DM TROJAN
Student newspaper of the University of Southern California
THURSDAY
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February 21, 2002
Of interest...
Trojans make a visit to Palo Alto, Calif., to face Stanford in a key Pac-10 match-up / 20
News Digest	2	Calendar	2
Opinions	4	Lifestyle	7
Third Degree 7		Classifieds	16
Crossword	17	Sports	20
vol. CVL, no. 29 www.dailytrojan.com
Speakers recount tales of hard labor
Event: Students surprised at harsh conditions and strict rules that some say Indonesian workers face in Nike manufacturing plants
BY KRISTEN BABIRACKI
Contributing Writer
As students filled the Leavey Auditorium Thursday, the room began to get stuffy, but Jim Keady, co-director of Educating for Justice said the atmosphere was just right for learning about sweatshops.
Keady, who worked in an Indonesian sweatshop for one month, said the discomfort pales in comparison to what sweatshop laborers experience.
Keady and Leslie Kretzu, codirector of EFJ, said they spent time in a Nike factory to answer two basic questions: Is working for Nike a good job? And can people live on $1.25 a day?
They realized the answer to both the questions was no.
“We shopped as the workers shopped, we ate as the workers ate and we lived as the workers lived,” Keady said.
Keady lost 25 pounds while in Indonesia and Kretzu lost 19. They often ate with worms in their rice and rotten meat. They would stand forl5 hours a day, six or seven days a week, with no bathroom breaks while working, they said.
The pair presented a mock situation to the audience and asked for a female volunteer. A girl named Jen volunteered, and they had her come up to the front of the lecture hall. They told her she was a sweatshop worker and had just begun menstruating.
"What would you do?” they asked.
I see Sweatshop, page 13 I
"We shopped as tfie workers shopped we ate as the workers ate and we lived as the workers lived'
—♦— JIM KEADY co-director Educating for Justice
Come on Over
We catch you looking at us every day — don’t be afraid to talk to the Daily Trojan. Meet us todayfrom 3 to 5p.m. / 4
r uui i loioiuun i ksanj mujui i
Taste test. Customers try smoothie samples at Boba Loca, a new tea cafe in the shopping center on the corner of 36th Place and Vermont Avenue. Employees at several stores on Vermont say students do not visit the area enough.
Vending on Vermont
Students frequent University Village but avoid other nearby stores
By AMANDA STRINDBERG
Staff Writer
University Sporting Goods is located directly across USC’s campus on Vermont Avenue and 36th Place, but only 10 percent of its customers are students.
The store has tried to advertise in USC publications, including the Daily Trojan, to obtain more student business, but it has not seemed to work.
“Somehow it is just not that easy,” said James Kang, the store’s manager. “As a joke sometimes 1 say
it’s a private school — their parents have money, not the students.”
The sporting goods store offers a 10 percent discount to students. Kang has no problem offering students this discount as long as they spread the word to their friends.
Although University Sporting Goods is cluttered with shoes of all different styles and colors, including baby blue Pumas and the latest Nike fashions, Kang still wonders if he has the products students want
“If I knew what types of items they were looking for, I’d carry them,” he said. "I see them wear Reefs, I sell Reefs. I don’t know what the actual lifestyle of students is. Maybe they spend more money on partying and eating."
Many stores on Vermont between
36th Plate and Adams Boulevard sell items that appeal to students’ lifestyles, but owners of pizzerias, video stores and convenience stores said it is difficult to attract student business. However, stores in University Village have a much higher percentage of student customers.
Marketing for University Sporting Goods is difficult because Kang must have products for Caucasians, who usually make up his student business, but he also must appeal to Latinos and African-Americans because the neighborhood is so culturally diverse, he added.
Kang said different cultures have completely different buying patterns. He said generally African-Americans buy, they save up a long time and
I see Vermont, page 13 I
If I knew what types of items they were looking for, Id carry them... I don't know what the actual lifestyle of students is."
JAMES KANG manager University Sporting Goods
Senate debate draws small crowd, wacky antics
Election: Residential, commuter and Greek student government hopefuls discuss parking and spending issues
By STEVEN JONES
Staff Writer
“Parking Problem” was the name of Sama Hunter’s petition and also the theme of a sparsely attended senatorial debate.
Student Senate candidates for Greek, residential and commuter senators focused on parking issues for the benefit of sporadic audiences Wednesday in Hahn Plaza.
By the time Hunter announced her petition, in response to a late question, the crowd had dissipated, but the candidates continued to share their ideas.
Eight candidates sat for one hour in white folding chairs on a stage in front of Tommy Trojan, while a large afternoon crowd passed through the area but rarely stopped to listen further.
Attendance reached its peak early in the debate with around 15 spectators. By the event’s conclusion, only a handful of observers were scattered in the shady area.
Esther Teo, Senates assistant elections director and debate moderator, said she was pleased with the turnout because students who walked by were exposed to the candidates’ ideas, despite the small audience.
The 2 p.m. time slot probably con-
tributed to the low turnout, said Harold Mann, Senate’s director of elections. He added that he expects a larger attendance at today’s presidential debate, to take place at noon at the same location.
Some candidates joked about the low attendance during their speeches. Others conversed with or waved at passersby, maintaining the informal ain Hunter, a commuter senator candidate, brought two small dogs onstage with her and carried one, Radar, to the microphone while speaking.
Residential senator candidate James Weston introduced himself by proclaiming, “We can get rid of the I see Debate, page 13 I ► See profiles of candidates from Senate constituencies / 10,15
Tying together. Samantha Noelle Lim, a candidate for Greek senator, said she hopes to strengthen ties between Greeks and other students if elected.