CSU souvenirs tie back to Chinese sweatshop

Over at Colorado Confidential, occasional Chronicle contributor Erin Rosa writes that Colorado State University is getting souvenir medallions made in a Chinese sweatshop, according to a report by the National Labor Committee, a human-rights advocacy group. CSU isn't the only major university named in the report; others include the University of Michigan, Rutgers and University of Montana. Perhaps even more disheartening is that the factory also makes medallions and pins for the U.S. Army and Navy and St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.

The CSU licensing standards include a manufacturer's code of conduct that details conditions against "forced labor" and for "fair wages," neither of which seem to be met in this case, as detailed in the NLC report. According to Rosa, CSU spokesperson Jennifer Dimas says that "we are very concerned, and we are looking into it."