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College no longer Coke-only

BY RACHEL FIELDS

Considering all the recent changes on campus, new vending machines might seem like little more than a convenient addition. To members of the Latin American Solidarity Group (LASG) and their many supporters, however, the addition of Pepsi and Dr. Pepper/7-Up products to campus this semester represents something far more exciting: the triumph of their fight against Coca-Cola.

Coca-Cola has been heavily criticized on campus for allegations about anti-union activity in their affiliated bottling plants in Colombia. The company has also been charged with abuse of water supplies in India. LASG helped organized a successful student initiative calling for a boycott of Coca-Cola in the spring of 2005. A similar initiative in fall 2005 fell just short of passage.

For LASG, Coca-Cola's human rights violations were cause for campus action. "Our second semester goal [last year] was to get the college to do something," said LASG leader LaTona Giwa '09. "We met with [President Russell K.] Osgood six to seven times last semester and drafted a letter to send to Coca-Cola."

Giwa said the letter stated that Grinnell College was aware of the company's human rights violations. During the summer, Giwa received an email from Osgood saying that the college would be breaking its exclusive contract with Coca-Cola. The only official announcement was a memo e-mailed to students from Dining Services Director Dick Williams, and many are waiting for something more prominent.

Despite the common belief that the college was locked into its Coke contract, Williams said that the college could get out of its contract without much difficulty. "It's more of an agreement than a contract," he said. "There was an out." Williams said that Coke was accommodating the college's decision, though the college now has to pay more for Coca-Cola products than it did when Coca-Cola was the only vendor on campus. Vending machine prices have gone up by $.25, as have Dining Services' costs.

There are now 10 Coke vending machines on campus, down from 26 last year. Pepsi has installed 11 machines and Doctor Pepper/7-Up has 12.

LASG hopes to continue to boycott Coke now that they have alternatives. One challenge will be persuading enough people to join them. "[Last year] there was a lot of indifference-people saying, 'I just don't care' or 'It's not worth it," said Meredith Nechitilo '09, a member of LASG. "Honestly, if I weren't so invested in it, it would have been hard for me too."

Despite obstacles, LASG students are optimistic about the coming year. The group recently merged with SOL, and the two groups will be working together on the Coca-Cola issue. "We think it'll be great because they're trying to get more political, and we could really use their support," said Nechitilo. "It's going to be a lovely relationship."

-additional reporting by David H. Montgomery

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