2 - The Michigan Daily - Orientation Edition 2005 MSA calls for 'U' to investigate Coca-Cola p 4 February 23, 2005 By Jeremy Davidson Daily Staff Reporter The Michigan Student Assembly voted yesterday to support the actions of the Coke-Campaign Coali- tion, an anti-Coke group, and also to accept the alle- gations brought against the soft-drink giant regarding human rights violations. When the vote passed, many members of MSA's Peace and Justice Commission, and dozens of represen- tatives from the Coke-Campaign Coalition fell silent. Though the coalition had been fighting for this resolution to be passed, it was unexpectedly modified during the meeting and when voted on did not include language that would demand the University to termi- nate its contract with Coca-Cola. The Coke-Campaign Coalition, which consists of 11 student activist groups on campus, brought this resolution to MSA as a part of a world-wide cam- paign against Coca-Cola, accusing the company of significant human rights and labor violations. But before the vote, in an unexpected move, MSA President Jason Mironov proposed two revisions to the resolution; one, that the resolution be divided into two parts, and the second that, instead of demand- ing the University terminate its contract with Coca- Cola, the resolution state that the MSA will stand behind the actions of the Coke-Campaign Coalition. Mironov said he separated and amended the resolu- tion in order to divide the question into two distinct elements. The revision that toned down the language of the resolution was reworded to give credence to the Dispute Review Board, which looks into allegedly unethical practices of University business partners. The board consists of faculty and students, including members of MSA and Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality, Mironov said. The coalition said it was more disappointed with the second revision because its members felt the reso- lution lost some of its power. "It's still important that (the resolution) passed because it's significant that this student government supports the Coke-Campaign Coalition," RC Junior Ashwini Hardikar, co-chair of MSA's Peace and Jus- tice Commission, said, "I am disappointed that we chose to tone down the language." The resolution was divided into two parts; the first dealt with whether MSA believed in the allega- tions brought against Coca-Cola, a measure that the assembly approved. Hardikar described the vote as a victory for the coalition. "The first resolution that confirmed Coke's viola- tions was passed without any changes, putting the student government in solidarity with the people of Colombia and India," Hardikar said. Because students have protested and complained about Coca-Cola, Purchasing Services at the Univer- sity has started a formal investigation. It is currently gathering information to present a recommendation to the Dispute Review Board, which is composed of students, faculty and staff. The Dispute Review Board will make a recom- mendation to the University's executive vice president and to the chief financial officer. University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said the resolution would play a significant part in the overall decision to renew Coke's contract in June. 4 Lori Billingsley (left) spoke on behalf of Coca-Cola in MSA chambers on Monday May 21, 2005. Amit Srivastiva (right) presented allegations of human rights violations against the Coke in India. The meeting was held to inform MSA reps before their vote on May 22, 2005. Evidence supports Coke allegations May 7, 2005 By Christopher Zbrozek For the Daily The University committee currently inves- tigating alleged human rights abuses by the Coca-Cola Company has found cred- ible evidence to support two allegations of human rights abuses, according to Univer- sity spokeswoman Julie Peterson. It does not appear, however, that the committee will rec- ommend the University cut its contract with Coca-Cola that expires in June. The University's Dispute Review Board, which began its investigation of Coca-Cola following a recommendation from University Purchasing Services on March 8, spent over four hours last Monday at a meeting held in the Fleming Administration Building delib- erating final recommendation regarding the University's contract with Coca-Cola. The meeting was closed to the public and the press. The DRB has found evidence to support two of the four allegations of human rights and environmental infractions it was charged with investigating. Peterson wrote in an e-mail message that the DRB currently believes there is credible evidence in support of allegations of pesti- cides in the product in India and concerns over labor practices in Colombia. Although the DRB has not yet released its final statement, it appears unlikely it will recommend that the University halt renewal of its contract with Coca-Cola that expires in June. According to an e-mail sent to the United Asian American Organizations mailing list the DRB decided to renew the contract with Coca-Cola through September. After September, the contract would be renewed on a month-by-month basis, pro- vided that Coca-Cola shows it has improved its human rights record. According to the e- mail, the criteria for evaluating Coca-Cola sfter September are still under debate. DRB chair Frank Stafford acknowledged that the ideas in the e-mail had been dis- cussed at the meeting. He denied, however, that a final vote had been taken on the plan outlined in the email, noting that it "may not be a workable mechanism." "I think the general direction here is clear. We'll have to see changes in the way Coke runs its operations," Stafford said. The DRB has not yet finished determining the specific details of its recommendation concerning Coca-Cola. "We have to figure out a timeline on which we can expect to see milestones of progress to see them continue as a vendor in good standing," Stafford said. Failure to show progress on Coca-Cola's part could lead to the loss of its business with the Uni- versity, Stafford said. Coke Coalition members were heartened to learn that the DRB had upheld two of the allegations against Coca-Cola, but were not pleased that the DRB's recommendation appears likely wto give the company time to bring its operations in-line with University standards without terminating the contract. "It's not our job as the University to force Coke to change," RC sophomore and Coke Coalition member Jory Hearst said. "The DRB's role should be to evaluate whether a company is in violation of the code of con- duct. Here they clearly are, so we should cut the contract." The DRB's investigation has taken longer than planned due to the difficulty of investigating events in India and Columbia. "We don't want to start issuing recommenda- tions without credible information," Stafford said. Because all of the DRB is not in Ann Arbor, its members will continue deliberations by phone and email, according to Peterson. The DRB hopes to release its final recom- mendation within the next one to two weeks. The recommendation will go to Timothy Slot- tow, the University's executive vice president and chief financial officer, who has authority to make a final decision regarding the con- tracts with Coca-Cola. A I I 4