The College announced yesterday that the Coca-Cola company has won the rights to distribute its products in College dining halls and vending machines, more than one month after students voted in a campus-wide soft drink poll.
The results of the May 10 Student Assembly poll, which had been kept secret, were also announced yesterday. Two-thirds of the voters, or 1,018 students, selected Coke.
While there are still hurdles in the negotiations - including discussions over recycling and marketing - College Vice-President and Treasurer Win Johnson said he fully expects them to be worked out and the College will begin operating with Coke as if there was a signed contract.
That means that by today or tomorrow Coke machines should be installed in dining halls, which are currently without any soda machines since Pepsi Cola removed theirs after last term.
Within a month, new Coke vending machines will replace the older versions and will dispense 20-ounce plastic bottles instead of the current 12-ounce cans.
This switch is what is causing the recycling problem. Director of Purchasing Gregory Husband said recycling the plastic containers is more difficult for financial reasons, but Coke must issue assurances that they will be recycled before the contract is signed.
Johnson said the company was "a little surprised" about the College's environmental demands.
The second remaining sticking point deals with Coke marketing on campus. Johnson said the College wants to prevent wide-scale marketing efforts that would plaster the campus with Coke logos.
"We're not going to allow the commercialization of the campus," Johnson said.
The tentative, 15-year contract includes a guaranteed commission for the College of $200,000 for the first two years which he estimated would be an $80,000 revenue increase per year.
Where the extra money will go is still undecided, but Johnson said the College is seriously investigating lowering or eliminating athletic or Hopkins Center ticket prices for students as well as reducing student fines. He said the iadministration is very interested in reducing ticket prices and he called the current level of fines "an embarrassment."
Johnson said the Assembly poll on the subject was "very helpful" but repeated what became clear only after the vote was held - that it was not a binding resolution.
"What would have happened if Pepsi offered twice as much as Coke? I don't know, but we didnit have to face that," Johnson said.
While the new vending machines will eventually accept DASH, Johnson said he did not know when they will be wired to take the cards, saying it took over four years to wire all the dormitory washers and dryers.
The Coca-Cola product line includes Sprite, Citra, Surge, Barq's root beer, Fruitopia and Evian waters.
Coca-Cola also produces Minute Maid juices, but Husband said the company needs to provide juice machines which are ergonomically improved from their current version in order for the company to continue to be the College's juice supplier.
He said workers have complained about the current Minute Maid machinesi loading process and said there is a "possibility of a separate juice provider" if replacements are not issued.
