Coke vs. Pepsi, jury says...

A beverage change has swept the campus of MVNU, opening a Pandora’s box of emotions from students and staff.

A few days into the semester, students entered the cafeteria and were surprised to find their beloved Coke products had been stripped away and replaced with Pepsi.

The change comes at the end of an 8-year contract with Coke. It came down to a business decision about which would be best for the University, officials said.

“Both Coke and Pepsi pay schools rebates and sponsorship fees for providing their product exclusively on campus,” said MVNU’s Director of Business Services Steve Jenkins. “The commissions and sponsorship money offered by Pepsi was much greater than the offer from Coke.”

However, not all of campus is buying into the change. The results of a recent Twitter poll by The Viewer showed that students favor Coke products. Out of 48 participants, 44 percent voted “bring back Coke” while 33 percent said “Pepsi was a great choice” and 23 percent chose “indifferent.”

Though some students and staff remain neutral, many are passionate about their beverage of choice.

Administrative assistant Diana Tocheff is among those who are for Pepsi, saying she is “ecstatic” about the change.

On the other end of the spectrum are those who are “outraged,” like junior Jenna Schindler.

Even MVNU President Dr. Henry Spaulding weighed in on the debate: “Why?!?” he asked. “I love Coke!“

And of course, it’s not just the Coke vs. Pepsi controversy. The conversation also includes a whole range of other products such as Coke’s Sprite, Powerade, Mello Yello and Pibb compared to Pepsi’s Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Dr Pepper and Lipton tea brands.

The Gatorade/Powerade debate is especially heated on campus, with many students upset at the loss of the blue Powerade. On the other hand, the new raspberry and peach teas in the Pepsi vending machines are definite winners in the new mix of drink options.

Others have used the switch as an opportunity to voice their opinions about further additions they would like see. Sophomore Morgan Gibson said it would be nice to have more juice options.

Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to contact Jenkins “with problems with the machines or if there are particular products they would like to see offered,” he said.