For the first time since 1997, Gustavus is placing its beverage contract up for bid. This contract regards the bottled and canned beverages available on campus as well as the fountain drinks served in the cafeteria.

While deciding between the two companies, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, may initially seem like a mere contest of flavor preference, the decision process is much more complicated.

“Effectively, we are considering switching from Coke because, for the first time in some while, we have the option to either renew or reject Gustavus’ Coke contract. Before we recommit, it is only prudent that we ask the question—is this what we want?” Nick Prince, president of Student Senate, said. Student Senate, Dining Services and groups on campus are all working together to make this decision.

Beyond flavor, factors being taken into account in the decision process include each company’s respective records on issues such as the environment, health, human rights and other values held important by the Gustavus community.

The Gustavus Greens are against Coke for a few reasons, one of them being the practices that Coke enforces in developing countries.

“Coke’s privatization of water is forcing the poor in developing countries to basically choose between spending a majority of their income on clean water or drink dirty water which then gives them diseases,” Sophomore Undeclared Major Renee Hoppe said.

“The main argument is that just as clean air is a basic human right, so is water. We are also looking into if Pepsi is any better than Coke, but this information is difficult to find.”

The college community’s involvement in this decision-making process is important to Dining Service’s final decision. Last spring, an e-mail was sent to students and faculty regarding the expiration of the contract and notifying them of ways in which they can be involved by Philosophy Professor and Sponberg Chair of Ethics Lisa Heldke.

“This is more than simply an opportunity to retain Coke or to replace Coke with Pepsi; it’s a very concrete opportunity for us to discuss, as a community, what we value, and how we value it. It’s an opportunity to make thoughtful choices. We look forward to thinking creatively with all of you about how to use this beverage contract as a way to operationalize our institutional commitments.” Heldke stated in her address to the Gustavus community.

“Many different groups on campus have been asked to provide input on the decision, and in December the administration will process the information to make a decision. The Student Senate’s decisions on which to support will ultimately come from surveying and collecting opinions from the student body,” Prince said.

Classes, groups, offices and organizations were invited to be a part of the research team crafting a request for proposal from each distributor. A request for proposal is essentially a letter from the prospective customer to the distributor asking for information and those responding typically would detail their service abilities and pricing structure.

“In addition, the request for proposal will invite the companies to tell us how they can contribute to the work in which Gustavus is invested; how, for example, can they help us to advance some of the important initiatives outlined in Commission Gustavus 150?” Heldke said in her letter to the campus community.

At the moment, several individuals and one senior level business class are working on research regarding each company and its ethics and practices.  At the end of the semester when more decisions are made regarding what issues are most important to the decision, specifics will be laid out for each company to try to fulfill.

“We are in the information collecting stage so we cannot say what types of specifics we will want to have beverage providers address until after the findings are in,” Steve Kjellgren of Dining Services said, addressing the ongoing work of individuals involved. The Student Senate is also actively involved with the process and are assisting in any way they feel appropriate.

“From what I have heard, there is very little support for switching to Pepsi over staying with Coke. Most of the dissent from Coke has been the idea that soda, bottled beverages or the Coca Cola company’s drain on India’s resources are bad. The only argument for Pepsi I have heard is that Mountain Dew is better than Mellow Yellow,” Kjellgren said.

The request for proposals will be sent out at the beginning of 2012. A copy of the final request for proposal will be shared with all participants and any parts of the company’s responses that can be made public will also be shared with participants so they are able to see how their research has been put to use.

Although a lot of focus is being given to each company’s ethics, the flavor preference may still come into play.

“People seem to prefer Coke and Diet Coke to Pepsi and Diet Pepsi. Additionally, students love Vault. If Coke were to bring Vault back to Gustavus as part of this contract, I think there would be overwhelming support to stay with Coke,” Prince  said of the student body’s current flavor preferences.

With all of the factors involved in the decision-making process, it is much too early to guess which contract Gustavus will pursue and what brand of beverage students will be drinking at the beginning of fall 2012.