To: Jesse Rosenblum, Office of College Relations

From: Chris Hermosilla, Advisor to College Relations

CC: R. Barbara Gitenstein, Walter Chambers

Re: Nike-sponsored Summer Golf Camp

It has come to my attention that Mayor Palmer of Trenton has proposed that the College host a summer golf camp sponsored by Nike, the athletic shoe and clothing company. However, several different agencies have verified that Nike uses "sweatshops"— unethical, cheap third-world labor—to manufacture their products. Although the golf clinic is a goodwill effort and stands to benefit both area citizens and the College, as your advisor I must recommend that you reject this event on the basis of ethical, professional conduct.

The College’s mission statement places emphasis on the pursuit of two major goals: knowledge and human understanding. According to one of the task force reports from the Planning and Priorities Council, various stakeholders (including students, faculty and staff of the College) have come to acknowledge the College’s academic reputation, but "what has not translated as clearly…is how the College prioritizes among its stakeholders and what beyond the academic life of the College is valued" (information on the council is located at http://www.tcnj.edu/~planning). In other words, while most stakeholders have come to realize that the College pursues knowledge, not as many understand how the College pursues human understanding.

Stakeholders may confuse the College’s priorities, for example, if the College places its financial safety over the concerns of its students. The College’s conduct is under particular scrutiny in light of recent student actions against companies using sweatshop labor. If the College ignored such actions and accepted the Nike sponsorship with no qualms, the students would feel as if the College was overlooking their concerns, "selling out" for the sake of exposure. On the other hand, if the College took a stand and refused to assist the summer camp on grounds of morality, the students will realize the College is listening to what they want and thus place more truth and faith in the administration.

As associate vice president of college relations, it’s important for you to consider the ramifications of all of the College’s options. Hosting the summer camp can be seen as a chance for the College to highlight its emphasis on community service, but taking a professional stance on human rights issues is also a chance to teach community-minded values. In the same vein, the publicity that the College would receive from sponsoring this event can also be found by refusing the offer on the basis of human rights.

Another important point is that the proposed athletic camp is not based on academics; that is, it is a periphery function of the College. If we did host the clinic then the College would enjoy an added sense of philanthropy, but passing on the opportunity with good reason would not heavily detract from the College’s reputation as a place of learning and, when handled correctly, would also strongly support the College’s mission of human understanding and diversity.

Our handling of the refusal need not be a radical, over-the-top demonstration, but our public relations strategy is important so that that all of the stakeholders know exactly why the College denied the project, particularly alumni and Trenton residents. Many graduates believe Trenton State College’s name was changed because administrators wanted to distance the College from the city of Trenton, and an outright rejection of this Trenton-based community project may reduce our relations with these stakeholders even further.

In announcing that the College will not be hosting the golf clinic, we must press to the forefront how we came to our decision and shift focus from the golf clinic to the college’s sense of ethical responsibility. Hearing that the College refused to host an athletic summer camp for area children is negative, but hearing that the College refused because of the unethical work practices of the camp’s corporate sponsor is positive. This also ties in to the renouncing of financial relationships with all companies that use sweatshop labor, which is another matter entirely.

To conclude, I call your attention again to the findings of the task force from the Planning and Priorities Council: stakeholders are unsure about "what beyond the academic life of the College is valued." College as a whole is meant for a place of learning—and learning extends beyond pure academics. Taking a stance against the Nike sponsorship will prove the College as a professional and ethically minded institution that pursues not only knowledge, but also human understanding.