 "Photo: Marek Jaworski")
On New Year's Day, distribution teams stocked soda fountains across campus with new products for the spring. Unlike previous years, these products came from PepsiCo, marking the transition to a new beverage supplier.
The university's beverage distribution contract with The Coca-Cola Company ended at the onset of 2012, and university officials signed a new 10-year agreement with Coke's competitor in December, making Pepsi products the only drinks on campus.
David Singleton, vice president of facilities and auxiliary services, said the university spoke with both Coke and Pepsi when deciding how to proceed after the Coke contract ended.
"We did not decide to switch beverage providers," Singleton said. "We went into contract negotiations and we came out with Pepsi."
He said the deal grants Pepsi exclusive pouring rights for all soft drinks. These beverages include Pepsi, Sierra Mist, Mountain Dew, Tropicana fruit drinks, Amp energy drinks, Brisk iced tea, Gatorade and Muscle Milk.
Coca-Cola products that are no longer available include Coke, Sprite, Powerade, Full Throttle and Fuze. All remaining Coca-Cola products were returned to the company.
PepsiCo Public Relations Representative Joe Coussan said the company supplies beverages for more than 600 campuses nationwide, including West Chester University and Rutgers University. He said PepsiCo plans to recruit and hire students directly from colleges at the university, from areas including marketing.
"Pepsi will be working with us to market athletic events and they will also be providing internships and also committing to hire a number of UD graduates," Singleton said.
According to a PepsiCo press release, the company will also begin Pepsi's Campus Development Program at the university, an outreach program focused on supporting recycling and sustainability.
Coussan said PepsiCo will also bring its recycling program, called the Dream Machine, to campus. In cooperation with waste management, two machines located on campus will collect and process empty bottles. He said students can bring their empties to the location and receive points that can be redeemed for Pepsi products.
Junior Abby Sayeg said she is indifferent to the switch and, although she typically drinks Coke products, she can alter her selections based on which beverages are available.
"I don't drink a lot of soft drinks," Sayeg said. "When I do, I drink Coke Zero or Sprite, but I can drink whatever Pepsi has."
Singleton said the decision to switch providers was made partly because of student opinion.
"We certainly have gotten student feedback, and that was definitely a factor in the decision," Singleton said. "We always take students' views into consideration."
Russ Wiedenmann, Grotto Pizza manager, said the pizzeria sells Coca-Cola products and there are rarely issues with customers' Pepsi and Coke preferences at his Newark location.
"We always offer whatever the similar Coke drink is when people order something from Pepsi," Wiedenmann said. "There is never really an issue. Maybe once every three or four months someone will change their drink orders because they don't want what we have."
Singleton said the university is assuming that many students won't notice or not care about the product switch.
A large banner was hung outside Trabant University Center after the fall semester concluded to inform students about the switch to Pepsi products. Junior Jenn Wong said she thinks the university did little to let students know before returning to campus.
"I don't remember them talking about this at all," Wong said. "I don't drink anything from Pepsi, and I'm really not that happy about it."
is a member of the 
4 comments