UW to review proposed code of conduct for licensees

UW–Madison will hold a public forum Thursday (Dec. 10) on a proposed code of conduct designed to address the working conditions under which university apparel and merchandise is produced.

The forum will run from 8-10 p.m. in Tripp Commons at Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St. Copies of the code will be available at the forum. The code also can be reviewed on the Internet.

A second public forum will be held early in the spring semester, but a date has not been set.

“We are very interested in receiving feedback from the campus community and the public about the proposed code,” says Casey Nagy, executive assistant to Provost John Wiley. Some students have expressed concern about the level of student participation in drafting the proposed code, and Nagy specifically encourages them to attend the forum.

The code of conduct proposes standards for working conditions, employment, compliance, disclosure and corrective action. Released last week, the code was developed by a task force of 14 concerned universities, including UW–Madison, that contract with The Collegiate Licensing Company. The CLC oversees the use of trademarks on clothing and other items for more than 170 universities.

Nagy, a task force participant, says the task force’s goal was to create a code that could be supported by CLC-member institutions and ultimately by colleges and universities nationwide.

CLC institutions have until Feb. 1, 1999, to comment on or endorse the code. The task force will reconvene after Feb. 1 to review suggested changes. For more information, contact Nagy at cnagy@mail.bascom.wisc.edu.