Why I’m voting to get rid of Coke

By Ryan Kaminski / May 25, 2007

I am writing this piece to both explain and justify my intention to vote in the upcoming Campus Dining Advisory Board (CDAB) meeting to ban Coca-Cola products from University of Chicago Dining Halls, despite the Student Government (SG) Assembly’s 14–6–6 decision recommending the opposite. As a second-year College Council Representative and member of CDAB for...

Progressives unite—and divide

By Hollie Gilman / May 25, 2007

“Nobody still believes that government bureaucracy can solve a problem better than private citizens.” My friend told me this my first year. I, the young, idealistic progressive who spent the summer working for the Kerry/Edwards campaign, retorted, “Of course the government can fix problems.” That summer my room was lined with posters: “A change is...

The early bird gets the worm

By Maroon Editorial Staff / May 22, 2007

Attending the University of Chicago is supposed to give students an edge when they venture into the real world and apply for jobs and internships. However, since spring quarter drags on for weeks after other schools have ended their semesters, many potential employers are disinclined to hire students who cannot begin work until mid-June. Accordingly,...

What America has to learn from Europeans

By Zack Hill / May 22, 2007

What do America and Europe have to learn from each other? Only a supremely smug, self-important pedant prone to ridiculous generalizations could pretend to answer that question in 750 words, and Thomas Friedman was unfortunately unavailable. Luckily, I also fit the bill—after all, I am a University of Chicago student. In addition, based on the...

It’s about time to erase the Blackboard

By Ryan McCarl / May 22, 2007

When I am talking to family and friends about the things that make the U of C unique, I often mention that most of our undergraduate classrooms do not have whiteboards. Our focus, this implies, is on the things that matter: ideas and arguments. We don’t mistake fancy technology and “modern” classrooms for a good...

Even though they’re desperate, conservatives can do better than Romney

By Joe Katz / May 22, 2007

I was out for a beer with some friends a few weeks back when the conversation turned to a mutual acquaintance of ours. Few of us had many positive things to say about her, but “Dave” steadfastly defended her character. With the combined weight of the majority against him, his arguments grew feebler and feebler:...

If Coke can’t be humane to workers, it has to go

By Shira Tevah / May 22, 2007

Students at the University of Chicago are calling for the removal of Coca-Cola from campus dining halls until the corporation begins respecting human rights. Investigations have shown that Coca-Cola is guilty of serious violations around the world. As students at the U of C, we have the power to force Coca-Cola to address and rectify...

Capitalism, choice work—even in Colombia

By James Wang / May 22, 2007

An anti-Coke campaign is being waged across our campus to protect the Coke workers in Colombia from unbridled capitalist oppression. Take Daniel Benjamin, a second-year philosophy student, who writes that Coke workers in Colombia are subject to inhumane working conditions, not to mention paramilitary murder (“With Coca-Cola, Capitalism’s Injustices Are Abundantly Clear,” 5/11/07). Indeed, let...

CPO can’t stop the invisible hand

By Maroon Editorial Staff / May 18, 2007

How much is it really worth to watch a loved one graduate? Apparently, a lot. Each year, the demand for convocation tickets exceeds the supply, and enterprising students use Marketplace to sell their extra tickets for upwards of $20 apiece. In response, administrators at the College Programming Office (CPO) are policing the website, sending students...

“War on Terror” only a good name for pols

By Alec Brandon / May 18, 2007

About a year ago, The Atlantic Monthly published a provocative essay by James Fallows about the War on Terror. Fallows argued, quite convincingly, that U.S. interests would be best served by declaring the War on Terror over; Fallows also pointed out that terrorist networks had for the most part lost their ability to coordinate large-scale...

Don’t buy into the Killer Coke craze

By Barney Keller / May 18, 2007

Miranda Nelson, one of the leaders of a group trying to drive Coca-Cola off the University of Chicago campus, has a dark secret: “I really like Sprite.” But Nelson gave up her favorite soft drink for some very rational reasons. She and her group want Coke to leave because of the company’s alleged complicity in...

Keep Coke on campus—for now

By Maroon Editorial Staff / May 15, 2007

The Maroon strongly urges the Campus Dining Advisory Board to vote against kicking Coke off campus at its upcoming end-of-quarter meeting. Students can argue all day about which soda brand is the greatest villain; over the past few years, the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment has found that nearly a dozen soda brands contain...