Richard L. Byyny, chancellor of the University of Colorado at Boulder, agreed today to meet on Wednesday with students concerned about the campus聮 licensing policies.
Byyny sent the students a document to guide the discussion, which he said he hopes will be both civil and productive. The issues the chancellor wishes to cover are principles in licensing that relate to human rights and human dignity, the development of a campus licensing advisory board to guide and evaluate compliance, and campus opportunities for education and airing of the issues.
Byyny聮s action was in response to information provided to him by the student organization WAAKE-UP (World Awareness and Action Coalition of Equal United Progressives), which asked that a code of conduct be adopted to ensure that makers of collegiate apparel adhere to acceptable labor practices. The university licenses companies to use the CU trademarked logos on sweatshirts, T-shirts, and other collegiate apparel.
"I believe that the students involved in WAAKE-UP and the university share concerns about human rights," Byyny said. "We聮re willing to work with the students to determine how we can be responsible in assuring that our licensees meet the standards we agree upon, and how we stimulate discourse on campus about the issues."
Byyny said that current policy requires licensees to meet all standards maintained by any governmental authority, and to allow university representatives to enter their premises at any time.
The University of Colorado Board of Regents operates under an "Institutional Neutrality" policy, adopted in l996, which states that it remains neutral in social and political matters as a fundamental premise of academic freedom.
Exceptions can be made when the Board determines that the issue directly affects the university, is detrimental to the achievement of the university聮s mission and purposes, threatens academic freedom, and/or is in the best interest of the institution.