Four gifts lay on a couch in UF President Bernie Machen's office, wrapped like they belonged under a Christmas tree.
Santa Claus didn't bring the gifts; the Gator Students Against Sweatshops did.
About 2 p.m. Wednesday, 10 students marched from the Plaza of the Americas to Tigert Hall carrying the packages to protest UF's affiliation with Adidas. The company produces some of its apparel in factories with sweatshop conditions, and the company supplies apparel to UF.
One of the packages delivered to Machen's office was meant to represent the broken promise that UF apparel would be produced only with the use of factories with sweatshop-free conditions. The other three represented each of the group's demands, according to Gator Students Against Sweatshops President Elena Quiroz.
One of Adidas' factories, PT Kizone, in Indonesia, closed in January. The owner closed the shop and fled without paying the workers.
One of the group's demands is for Adidas to pay the workers $1.8 million in severance.
Adidas is the only company that has not paid any of the amount owed to the PT Kizone workers, said Morena Hadziselimovic, a 21-year-old political science junior and creative director of Gator Students Against Sweatshops.
"We believe that this sort of direct action is the best way to get the university's attention," she said.
The goal of the march was to put pressure on UF and, in turn, put pressure on Adidas to pay the workers, said Layla Schuster, a 19-year-old pre-pharmacy sophomore.
When they reached the president's office, he wasn't there. However, Beth Boone, Machen's executive assistant, listened as one member read a letter to the UF president.
She would ensure that he got the letter, she said.
Gator Students Against Sweatshops delivered empty Christmas presents to President Bernie Machen's office Wednesday to protest UF's affiliation with Adidas.
