Northeastern truly espoused its role as a global university last month when it announced it was cutting ties with Adidas over the athletic apparel company’s role in workers’ rights violations overseas. By doing so, the university proved that its global reach is not limited to academics, but includes Northeastern’s values as well. This was a commendable decision that should not be overlooked, and neither should the painstaking work of the Progressive Student Alliance (PSA) for bringing this issue to – and keeping it in – the administration’s attention.
The decision was a response to allegations that Adidas failed to uphold its obligation to help compensate a total of $3.4 million to 2,686 employees that the Indonesian textile factory PT Kizone owed them when it closed in April 2011. According to a report by by the Worker Rights Consortium, with which Northeastern is affiliated, the factory produced goods for Nike and the Dallas Cowboys, both of which helped make up for the lost compensation, and Adidas, which did not.
According to Northeastern’s mission statement, it is the university’s vision that the school should be “a positive force for change in both our local society and our global community,” and should “dynamically participate in addressing problems in our urban environment, in our region and across the globe.” Vocalizing to Adidas that its “inadequate response … falls far short of the university’s expectations of its licensees” as Thomas Nedell, Northeastern’s chief financial officer wrote in a March 27 letter to Adidas, shows a commitment by the administration to live up to the university’s ideals, and seek to make a real difference in the world.
Northeastern showed not only its global reach, but also its global leadership. President Joseph E. Aoun stated earlier this semester that Northeastern should be “a model for society.” As Northeastern was only the ninth of 180 Worker Rights Consortium affiliate schools to take such action, the university showed true moral leadership by doing so.
The PSA also deserves commendation for its leadership, persistence and hard work in the name of justice. After the Worker Rights Consortium report was released in January 2012, the PSA began lobbying the administration to cut ties with the company over its failure to compensate the PT Kizone employees. PSA members wrote letters to Aoun and The News, and were able to meet with administrators earlier this semester to voice their concerns.
Such actions have shown that the PSA is a true embodiment of what student groups at Northeastern should be. A community is only as good as those who make up it, and the PSA has shown that it is a true leader in promoting the universal values of the Northeastern community. If every student group were to work as tirelessly toward their sense of justice as the PSA has over the past year, the possible contributions would be limitless.
Hopefully Northeastern’s leadership on this issue will inspire other schools to follow suit. If enough schools disaffiliate with Adidas, the costs of the company’s inactions will eventually outweigh the benefits and it will have to reconsider. When that day comes, Northeastern students should take pride in the role their school played, and members of the PSA should not belittle their own contributions.
