Spring Break
Students vote for Fair Trade coffee on campus
by Michelle Hamburgh
News | 12/6/05
Posted online at 11:08 AM EST on 12/6/05
"If the proposal had been to offer Fair Trade coffee as an option, I wouldn't have had any objection to it at all," Coiner said. "A student who is pinching pennies may be somewhat strained by the price increase."
But Abramowitz said Brandeis students can accommodate the change, arguing that for a student who drinks five cups of coffee a week, the change totals only another dollar spent.
"Yes, college students are strapped for cash," Abramowitz said. "But ... we go to Brandeis. We're not living on the streets. Most people have an extra dollar."
Prof. Gordon Fellman (SOC) lauded the social benefits of Fair Trade.
"Fair trade is a small but significant step toward recognizing humanity and the human reality of people who pick coffee beans," Fellman said. "The difference to the Brandeis consumer is minimal, the difference to the coffee producers is huge."
Evan List '08 said while he "absolutely" supports fair trade from a moral standpoint, the economic factors persuaded him to vote against the petition. List said it is efficiency in production that allows for lower prices, and that paying farmers a higher price for the same quality coffee eliminates incentives to become more efficient.
Assaf Ben-Atar '07 said he voted to pass the petition because he thought the Fair Trade Brigade ran a convincing campaign.
"I wanted to improve the overall living conditions of coffee makers in South and Central America," Ben-Atar said.
The petition came after an extensive lobbying campaign by the Free Trade Brigade, which included forums and advertising. Brigade members tabled in the Shapiro Campus Center, and with a laptop ready, invited students to cast their vote on the spot. Still, almost a third of voters were against the petition, despite no particular campus groups mobilizing in opposition.
Feinberg said student support has convinced her to commit to the conversion to Fair Trade coffee on campus, and she thinks Brandeis is behind the trend in making the switch.
"I felt that Brandeis was missing out on part of a movement," she said. "All of the local Boston schools had converted over [to Fair Trade coffee], whereas we say that our thing is social justice. We're founded on a pillar of social justice. Can we not make a little concession to pay an extra 20 cents to pay for coffee we know will help people's lives?"
But Abramowitz said Brandeis students can accommodate the change, arguing that for a student who drinks five cups of coffee a week, the change totals only another dollar spent.
"Yes, college students are strapped for cash," Abramowitz said. "But ... we go to Brandeis. We're not living on the streets. Most people have an extra dollar."
Prof. Gordon Fellman (SOC) lauded the social benefits of Fair Trade.
"Fair trade is a small but significant step toward recognizing humanity and the human reality of people who pick coffee beans," Fellman said. "The difference to the Brandeis consumer is minimal, the difference to the coffee producers is huge."
Evan List '08 said while he "absolutely" supports fair trade from a moral standpoint, the economic factors persuaded him to vote against the petition. List said it is efficiency in production that allows for lower prices, and that paying farmers a higher price for the same quality coffee eliminates incentives to become more efficient.
Assaf Ben-Atar '07 said he voted to pass the petition because he thought the Fair Trade Brigade ran a convincing campaign.
"I wanted to improve the overall living conditions of coffee makers in South and Central America," Ben-Atar said.
The petition came after an extensive lobbying campaign by the Free Trade Brigade, which included forums and advertising. Brigade members tabled in the Shapiro Campus Center, and with a laptop ready, invited students to cast their vote on the spot. Still, almost a third of voters were against the petition, despite no particular campus groups mobilizing in opposition.
Feinberg said student support has convinced her to commit to the conversion to Fair Trade coffee on campus, and she thinks Brandeis is behind the trend in making the switch.
"I felt that Brandeis was missing out on part of a movement," she said. "All of the local Boston schools had converted over [to Fair Trade coffee], whereas we say that our thing is social justice. We're founded on a pillar of social justice. Can we not make a little concession to pay an extra 20 cents to pay for coffee we know will help people's lives?"
