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SAS president appointed to task force

Lydia Lester first undergraduate on labor rights committee

The UA Faculty Senate's Task Force for Monitoring Labor and Human Rights Issues got their first undergraduate representative yesterday.

The Senate executive committee picked Students Against Sweatshops president and spokeswoman Lydia Lester to replace Ari Anand, a comparative cultural studies graduate student who stepped down from the position in early March because of time constraints.

SAS nominated two members, Lester - a linguistics sophomore - and psychology graduate Rachel Wilson for the position.

Vice Chair of the Faculty Larry Schooley said Lester and Wilson submitted brief statements on their qualifications and interests, and they are both "well-qualified."

"In the end, it was because Lydia was an undergraduate that made the final decision," he said.

The task force is made up of five students, five faculty and one community member. All of the other students are graduate students.

"I think it's very important to have an undergraduate," said Faculty Chair Jerry Hogle. "This undergraduate student on the task force has been very involved with Student Against Sweatshops, and that's appropriate."

Lester said the monthly task force meetings are worth her time.

"I'm glad I'm going to get the opportunity to be on it and hopefully make a difference in what the task force is doing," she said. "It's important that we have a group that can advise Likins on labor and sweatshops."