Brightly colored balloons livened up the Science Center's drab exterior yesterday, as students protested against what they called Harvard's inadequate response to sweatshop regulation.
About 30 students protested Harvard's membership in the Fair Labor Association (FLA), a consortium founded by companies like Nike and L.L. Bean to monitor working conditions in foreign apparel factories.
The students, members of Harvard Students Against Sweatshops (HSAS) criticized the FLA because it is run by the companies it is meant to oversee.
"The FLA has a lot of problems," said Erik A. Beach '02, an HSAS member. "The FLA is a group run by the companies themselves, and they have a cursory style of monitoring."
Instead, HSAS asked Harvard to join the Worker's Rights Consortium (WRC), an independent group run by labor and human rights organizations.
The rally began outside of the Science Center where HSAS members asked passersby to sign balloons urging Harvard to leave the FLA and improve the monitoring of the factories that produce Harvard apparel.
Protestors hawked their balloons among the chaotic mix of students rushing to class and the vociferous vendors of Yale-bashing T-shirts.
"I wanted to help out a cause which I know people I trust are involved in," said Joshua E. Goldston '01, one of the about 150 people to sign a balloon.
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