The University should pressure companies to monitor the origin of their raw materials to avoid purchasing "conflict minerals," said Ali Wolfson '12, a member of the anti-genocide student group STAND, during community time at the general body meeting of the Undergraduate Council of Students Wednesday night.
Since 1994, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been "the site of the deadliest conflict since World War II," Wolfson said. Violence erupted after the militia responsible for the Rwandan genocide spilled over the border. These militia groups now control the majority of mines in the Congo, essentially using Congolese citizens as "slave labor" to make a profit, said group member Elizabeth Karin '13. Companies use these natural resources in electronic devices such as iPods, computers and cellphones.
In the short term, STAND seeks to gain student and administrative support in urging companies to monitor the origin of resources. While the recent Wall Street reform bill encouraged these measures, the reforms "lack teeth," Karin said.
From its position of purchasing power, Brown has a social responsibility to make sure it does not support these purchases, Wolfson said.
Also at the meeting, Chris Collins '11, chair of the council's Admissions and Student Services Committee, said the committee met with the Residential Council to discuss installing LaundryView into dorm machines. LaundryView connects machines to the Internet, providing information about which machines are occupied. "Funding is going to be the roadblock," he said, though the council seemed enthusiastic about looking into it further.
The Committee on Campus Life recently spoke with SafeRide representatives to discuss improvements to the system including potential reverse routes and adding more specific maps on the signs or online, said committee chair David Rattner '13. He also said the committee is working to move the Farmers Market normally on Wriston Quad to the Kasper Multipurpose Room in Faunce House during the winter months.
The Council also appointed Ana Olson '14 to the Energy and Environmental Advisory Committee.
