HONESTLY, I don't remember whether I voted for Pepsi or for Coke when it appeared on the ballot as a student referendum back in the spring of 2005, but I do remember the result: 66.75 percent of the voters preferred that the University should "seek a new contract with Coca-Cola, rather than continuing with Pepsi-Cola." A year and a half later, I have yet to enjoy the smooth, refreshing taste of Coca-Cola in any of the University's dining halls.
Detrimental student referenda fall into two categories: Either they are never acted upon, such as the example above, or they give a small portion of the student body the potential to wreak significant havoc on the rest of us. Year after year, referenda epitomizing these two extremes find their way to the University ballot box. Both types damage our system of student government and need to be either scrapped altogether or significantly reformed.
The first type of referendum concerns issues that either our student governors or the members of the administration have no ability or motivation to act upon. They are rarely ever heard of again, leaving the voter disenchanted with the system and less likely to cast a vote in future elections.
The Pepsi-Coke referendum is an excellent example of this category. According to Director of Procurement Services Eric Denby, just last year the University sought a new contract for a drink distributor and awarded the largest part of that contract to Pepsi Co. "We understand the students' desires," said Denby, in reference to the referendum, but as a public institution "we're bound by the Virginia Public Procurement Act
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