About 30 people rallied in front of the Mary Graydon Center Friday, calling for AU administration to pick Pura Vida over Starbucks in its search for an on-campus coffee shop.
During the rally, a few people behind the crowd yelled in support of Starbucks, which sells some fair-trade coffee, as opposed to Pura Vida's 100 percent fair-trade coffee sales.
The rally took place while many AU students were gathered on the Quad for a program hosted by the Residence Hall Association.
After the rally, many participants who were associated with the Movement for Global Justice and the Office of Community Action and Social Justice swarmed into Mary Graydon and marched to the Office of Campus Life's administrative offices to deliver a box of cupcakes to Vice President of Campus Life Gail Hanson.
Rachel Wood, a member of the Movement for Global Justice and a sophomore in the School of International Service, said the cupcakes were a way of thanking the administration for engaging students in the debate over the coffee shop. She said she hopes that administrators choose Pura Vida.
Hanson characterized the ongoing debate over the coffee shop as a "robust dialogue" and praised the students for taking action on an issue that is important to them.
"I think the coffee representatives from both companies were impressed that AU just doesn't buy anything," Hanson said.
The space currently occupied by Auntie Anne's pretzel shop will be renovated, and the surrounding lounge area will be designed more like a coffee shop, in order to get what Hanson called "that Cosi ambience."
A decision will be made in the next few weeks, she said.
Students from both sides of the debate seem to be standing firm.
Theresa Miller, a sophomore in SIS, thanked Starbucks representatives during the rally for meeting with AU students but said that Starbucks could not meet the students' demands for a 100 percent fair-trade, socially responsible coffee shop.
"It is important to remember that we do have another option," Miller said. "It's not like it's all or nothing. There is Pura Vida."
However, Danesh Sujanani, a sophomore in the Kogod School of Business and the School of Communication, said he supports Starbucks.
"I think Starbucks should come because it's part of American culture and it would be beneficial for the University."
Sujanani described himself as an avid coffee drinker and said he walks down New Mexico Avenue to get his coffee fix. He said he thinks non-supporters will adjust if Starbucks moved to campus.
"It's a hassle," Sujanani said of the lack of an on-campus coffee shop. "Sometimes I just wish I could grab a cup in between classes."
The Terrace Dining Room, Mega Bytes Caf? and Davenport Lounge, Wagshal's, the Eagle's Nest and the Marketplace serve coffee. Both Pura Vida and Starbucks are available on campus.
Some students worried Pura Vida would not offer the same variety of drinks Starbucks does.
"They can still have their mocha latte, it just won't be slave labor," Wood said. "Pura Vida is great because it has those drinks: it sells coffee, it has lattes, frappuccinos, it sells deserts and sandwiches, it has bubble tea, which Starbucks does not sell."
"People get to have that choice," she said. "And it's even better because they don't have to feel guilty because they can be sure that a coffee farmer is getting a fair wage for their hard work."
Wood said polls by RHA and The Eagle Online consistently show students favor Pura Vida. An unscientific poll posted April 4 to April 10 on www.TheEagleOnline.com showed 51 percent selected "Pura Vida for sure!" while 19 percent chose "Definitely Starbucks!"
"We shouldn't even have another coffee vendor" was chosen by 21 percent of 312 voters.
She said she thinks there are fewer students who are passionate about Starbucks, because they have not organized in the way pro-Pura Vida students have.
However, some other students say students aren't vocal about Starbucks because of apathy and the feeling that the administration will do whatever it wants regardless of student opinion.
"Most people think that the administration is just going to go with the bigger name company," said Purti Bali, a sophomore in the School of International Service and the School of Communication.
Bali said people who are for Starbucks don't bother to get organized because Pura Vida has no chance, since big business usually wins in the end, citing the McDonald's on campus and the fact that Mega Bytes now sells Starbucks coffee.
Other students reiterated that the majority of students do not want any coffee shop on campus. But, when faced with the choice, even those originally opposed to a coffee shop are divided on which company to support.
"If you ask me, they shouldn't even have a coffee place on campus," Aneesa Khan, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said. Khan suggested the university put in a food vendor.
However, if forced to decide between coffee companies, Khan said she leans more towards Pura Vida.
"I probably agree with them," she said, indicating the students from CASJ and the Movement for Global Justice. "There's a Starbucks right down there on New Mexico Avenue. We should have fair trade."
"I don't think there should be coffee. Period," said Marc Cowans, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs. "Let's get something useful."
However, if pushed to decide between coffee shops, Cowans said, "If you want Starbucks, I don't care. If you don't want Starbucks, go somewhere else," he said.
Members of the Movement said they had nothing major planned for the rest of the semester. Many described the rally as the "climax" of the Movement's push for Pura Vida.
Staff writer Mary Specht contributed to this article.
