Real Patriots Will Respect DissentersUNC No. 1 in Licensing Revenue Received

By Krista Faron and Nikki Werking
Staff Writers

UNC earned the position of No. 1 in licensing revenue among 175 schools for 2000, according to a report presented at Thursday's Board of Trustees meeting.

The report prompted BOT chairman Tim Burnett to say that student groups protesting labor practices in factories where products bearing UNC's logo are made should consider the benefits licensing revenue provides the University.

A large percentage of the revenue goes to scholarships available to all students.

Director of Auxiliary Services Rut Tufts said the University made nearly $3 million from royalties this year -- a $1 million increase from the normal annual revenue. Tufts said UNC's logo might have become more fashionable this year because of rappers like Petey Pablo. "Rappers on MTV have a greater effect than the athletic teams," Tufts said.

Twenty-five percent of licensing revenue garnered by the Collegiate Licensing Company is reserved for general athletic operations funds.

Seventy-five percent is devoted to scholarships open to all students. Following the report at Thursday's meeting, Burnett said student labor rights groups, such as Students for Economic Justice, should be concerned with the benefits these revenues bring UNC.

"We read a lot in The Daily Tar Heel about students' legitimate concern, but they need the whole picture, and the whole picture includes that (licensing revenue) is to their benefit," Burnett said.

Student Body President Justin Young said he does not plan to speak to SEJ about Burnett's remark, but he did emphasize the importance of labor rights in licensing contracts. But Young said Burnett's comment was irrelevant to the report. "Licensing and commercialization of the UNC logo are one thing; fair labor is a different story," he said.

SEJ members have held numerous protests in recent years, expressing their disapproval for UNC's licensing and contractual relationships with Nike, one of CLC's leading licensees.

Burnett later said he respects the opinions of student labor groups but that they should be aware of divergent viewpoints. "I think there are two sides to a coin," he said. "They need to realize the other side of the coin, which is the revenue this brings to the University."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.