Bobcat Essentials Bookstore inside Baker University Center should set a quota to have 50 percent of its retail products made in the U.S. by 2013.
That goal, compared to other campuswide initiatives during the past five years, would be easily attained and remarkable for a university of Ohio University’s size.
Products made in the U.S. are not only more rare on university campuses than their foreign counterparts, but they possess a sort of cerebral epithet that many campus products lack in the 21st century. Peace of mind and quality are often what students, quickly running into a bookstore, take for granted during their stay at OU.
Yahoo! says only 2 percent of clothing bought in this country is manufactured in the United States.
If every American purchased one U.S.-made garment per year, the impact would be $9 billion, according to All-American Clothing Co.
That would probably create some manufacturing jobs in the U.S. as well.
The Bobcat Essentials Bookstore has many local stores to compete with. However, with prime real estate inside Baker Center, the store has an opportunity to sell premium, U.S.-made products and local products for the well-being of the campus community.
Christopher Myers is a senior studying philosophy.
