Purdue students hunger strike now in 19th day

Student activism is alive and well, even if under-reported by the mainstream media.

Purdue University students are entering their 19th day on hunger strike to get their university to adopt the Designated Supplier Program, a program to allow colleges and universities to purchase clothing from socially responsible factories instead of sweatshops.

The Purdue hunger strikers and their allies are asking people to sign the online petition: www.purduehungerstrike.org, and learn out more about it here.

Students at Purdue are meeting with the university administration on Wednesday.

Here is an article from the Indianapolis Star about the hunger strike.

More than 20 colleges and universities--including the University of California system, Duke, Indiana, Wisconsin, Georgetown, Connecticut,Syracuse and Columbia--have already agreed to support the Designated Supplier Program. Articles that describe the program can be found here and here.

For more about the anti-sweatshop movement, check out the websites for United Students Against Sweatshops and the affiliated watchdog/monitoring group, Workers Rights Consortium.