By Margaret Hawryluk

The afternoon rush of students entering the Student Center on Friday, Nov. 12 was greeted by a young woman in heels and a blue dress encouraging them to “Drink Coke, it’s good for you! Fuck the rest of the world!”

This woman was Jessie Glasscock, a sophomore English major and member of Students Against Injustice (SAI). She, along with other members of SAI, continued the protest of Coca-Cola and its monopoly on campus by using shocking statements and reverse psychology to grab the attention of University faculty and students.

Between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. SAI members disguised themselves as “Billionaires for Coke,” a fake group consisting of “wealthy” people that support the Coca-Cola Corporation and its inhumane acts. The “billionaires” were dressed in fancy attire as they carried signs reading, “It’s our environment to hurt” and “Who cares that Coke is killing.”

They gathered every hour in front of the Cultural Center Theater pretending to be campaigning for Coca-Cola, shouting such phrases such as “The salt in Dasani is good for you” and “I own the environment,” Vanessa Cudabac, a junior Spanish and Latin American studies major, said.

The protest not only grabbed the attention of the students on campus, but administration as well.

Glassock said Public Safety was alarmed by the presence of the fake group and threatened to issue the protestors a summons for obstructing the area in front of the theater. SAI was therefore forced to move their demonstration elsewhere.

This tongue-in-cheek street theater act was meant to “show the absurdity of the Billionaires for Coke” and stir the curiosities of students in the SAI-sponsored lecture, “The Struggle for Human Rights in Columbia,” which highlighted the abuses of human and labor rights by corporations such as Coca-Cola, Cudabac said.

“We have to ask ourselves what corporations are doing, Cudabac added.

Although more petition signatures were obtained at the first protest where the students camped outside of President Stuart Rabinowitz’s office for an entire night, this protest proved SAI has caused a buzz around campus.

Cudabac said when she was acting as a “Billionaire for Coke,” a student approached her and said Coke was “horrible” and students should have more beverage choices on campus.

“It made me happy that people already knew about it,” Cudabac said.

Glasscock was also pleased with the results, noting the protest gained attention and was getting recognized around campus by students who saw her acting as a “billionaire.”

When students reacted negatively to her chants Glasscock yelled, “I’m just here to make you think.”

“The president and the administration support students’ freedom of speech,” Melissa Connolly, the assistant vice president of University Relations, said. “They have every right to protest.”

Connolly added while the contract has not been formally reviewed, Rabinowitz has met with members of SAI and remains open to discussing the issue with students who wish to voice their concerns.

SAI is depending on the actions of University students to push Rabinowitz to end the University’s exclusive contract with Coca-Cola and open the doors for other corporations to offer their beverages on campus.

Cudabac said the contract will most likely be broken, “If students sign the petition and show interest.”

Members of SAI disguised as the billionaires who support Coca-Cola´s inhumane acts to make the University aware of Coke´s exclusive contract on campus. (Photo courtesy SAI)