisis center.

Jeffrey D. Ballinger, a research associate at the Kennedy School and researcher on sweatshops, told the protesters they were "on the right track," but urged them to "do their homework." If students learned the specifics of sweatshops that make Harvard apparel, he said, they could more effectively fight to end their existence.

"That's the club you can beat them with," he said.

Daniel M. Hennefeld '99, a member of PSLM, took the microphone and outlined the group's demands for a strict University code of conduct against sweatshops.