In a school constantly trying to exemplify the qualities of diversity and tolerance, a specific place for hate is reserved at Syracuse University for one product: Coca Cola.

It is no secret that SU has an exclusive contract with Pepsi, which many students learn as a prominent fact during their initial tour of the school. It’s also no secret that some are very disheartened with the lack of choice for soft drinks at SU. Pepsi is the only option in every dining hall and vending machine across campus, as well as the only form of soft drink sold in campus book stores. And while the choice of soda is not a life altering option, many wish they had more variety when it comes to their drink of choice.

‘I feel like the school shouldn’t have alliances with corporations that don’t have any academic value, like Pepsi,’ said Monil Sundesha, a senior information studies and computer science major. ‘If it did have academic value, I would understand, but with this I feel that there should be some flexibility for what students want.’

The history of SU’s choice of soda has not been a constant ordeal. Until around seven years ago, the university was exclusively Coca-Cola. However, when the contract finally expired, the University researched who it could partner best with, and the answer turned out to be Pepsi. At the time, the drink had a much higher recognition as well as multiple different brands of soda. SU came to the conclusion that a sole alliance with Pepsi would bring more advantages to the university than any other option, said Peter Webber, director of Auxiliary Services.

Along with the beverage benefits, SU received multiple donations from Pepsi by aligning itself solely with the corporation. Scholarship money went to women’s athletics as well as funds for advertising SU’s football and basketball programs. Pepsi also bought the school new score boards and video boards, hence the reasoning behind the infamous Pepsi fan on the big screen during sporting events. Pepsi also had direct connections to Taco Bell, KFC and Burger King at the time, allowing the school to gain an alliance with them as well.

‘You want a full service with the best company that provides the best quality products so you can have the best arrangements for the students, faculty, staff and customers,’ Webber said. ‘You give up a little bit of the choice, but you pick up more revenue, which is ultimately returned to the university.’

Before switching to Pepsi, SU worked very hard to test student approval, conducting a lot of research and making specific deals with Pepsi for new product lines being tested on campus. SU wanted students to have a chance to have their say in what was being served. For example, Mountain Dew: Code Red was very popular with students in years past and is now provided in all the dining halls. Other beverages, like this year’s holiday drink Pepsi Spice, were not a favorite and were never set up to be distributed. Making a switch of soda is a big deal to some; it’s not something which can be done without touching base first, said David George, director of Food Services.

Even with the vast amounts of testing which went into changing soft drinks, many are still unsatisfied with the offering of only one type of product. Colleen Fee, a freshman musical theater major, was a self-proclaimed ‘Coke addict’ before coming to SU to be disappointed with the lack of choice, and has stopped drinking soda as much. Diet Pepsi is just a different taste than Coke, Fee said.

For those like Fee who want something different, there is only one place on campus where a student can actually buy a Coke product. People’s Place, the independent coffee shop located below Hendricks Chapel, makes a point of selling only Coke products, and does very good business because of it. The shop tries to provide an alternative for students so they don’t have to deal with the trade marking which all the other services on campus have, said Desira Pesta, a manager of People’s Place and a senior painting major.

‘We actually have one woman who comes and buys nine cans of Coke every couple of days,’ Pesta said. ‘It’s not fair for Pepsi to have a conglomerate over its products; it would be better to offer the students everything.’

Because of the obvious outcries of unhappiness with the lack of diversity, SU and Pepsi are constantly trying to add new products to their line. Last semester, new Gatorade flavors were brought to Schine Student Center because of student request, and last week, new flavored Aquafina water was added, all due to student demand, said Sue Bracy, assistant director of Food Services.

‘Occasionally you’ll get someone looking for a Diet Coke or a Coke, but back when we were with Coca Cola, you’d have the same issue with someone looking for a Pepsi or Diet Pepsi,’ George said.

SU is not nearly the only school in this region to be exclusively Pepsi. Many big-name schools such as Cornell, University of Buffalo, Niagara University and Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute are all contracted with the drink. In fact, Pepsi controls more than 60 percent of upstate New York’s marketplace, so it’s no wonder SU has a strong connection.

‘There are people who have their own individual preferences, but given the nature that you couldn’t strike the best arrangement and partnership unless it was exclusive, then there is no question in our mind that we have done the best for the school,’ George said.

While some feel they are being cheated out of diversity, many others, like April Hace, a freshman retailing and marketing management major, feel soda is not something important enough to concern themselves with.

‘There is already enough diversity with the flavors,’ Hace said. ‘They’re just drinks; I don’t think it really matters.’

Published on February 22, 2005 at 12:00 pm