On Saturday, students at York University finally went home. It wasn't an exam or a lecture that kept them there after-hours, but a protest to bring sweatshop-free clothing to the school.
M
embers of the York Sustainable Purchasing Coalition and their supporters had been waiting since Thursday to meet with the university president, Mamdouh Shoukri.
The Coalition said in a press release they'd actually been waiting three years for the school to implement a "no-sweat" policy. It would guarantee that all clothing sold on campus would be produced using ethical standards.
Coalition members and their supporters held a rally Thursday, and garnered 1000 signatures on a pledge that supported the idea. Immediately after, students attempted to meet with York University President Mamdouh Shoukri and present him with a petition.
At the time, Shoukri wasn't able to meet with them. So the students stayed. And stayed, and stayed, and 45 hours later, met with the president.
He immediately pledged to implement a "no-sweat" policy by April.
"We are exhausted but pleased with this commitment," Terrance Luscombe, a York University student and member of the Sustainable Purchasing Coalition, said in a press release. "York students don't want our university to condone the use of sweatshop labour and we don't understand why it took so long for university administrators to join the 21st Century and make this simple commitment."
A second meeting between representatives of the Sustainable Purchasing Coalition and the president of York University will take place on Monday.