Faculty members are calling on administration to stop sourcing Ryerson-branded clothing from American Apparel for what they said were the company’s sexist ads.
As reported by The Ryersonian on Wednesday, professors voiced their concerns after faculty representatives at the Ontario Universities Fair were asked to wear American Apparel T-shirts with Ryerson’s logo while promoting the school.
We asked Ryerson students what they think about when buying clothes.
Soeun Outh, manager of student recruitment, said a brief statement the OUF T-shirts were bought through The Campus Store, which sells most Ryerson-branded merchandise (Rams hooded sweatshirts, mugs, backpacks, etc.)
“We take comments and concerns from faculty members seriously,” she added.
The Campus Store’s manager said T-shirts were a “special order” by the department of Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment, which selected the “product, style and colour.”
“The Campus Store has a code of conduct and is a member of Fair Labour Association and Workers Rights Consortium,” she added.
The two watchdog groups champion workers’ rights around the world.
Abraham did not say if the store takes a company’s advertising into account when making purchasing decisions.
Sidney was a news editor for the Ryersonian.
She completed her Masters of Journalism at Ryerson University in 2015.