University of Arizona seals $7 million Nike deal ■ The agreement allows the school to inspect the company’s factories. Arizona Daily Wildcat University of Arizona TUCSON, Ariz. (U-Wire) - After more than a year of tug of war between UA human rights advocates and Nike, the university emerged Monday with a $7 million deal and the power to call for inspection of Nike factories. In exchange for outfitting 14 of the University of Arizona’s athletic teams with the “swoosh” for five years, Nike will shell out $1.4 mil Uon a year for the same length of time. The UA made the deal public about two weeks after the contract was formally signed Aug. 17. “In the scheme of tilings, it ($7 million) is a very moderate number,” UA President Peter Likins said. “The primarily operational significance is that it spreads the benefit among all 14 sports.” The UA also will receive 8.5 per cent of retail sales through the Collegiate Licensing Co., which markets UA apparel with Nike logos. Beyond money matters, the con tract includes humanitarian stipula tions. The shoe and apparel manufac turer created a code of conduct in 1994 after allegations of human rights violations in overseas factories surfaced. Likins met in April with Nike Chief Executive Officer Philip Knight to request an out-clause in the pending contract, enabling the school to void the deal if Nike “knowingly violates its code of con duct or overlooks human-rights vio lations made by subcontractors.” “I think we’ve gone a little bit fur ther than we did when we talked to Philip Knight,” Likins said. In the code, updated in May, Nike pledges that it will not use forced labor or child labor. Under the code, workers are entitled to benefits man dated by local laws, including sick leave and minimum wage. Included in the final contract is a clause permitting the UA to call for an independent investigation of con duct overseas. The contract states that the UA can void the agreement if there is a “material breach” of the code, as determined by a “mutually agreeable independent monitor.” The UA can call for an indepen dent investigation if wrongdoing is suspected. The contract does not state whether the UA or Nike would pay for such an investigation. Arne Ekstrom, a neurosciences graduate student and head of Students Against Sweatshops, said he was happy to hear there was an independent monitoring clause in the contract but was not entirely con vinced it would be enforced. “We feel that most of what the administration has done is empty,” Ekstrom said. “1 don’t think that most of the dialogue we have had was effective by any means.” He said the contract was signed mainly for monetary gam, adding the athletic department had “absolutely no interest in human rights issues.” Nike spokesman Dave Mingey said student concerns are taken seri ously at the athletic apparel compa ny. “It is very important for us to be the leader in fair and safe labor prac tices,” he said. “We are very con cerned about the students’ concerns.” < *3Cv.- r* ■-> V'