Saint Louis University is following in the footsteps of colleges across the country by demanding an end to sweatshop labor through the student organization United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS).

Last Wednesday at its final meeting of the year, Student Government Association passed a resolution to support a bill to accept an apparel code of conduct.

Members of Amnesty International who were concerned about the sweatshop issue wanted to start an USAS chapter. Mark Littlefield, a sophomore member of Amnesty International, contacted USAS, and a chapter soon appeared on SLU’s campus.

The university is waiting for administrative approval. Instead of simply taking the bill to Father Biondi, USAS wanted to have student support of the bill.

SLU’s bookstore sells clothes that are made in countries notorious for sweatshop conditions.

If President Biondi signs the code of conduct, SLU will no longer sell apparel with a Saint Louis University logo or name which has been made in a sweatshop.

The code is similar to other colleges who have adopted such propositions. Other schools that are already boasting a no-sweatshop rule include Notre Dame and the entire state California school system, which adopted one of the strictest codes yet.

SLU’s code is unique because it includes the specification that the university use the Worker’s Right Consortium (WRC) as opposed to the Fair Labor Association (FLA) which many other schools use. The FLA is sponsored by companies that use sweatshop labor and is accused of corruption.

The WRC researches whether certain companies have sweatshop conditions and reports this information to the university.

“This could be huge if it passes,” said freshman Caroline Gutting, member of United Students Against Sweatshops. “It’s in accord with our mission statement; it’s just the right thing to do.”

Lea Compton, School of Social Services graduate student and member of USAS presented the bill to SGA.

Two years ago, the student anti-sweatshop movement consisted of only a handful of students from who didn’t want clothing from their schools, such as Duke, Georgetown and Harvard, to be made in sweatshops.

Currently, more than 100 schools have chapters of USAS, joining in a national coalition to fight labor abuse.