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The accounting firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers will conduct both random, unannounced inspections as well as instantly respond to reports of alleged violations.

Two years ago Notre Dame became the first college or university in the country to adopt a code of conduct for its licensees.

Policing anti-sweatshop measures is especially difficult for Notre Dame because it has 230 licensees, any one of which may subcontract work out to dozens of sites.

The University is inviting other colleges and universities to join in underwriting the cost of the workplace visits. The various anti-sweatshop efforts being undertaken by Notre Dame are estimated to cost $75,000 a year.

In addition to hiring Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Notre Dame has joined with Harvard University and the University of California System on a pilot project to cooperate in monitoring factories. The group is an offshoot of the fledgling Fair Labor Association, which has the backing of the U.S. Labor Department but has been the target of protests on many campuses, including Notre Dame, by students who think the organization serves primarily corporate interests.

President Malloy has appointed a task force to study potential anti-sweatshop measures, including a requirement that manufacturers pay a "living wage" and permit workers to organize. Members of the task-force include the president of the student body, a representative from the Center for Social Concerns, faculty members, and three licensee representatives: the president of the Higher Education Group of Follett Corporation (which manages the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore), the general counsel to Adidas (supplier of footwear to Notre Dame teams) and the director of Global Workplace Values and Safety at Sara Lee/Champion (which supplies outerwear to Irish teams).

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