Pepsi Trumps Coke in Beverage Deal
By Michelle Trauring Pepsi is king at Stony Brook, and it will continue to reign for the next 10 years. The university’s exclusive contract with Pepsi kicked off this summer, replacing Coca-Cola products in dining halls and 140 vending machines across West Campus, Stony Brook University Medical Center, Long Island State Veterans Home and Stony Brook Southampton, said Kevin Kelly, executive director of the Faculty-Student Association, and Lyle Gomes, university controller, at a press conference Wednesday at the Student Union. While beverage variety and quality were important factors in this switch, Gomes said the bulk of the decision came down to finances. With this new contract, the net revenues will help the university fund its 1,850 scholarships. “We’re all about helping students pay for their education,” Gomes said. The remainder of the decision “dealt with quantitative elements, anywhere from service to environmental sustainability, one of the university’s goals,” Kelly said. The Pepsi contract includes a commitment to bottle collection and recycling, he said, as well as new Energy Star refrigerators that meet today’s standards. The contract mandates that Pepsi must continue to match up to changing energy and environmental requirements over the next 10 years. Kelly said that a shorter contract would have been favorable, but because of the expensive equipment, it is not feasible. “Plus, the partnership wouldn’t have been as good,” he added. Vending machine prices will remain the same as under the Coca-Cola contract, which lasted 10 years, but dining hall beverages will be hit with a four percent price increase, Kelly said. Also, the contract allots 10 percent of the university’s shelf space for non-Pepsi products, provided Pepsi does not offer a similar beverage, he said. Representatives from campus organizations formed a committee and unanimously voted for the Pepsi contract. The organizations consisted of the Undergraduate Student Government, the Graduate Student Government, the Faculty Student Association, the Social Justice Alliance, the Stony Brook University Hospital Food and Nutritional Services and University Procurement. Social Justice Alliance, a campus activist group, has protested Stony Brook’s contract with Coca-Cola since 2005, based primarily on allegations of Coca-Cola’s human rights abuses against union members in Columbia. The Pepsi contract is being wrapped up by attorneys and final terms will be determined within a few weeks, Kelly said. |
