<nday, January 12 at 7 PM, senators, led by President Caitlin Fleming, had their second meeting of the term. While our meeting covered several topics, I feel that the most intriguing was the discussion about vending contracts and the reinstatement of Coke products on campus.
CSA’s income from beverage contracts with Pepsi and American Bottling was $23,000 for the 2007-2008 fiscal year. This year, we have new proposals from Coke, Pepsi, and American Bottling. Several years ago, we stopped providing Coke products on service because of human rights issues. After looking around for news about these issues, I have discovered a website for the “Campaign to Stop Killer Coke” on corporatecampaign.org and an editorial by Johann Hari in The Independent, a London-based newspaper. Johann writes of Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia, El Salvador, Turkey, and India. In 1994 in Colombia, a campaign against the union at the plant resulted in the alleged murders of six union leaders. This, along with allegations of underage labor and further murders resulted in a campaign against Coke.
Last spring, a referendum on the ballot for CSA’s spring elections asked if students supported allowing Coca-Cola vending products back on campus. Students supported Coca-Cola products by a margin of 392 to 241. By bringing Coca-Cola products back to campus, our most financially profitable contract would include both Pepsi and Coke products on campus.
Unfortunately, this results in the removal of American Bottling Products (Dr. Pepper and 7-Up) from our vending machines. These products would still remain in the bookstore and the dining halls. Do you have an opinion about this? Email or stop by our CSA Office Hours! Our new office hours schedule is in the Campus Activities Office.
In other news, the Education and Curriculum Committee has a new graduation requirements proposal. With the proposal, the current distribution requirements are replaced with six basic requirements, for a total of 36 required credits. The proposal limits pre-matriculation credits to 18, makes a freshman seminar mandatory, and replaces the RAD requirement with the Global Citizenship requirement. This will require one class in International Studies, one class in Intercultural Domestic Studies, and an optional Inter-Group Relations Pilot. The IGR pilot will be implemented based on a similar program at the University of Michigan. If you have any questions, email Cat McMurtry (mcmurtrc)!
The college continues to search for ways to cut discretionary spending for the budget. If you have any ideas, let us know. As always, if you have any thoughts, questions, or concerns, we’d be happy to listen! Each senator has office hours every week for this purpose. Feel free to email one of us or come to our meetings, every Monday at 7 PM in Sayles 251.