On Wednesday we reported that thirteen campuses had cancelled contracts with clothing maker Russell Athletic in response to labor abuses at the company. As of today, that number has risen to nineteen.

When we passed on word that the University of Minnesota had dropped RA, we were under the impression that the action had been taken by Minnesota’s flagship Twin Cities campus alone. As it turns out, the entire U of M system — Twin Cities, Duluth, Morris, Crookston, and Rochester — have disaffiliated, and shortly after Minnesota acted, Harvard followed suit.

Finally, on Friday, NYU became the nineteenth campus to drop RA. 

NYU’s decision, in the works since early February, would seem to represent a missed opportunity for the activist group Take Back NYU. Had they called for a break with RA as part of their sit-in demands last week, they would have linked their action to a student-led campus movement that is gaining momentum across the United States, and — as it turns out — have been able to point to Friday’s decision as a victory of sorts.

March 19 Update: The total now stands at 21 campuses, and you can find an update on recent organizing here.

May 1 Update: FIFTY-SEVEN campuses. Wow!