Memorandum

Date: December 1, 2000

To: Jesse Rosenblum, Associate Vice President, College

Relations

From: Kristen Hodskins

Subject: Trenton Junior Golf Program Recommendation

The College of New Jersey is considering hosting the

Trenton Junior Golf Tournament and cosponsoring the

event with Nike. If the college accepts the

sponsorship of Nike, PGA golf pro Tiger Woods would

make an appearance at the tournament.

The involvement of Nike and Tiger Woods in the golf

tournament raises an important issue that may be in

conflict with the college’s mission statement.

<b>What is the purpose of the tournament?</b>

The Trenton Junior Golf Program involves the children

of Trenton in an extracurricular activity that has

proven to help promote self-confidence and community

involvement among Trenton’s youth who participate in

the program. The program is free to Trenton children

who enroll. All classes and equipment are free to the

children for their use and enjoyment. Volunteers in

the community make the program possible by giving time

and money to teach Trenton kids the sport of golf.

<b>What are the benefits of tournament?</b>

The college’s involvement in the program would

strengthen ties between the college and the city of

Trenton. The college has this opportunity to serve and

improve the community. Offering this support of

Trenton’s children will reflect well on the college on

a local level. With the sponsorship of Nike, the

Trenton Golf Tournament and The College of New Jersey

could receive national recognition.

Since the name of the college was changed from Trenton

State College to The College of New Jersey some have

thought the college intended to remove all association

of itself with the city of Trenton. While this was not

the intention of the college, many perceived it to be.

The college’s involvement in a program like the Junior

Golf Tournament, which so obviously works to the

betterment of the community, would reflect the

college’s sentiment of care and concern for the

surrounding community.

The Collegebound program is proof of current

involvement in the improvement of the local community.

The Collegebound program introduces high school

students to college life and the opportunities

available to a person with higher education. This

program has welcomed many Trenton kids into the program

and into the college, and the participants have gone on

the get degrees in highly technical fields.

The Junior Golf Tournament works in a similar way. It

gets kids involved in a program and gets them off the

streets and out of trouble. With the teaching and

encouragement of volunteers for the program, the kids

gain the confidence and motivation required to get them

into successful situations that improve their lives.

<b>Does the golf tournament coincide with the college’s

mission statement?</b>

The college’s Mission Statement says: "The College, in

both its liberal arts and professional programs,

prepares individuals to lead and serve in their chosen

fields and to preserve and transmit knowledge, skills,

and wisdom to benefit the people of New Jersey, the

nation, and the world." The Junior Golf Program

prepares children to become individuals, teaches them

to lead and shows them how to serve others. The

program immediately affects the people of New Jersey,

specifically Trenton, and indirectly influences the

nation and the world by preparing these children to go

into the world with greater confidence to improve it.

<b>What are the issues involved with Nike and Tiger

Woods?</b>

As possible cosponsors of the tournament, the college

raises questions about Nike’s ethics regarding

production labor. Nike seems to be in the practice of

using sweatshops in foreign countries to make its

products.

Lately, the college has expressed its opposition to

sweat shops and is concerned about Nike’s involvement

with both the sweatshops and the golf tournament.

Nike has recently made statements regarding the use of

sweatshops. It made changes in its standards for

laborers. Nike has raised the age minimum for people

permitted to work in the footwear and apparel

factories. Wages have been increased over 70 percent

for entry-level positions in footwear. Workers are

provided housing, transportation, and health-care

benefits.

The fact that Nike has to state improvements like these

is reason alone to question the ethics of Nike’s use of

labor.

<b>What are the concerns of those in opposition?</b>

A group of students at the college are strictly opposed

to cosponsoring the Junior Golf Tournament with Nike

and to having Tiger Woods appear because of Nike’s use

of sweatshops for labor. It is unknown what number of

students is opposed to the Nike sponsorship or how

intent the students may be on creating bad publicity

for the event. The concerns of the campus community

should be considered if not addressed regarding the

issues of sweatshops and the golf tournament.

<b>What is the recommendation?</b>

The college should further investigate Nike’s use of

sweatshops and the campus sentiment toward it. Without

the corporate sponsorship from Nike, the golf

tournament will not be able to take place. The funding

needed to make the tournament great can only be

provided through a large corporate sponsor and the

college should take the opportunity to greatly

influence the youth of Trenton through co-sponsorship

of the Trenton Junior Golf Tournament.