Seen a Rogue on the loose? Get in touch with our Roguemeister: JOHN SCHRAG jschrag@wweek.com (503) 243-2122 FAX: (503) 243-1115 We should have seen it coming. Before the ink on his signature was dry, University of Oregon president Dave Frohnmayer began back-pedaling on the UO's one-year agreement with the Worker Rights Consortium. Last week he took the exit to Rogueville by reneging on the plan. Frohnmayer was never thrilled with the idea. The impetus for signing up to monitor conditions in the factories that make University-licensed apparel came from a group of activist students. Then Frohnmayer's own appointed commission recommended joining WRC, rather than the Fair Labor Association, a rival group backed by Nike. That move ticked off a certain alum named Phil Knight, who in April backed out of a pledge to give the Ducks $30 million to upgrade Autzen Stadium. Frohnmayer initially defended the decision to join WRC, though he expressed regret that the Nike CEO seemed surprised by the move. But more recently, the president has been trying to move back into Knight's good graces by raising questions about WRC. First he publicly slammed the group after attending its inaugural board meeting last July. Then, in September, he signed the UO up for the Fair Labor Association. Last week, Frohnmayer refused to pay the $2,500 dues owed to the WRC. He cited a legal opinion--generated at his request--that university funds could not be used to join the WRC because, among other things, it wasn't incorporated and joining would leave the UO exposed to liability lawsuits. As former Oregon attorney general, Frohnmayer knows how to use the law. Still, it strikes us that the UO president is showing more loyalty to the Swoosh than to the students and professors who were not swayed by Nike dollars. The WRC is a fledgling group, trying to compete with the industry-backed FLA. Frohnmayer and the UO made a one-year commitment to help. That's a promise he should keep.