Exclusive Pepsi deal to end on campus

Kate Hudson
Managing Editor
It’s been 13 years since York students were able to buy a bottle of Coke on campus. As of this August, Pepsi’s exclusivity contract with the university is set to end.
According to Anthony Barbisan, director of food services at York, the $7.5-million contract provided funding to a variety of campus services and initiatives, including a $1.2-million budget jointly administered by the York Federation of Students (YFS) and the Student Centre.

An official decision on whether the deal will be renewed has not yet been made.
The contract, which was negotiated in consultation with student leaders at the time, officially ended in 2008, but the university was required to promote Pepsi products for an additional three years to meet sales quota requirements.
Barbisan indicated that the financial benefit to student groups ended in 2008.
“Any student groups who received funding in the past would have already phased it out,” he explained.
Brigitte Kleer, director of communications and public relations for the Faculty of Fine Arts, said the $1.25-million funding for her department had been allocated to promotion and student event programming that would otherwise have no dedicated budget.
“Part of it was to provide student events at York,” she said. “The free concert by The Nathaniel Dett Chorale [(a Canadian choral group dedicated to promoting Afrocentric Music)] is an example of such an event.”
Other financial allotments were made, including $2.5-million for the York Stadium construction, $1.25-million for sports and recreation programming, $1.05–million for the non-faculty college councils, and $250,000 for Glendon College. The funds were distributed in equal amounts over 10 years.
According to Rob Cerjanec, vice-president operations of the YFS, the student union would be opposed to a renewal of the contract.
“The types of contracts we saw being signed 10 years ago aren’t being signed again,” he pointed out, adding that exclusive contracts devalue students and the university. “When the contract was signed 10 years ago, these beverage companies thought they could make millions of dollars on top of what they paid to have exclusivity on campus. This is no longer the case.”
Some students feel that York should not be entering agreements with companies that provide unhealthy options.
“None of it’s healthy,” said Daniella, an undergraduate in the kinesiology program at York. “I wish [the university] would put money towards healthier products, instead of pumping crap into our systems.”
Psychology student George Kerness thinks the exclusive contract might be worth the financial benefit.
“[Pepsi and Coke] both make the same products, more or less. If [Pepsi] wants to pay that much money, why not?” he said. “If you like Coke, bring it from home.”
A decision regarding the renewal of the agreement between Pepsi and York will be made in the weeks to come.