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News

Coffee compromise reached

Senate passes bill that calls for one kiosk that sells only fair-trade-certified product

by Jennifer Early
THE DAILY COUGAR

Members of the Student Government Association faced off Wednesday night in a debate over a fair-trade coffee bill, finally coming to a compromise calling for more fair-trade education and one campus kiosk selling only fair-trade coffee.

The revised bill mandates the sale of fair-trade coffee at one specific kiosk on campus and requires information about fair-trade coffee to be readily available to consumers at other vendor locations.

English junior and Students for Fair Trade member Ross Barnard said it was important for the SGA to realize the bill was calling for one 100 percent fair-trade coffee vendor.

"If we put one 100 percent fair-trade coffee vendor on campus, it's not going to make prices go up," he said. "It's only going to make Aramark more money. So if you're for making money, vote for it. If you're for helping people, vote for it."

After much debate, two amendments were placed on the bill and one section was eliminated. The changes struck a section favoring Pura Vida as the fair-trade coffee vendor and another establishing a 100 percent fair-trade kiosk, and a second amendment reinstated the kiosk section with no specific mention of a potential vendor.

Josephine Tittsworth, Graduate College of Social Work senator, said she interviewed a handful of students carrying Starbucks coffee cups around the Social Work Building about their feelings on fair-trade coffee.

"Each and every one of them looked at me and told me (they) would give up (their) Starbucks coffee to get fair trade on this campus," Tittsworth said.

Tim O'Brien, graduate senator-at-large, said coffee vendor competition would help lower prices in part because of the introduction of a fair-trade coffee vendor with no brand-name recognition.

SGA Vice President Sam Dike said he found the revised bill to be much different than the original bill presented April 11.

"If (the senators) see this bill and think this bill better represents the will of the students, then (the senators) say OK, (the SGA) is still preserving the choice of the students, because it is not 100 percent fair-trade everywhere. I think that is some sort of compromise," he said. "Keep the students in mind, and make sure you are protecting their right to choose what coffee they want to buy on campus."

Judah Johns, SGA student regent, said the untrue assumption that all students are ignorant on the subject was being tossed around at the meeting.

"(Students) go into the store and see that one says fair trade and one doesn't. There are three options. One has a big symbol that says fair trade," he said. "We already have fair-trade coffee on campus. This bill, with that being true, is null. (The SGA) shouldn't pass something without knowing the cost involved."

President David Rosen said moving forward was necessary after discussing fair-trade coffee for seven consecutive SGA meetings.

"How much longer until (the SGA) can change the focus and all its creative energy, which, undoubtedly, is a good thing, and put it towards textbooks, parking lots or something?" he said. "(The SGA) has had a standing committee on this, at least three special reports. Let's try to do something about this tonight."

After calling into question and presenting the amended bill, it was passed by a majority vote.

In other business, Brandon Brewton, a senator-at-large, presented a resolution that unanimously passed to honor the victims of the Virginia Tech mass shooting. 

A 33-second moment of silence will be observed every year on April 16 to serve as a tribute to the students and faculty members who lost their lives Monday in Blacksburg, Va.

"As a student on campus, I don't think we should ever forget anything like this. I think this would be one of the best things (the SGA) could to do to honor these people that were killed," Brewton said.

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