HSAS Delivers Cookies, Carols

A handful of Harvard Students Against Sweatshops (HSAS) members braved blustering winds and Holyoke Center guards yesterday in a series of unannounced holiday-themed visits to University administrators.

Student protesters delivered frosted cookies and cards to Mass. Hall, to Holyoke Center and to Loeb House--where the Harvard Corporation meets--to protest Harvard's membership in the Fair Labor Association (FLA), a consortium founded by companies like Nike to monitors working conditions in foreign apparel factories.

HSAS members criticize FLA because it includes representation on its governing board from the companies it is intends to supervise.

HSAS urges Harvard, instead, to join the Workers Rights Consortium (WRC), a group run by labor and human rights organizations.

Yesterday's demonstration was relatively low-key.

"It wasn't supposed to be a huge action, just something fun for the holidays," said HSAS member Benjamin M. Stoll '03.

HSAS met early yesterday morning to begin decorating 12 dozen cookies with "WRC" in red, green and white frosting.

They stood outside the Science Center throughout the morning, asking passers-by to sign holiday cards that urged Harvard to improve monitoring of the factories that produce Harvard apparel.

The cards--large pieces of oak tag to be delivered to administrators--read "The Holidays Are a Time for Compassion: Show Some Compassion, Join the Workers Rights Consortium."

Approximately 40 students signed each of the three cards throughout the course of the morning.

After about three hours of urging students to sign the cards--interrupted by gusting winds--10 HSAS members set off for Mass Hall, carrying plates of cookies and singing anti-sweatshop renditions of Christmas carols.

Despite increased security over recent months, the student demonstrators were allowed inside Mass. Hall. Once inside, they left their cookies with secretary Janice Braxton and proceeded to sing "Workers' Wonderland," a carol to the tune of "Winter Wonderland."

The carol included lines like "Hey, Neil, are you listening?/There are things that need fixing," and "Clear the Harvard name/Of exploitation and shame/We can build a workers' wonderland."

Braxton did not allow the students beyond the foyer.

When one student moved to walk down the hall toward the administrative offices, Braxton said, "I'm trying to be polite with you, I'd like you to return in kind."

Paul S. Grogan, Harvard's vice president for government, community and public affairs, heard the protesting carolers as he was passing through.

He seemed amused by the holiday cheer and said the students were not disruptive.

"They all stayed here in the foyer," Grogan said. "Everything seems to be in order. They didn't take any poinsettias, and they left cookies."

From Mass. Hall, HSAS members caroled through Harvard Yard and into University Attorney Allan A. Ryan Jr.'s office in the Holyoke Center. Ryan is the University's point person on labor negotiations.

They delivered another plateful of WRC-frosted cookies to an amused Al J. Sarina, part-time General Counsel employee.

He responded to the carols--titled "Away in a Sweatshop" and "God Rest Ye Weary Laborers"--with a smile.

"It was quite nice," Sarina said. "The music was nice."

Ryan was away from his office during HSAS's visit. He contacted HSAS member Benjamin L. McKean '02 later in a light-hearted e-mail message.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here when the HSAS A Capella Choir came by," Ryan wrote. "The office reviews were great, but then again we have a somewhat musically challenged staff."

Although General Counsel members seemed unfazed by the protesters, Holyoke Center guards--employed by SpectaGuard--met the HSAS members as they left the office.

The guards say they responded to a call alerting them to protesters in the building.

"We support what you're doing," one guard apologetically told the HSAS members as he asked them to leave, "But we question whether it's appropriate to do it here. We have to do our job as well."

From Holyoke Center, the small crowd proceeded with their last holiday card and plateful of cookies to Loeb House, the site of the shareholder responsibility committee's offices.

They were allowed in after simply ringing the doorbell.

The students walked up two floors of the winding, red-carpeted staircase before they began caroling to Marten N.H. Liander, the associate secretary to the University.

Liander listened to two carols replete with anti-sweatshop slogans, including "Wendy the Sweatshop Worker."

The song closes with the lines: "If you care about those workers/Oh Fair Harvard don't you see?/Just pay $6,000 dollars/And Join the WRC."

While the students sang, Loeb House employees quietly peered over the railing of the spiral staircase to watch.

After two carols, Liander ushered out the students. He declined to comment for this story.

"We'll take these," he said, holding the card and frosted cookies. "It's time to leave now, folks."

After being escorted out of Loeb House, Stoll said he thought the light-hearted protest was a success.

"Our objective here was not to be rude or obtrusive, but to subtly get our message across," he said, "and to make the administration understand that we are a presence on campus and we're not going away."