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© 2003-4. All Rights Reserved
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Jen O'Bryan's 12/1 memo Memorandum
To: Jesse Rosenblum, Associate Vice President, College Relations From: Jennifer O'Bryan, Adviser to College Relations
Re: Nike-sponsored golf camp at TCNJ
The TJG summer camp provides an opportunity for inner-city youths to challenge themselves and work toward goals. I am familiar with the program because the daughter of a former co-worker has been enrolled in it for nearly two years. It's helped her tremendously because she's able spend a few hours away from the mean streets of her Trenton neighborhood, and she's learned that if she sets goals for herself, she can achieve them. Her self-esteem has risen considerably, and she's doing much better in school. She has hope; she knows that there is something else out there. And if she - and other inner-city kids - attend this summer camp, they might enroll in Collegebound. Collegebound is "designed to identify, motivate and prepare underserved junior high and high school students from high distress municipalities and school districts throughout New Jersey for gaining college enrollment and completing academic programs which lead to career fields in computer science, engineering, mathematics, science and technological studies." Hosting the summer camp would probably benefit this program. There is the possibility that Nike might provide scholarships for the program or donate money to it. This would allow more inner-city students to experience college life and view alternative life paths. There is controversy over Nike's use of sweatshop labor in foreign countries, and TCNJ's chapter of Amnesty International is part of the No-Sweat campaign, which is dedicated to protesting against companies that use sweatshops. Nike's sponsorship might spur action from this group, but as the golf camp takes place during the summer break, it's unlikely that it or the alumni weekend will be interrupted by protests. It would be wonderful if TCNJ could take a stand on this issue that pleases everyone, but it's impossible. It could be the topic of a Utilitarian horror movie - what happens when two groups of impoverished, overlooked people are used as pawns in the game of activism? Who would benefit the most? Who would receive the most happiness? Who will reign supreme? The negatives in not hosting this summer camp are numerous, and simply looking at the possible reaction of the local community shows what a public relations nightmare it could be. We must take into account the political atmosphere of the local area. By and large, Mercer County is a working class county. Residents are concerned with issues that affect them and/or their families, and it's unlikely that any of them have given serious thought to the issue of sweatshops. They're too busy with their own lives to have the luxury of concerning themselves with global issues that, for the most part, don't directly impact them. However, most would agree that local issues are important -- taxes, quality of the education system, road repairs, etc. Helping impoverished youths -- many of whom already have several socio-economic strikes against them -- is an issue that local residents would likely support. Educated youths who learn to challenge themselves generally become productive members of society. In Trenton -- the city whose young residents would benefit most from the program -- a 1997 NJ Department of Education reports that only 38 percent of students go on to attain advanced degrees, and the passing rate for the HSPT is only 28.1 percent. These are depressing statistics, and youths who don't have access to the opportunities afforded to the stereotypical anti-sweatshop activist often become lost in the system. They're our teen parents, drug addicts, alcoholics and criminals. They haven't been given a chance, and what kind of publicity would TCNJ generate if it declines Nike's invitation? When local residents learn that Mercer County's shining star of higher learning is turning its back on local children because administrators want to take a principled stand to appease a small group of students, it could seriously impact TCNJ's standing in the local community. Changing TCNJ's name caused some to view administrators as taking an elitist position, and refusing to host the golf camp could be the final nail in the coffin. Many local residents are themselves (metaphorical) slaves to corporations, and they see nothing wrong with this. Could the average Mercer County resident fully grasp why the working conditions of poor foreign workers in a "far away land" should take precedence over poor local children? I doubt it. And what happens when - not if - the local papers learn that TCNJ has refused to host the program? The Trentonian has a serious conservative leaning, and the writers love to skewer sacred cows, particularly those of "academic elitists." A sarcastic headline in bold letters will run on the front page, snarky editorials will be written, and callers to Backtalk will complain that their tax dollars are being wasted on "ungrateful brats." The Trenton Times is more liberal, but the editorial stance seems to fall under the Libertarian category. The paper might not favorably view a decision that seems to fly in the face of TCNJ's mission statement, which claims to want to attract and retrain a "diverse" group of students. What might hurt TCNJ the most if it doesn't host this program is that businesses that hire our students for employment or internships might be hesitant to do so in the future. Showing an anti-business bias could hurt TCNJ's relationship with local companies. They might not participate in Job Days or actively recruit on campus. If TCNJ's refusal spurs negative publicity, this could also cause companies to pull back from their involvement with TCNJ. Why would they want to be involved with a campus that is under fire? Again, in an ideal world, all people would earn wages that allow them to live above the poverty line, and all people would have their hard work respected by their governments and employers. But for this issue, it's neither here nor there if TCNJ has a moral obligation to join the battle to help foreign sweatshop laborers. What matters is that the potential damage to TCNJ's reputation is great if it opts not to host the golf camp - damage far greater than a handful of TCNJ students upset at the administration for not heeding their demands.
Jennifer O'Bryan
cc: K. Pearson |