Russell: I just addressed the issue of coca-cola to the student body government of my school, Metro State College in Denver, Colorado. Our campus holds three different schools including Metro. There are over 30,000 students on campus who drink coca-cola now. The reason all these students drink coke is because the schools signed an exclusive contract with coke to put all their products in every vending machine on campus. Morris: Your school doesn't have a nationally ranked football team, nor research facilities in which the low-paid students do the research, so the money from the Coca-Cola contract was just too tempting to school administrators. Your tuition will still be raised next semester, but maybe not so much.
Russell: We have to pay the price coke offers for drinks because there is no other competition to compete for better prices-We pay $1.00 for every drink offered by coke, this includes their Fruitopia and Dasani water products. This also limits the choices students have at the vending machine. Most students I surveyed said they prefered Mountain Dew and Pepsi over Coke, however, they don't have that choice.
Morris: My college had s similar contract with Pepsi for vending machines and fountain syrup, and the small commuter campus I attended was a bit isolated. Since I wasn't about to drink Pepsi, I'd buy my Coke at a store about 2 miles away. It's cheaper that way, too. Of course, this might not be an option for students limited to public transportation. I must know, however: Why in hell would anyone pay for a bottle of water when there is water availible in the same building for free? Your free water comes from Rocky Mountain springs! Or, is it just cool to be seen with a bottle of water?
Russell: For exsample, Coke owns MTV-Coke now has a forum that is targeted to a whole generation they have the power to influence this demographic, too.
Morris: MTV is owned by Viacom. Viacom was started by CBS (television) in the early 1970's to syndicate reruns of All In The Family and other shows CBS owned. The FCC made CBS cut Viacom loose, because it was giving CBS too much influence over television programming. Viacom has been independent ever since, pending a merger reuniting them with CBS once again. No Coca-Cola influence here, except as an advertiser. Besides, without Beavis and Butt-Head, I've found there is no reason to watch MTV, despite what the demographics say.
Hugh Morris
None.
