Students concerned about sweatshop manufacturing of University of Colorado-Boulder apparel dominated yesterday's open forum with CU Interim President Hank Brown, who told them the final decision on their demands was not his, but the CU-Boulder chancellor's.
"This man is going to be president of our university. It's time to ask him some questions," CU student Virginia Cutshall yelled through a megaphone in front of the Eaton Humanities Building before the open forum began.
"Yeah, like when do we get to eat again?" yelled graduate student Tim Hillman in response.
Hillman, Cutshall and ten others Monday were on Day 12 of a hunger strike aimed at pressuring CU to adopt the Designated Suppliers Program (DSP), a protocol that would guarantee that a fraction of CU apparel was manufactured in factories that provide workers with a living wage and democratic labor representation.
At the forum, students questioned Brown about how he intended to support the hunger strikers and whether he would encourage CU to adopt the DSP.
Brown replied that decisions surrounding the DSP lay in the hands of the chancellor, not the president.
"We have talked to the chancellor to make sure he is available to you," said Brown. "If the question is, am I going to supercede the chancellor, the answer is no."
His responses centered on the theme of streamlining university management by more specifically delineating roles and responsibilities.
"You give them (CU officials) the ability to carry out their job, not second-guess them," Brown said. "What you're trying to do is build a system that gives them that responsibility on all levels."
When questioned about whether or not he was willing to re-instate Adrienne Anderson, an environmental studies professor whose contract was not renewed after she questioned the dumping practices of large companies, Brown's answer fell along the same lines.
"The president does not do the hiring of faculty members for departments," said Brown. "I think the time would be better spent if we got you together with the people who make the decisions in this area."
Brown also recently proposed shifting the powers of the regents and chancellors.
Students repeatedly argued that their talks with the chancellor had reached a stalemate.
"We talk to the chancellor and get ignored," said student Hadley Brown. "How do you mediate this?"
"The fact that people make decisions you don't like doesn't mean you're not heard," replied Hank Brown. "It just means you don't agree."
Students also argued that CU apparel represents the entire university system, not just the Boulder campus.
"It's not just a campus issue under the leadership of (CU-Boulder Chancellor) Phil DiStefano, it's a system-wide issue," said CU student Clayton Barker.
"The decision that is made on this (the Boulder) campus concerning apparel licensing is for the entire CU system," said Hillman after the forum.
The forum was part of an opportunity for campus and community members to question and evaluate Brown, the lone finalist for a permanent position as CU president.
CU regent Pete Steinhauer and presidential search committee representative Marsha Piccone also attended the meeting.
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