The Student Assembly announced last night that the result of yesterday's much talked about student vote on the College's soft-drink supplier will not be released to the campus for some time.
Assembly leaders declined to give specific reasons for the delay, citing only legal reasons and effects the publicized results might have on "on-going negotiations."
These future negotiations might also have an impact on the final decision the College makes despite wording in election advertisements which implied the students' vote would be final.
In a flyer distributed to residence hall rooms this week, the Assembly said the soda vote was "not a poll. It is a referendum."
Current Assembly President Josh Green '00 said "the results couldn't be released until after the negotiations are concluded because publicly releasing the results could have a negative impact on our negotiations."
Green said he knew about the restriction on releasing the election information since May 5 and does not think the advertising is misleading, even though he told The Dartmouth the vote is "not necessarily" the deciding factor in which soda supplier to choose.
"My belief is that student opinion will be decisive on this issue. If I'm wrong, I'll be extremely surprised. ... I think we made the best attempt we could to convey the most information we could," Green said adding he believes "it's fair to give students the indication their vote is decisive."
Assembly Vice President-elect Margaret Kuecker '01 said she takes responsibility for the wording of the Assembly flyer with the "referendum" wording, but said she does not regret the term and would not rephrase it if she had the opportunity.
Kuecker said the primary consideration of the College is financial and better funding of student life, and does not think students expected to know the results of the vote today.
"I don't think anybody said anything about when the results will be released," Kuecker said, a sentiment Green echoed.
"No one ever asked that question," Green said.
Green said he expects the final contract negotiations with Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola will be completed in approximately two weeks, and only at that time will students be allowed to see the results of the soda election.
Even Assembly leaders seemed confused and unable to explain the true nature of the soda vote.
Assembly President-elect Dean Krishna '01 told The Dartmouth he only found out about the delay yesterday afternoon and said, "We ran the election with the assumption it would be binding - at least I thought it would be binding."
Last night, Kuecker said "my understanding is the vote is binding" but in a later interview with The Dartmouth, Kuecker seemed to change her statement.
"I think it's important to look at the definition of referendum at this point," Kuecker said. "Nothing the Student Assembly does ... is 100 percent binding."
The soda vote was a project of the current Assembly. Kuecker said the current Assembly requested it be added to the Initiative Steering Committee election.
