Students on the San Francisco State campus are celebrating after the university president decided to say "no deal" to Coke and Pepsi following months of debate surrounding a proposed deal that would have brought in millions of corporate dollars for the campus.
University President Leslie Wong's decision means Coke and Pepsi products can still be sold side by side. The administration had a plan to change that, putting the contract out for bids. That could have meant millions for the school, but after students made their opinions known, it's not going to happen.
"I've learned that student voices are powerful," said student An Bui.
Bui said he's been fighting to keep corporate America out of his public education. He said he was expecting Thursday's public meeting with The San Francisco State University administration to turn into a soda battle.
Instead? "I think it's a win for the whole campus," Bui said of the president's decision to reject Coke and Pepsi's so-called "pouring rights offer."
If the deal had been made, the university expected to gain millions of dollars from one of the corporate giants, in exchange for exclusively selling only Coke or Pepsi products on campus.
No deal with Coke or Pepsi! SF State Pres announces "pouring rights" contract called off after students protest the corporate deal.
— Michelle Roberts (@Michelle_NBC) November 19, 2015But not all students are applauding president Wang's decision to walk away from revenue.
"If tuition were to be lowered for students, I probably wouldn't have an issue with Coke or Pepsi coming on," said student Kenton Raiford.
President Wang said San Francisco State is the only California State University campus without a pouring rights contract. He said he will continue to look for new sources of funding.
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The Chronicle reports the 'pouring rights' deal would have established a minimum payment of $2 million to start, with annual payments ranging between $125,000 and $425,000, depending on the terms of the contract.
