"The fact is if you go into a factory in the Philippines, you have to get in the door," he says. "You don't have access to the factory and the accounting records [if you don't work with the companies]."

Unless you cooperate with the companies you are trying to monitor, he says, "you're just kidding yourself."

Brown says the small market share of university products prevents the FLA from giving colleges a greater voice.

Despite this, he says the university seat on the board is "critical."

"The board is very carefully balanced between NGOs and companies," he says. "If there's an impasse [the university seat] is a swing vote."

But critics of the FLA, including Ryan, say universities should have a greater influence in the organization.

"Since universities are so involved in the FLA, it would be a nice sign of recognition if it was reflected in the FLA's structure," he says.

Ryan says the one seat that universities occupy does not allow them to have a significant impact on the organization.