Cold Beverage contract expires in August

The University’s Cold Beverage Exclusivity Agreement with Coca-Cola expires in August, and a decision about whether Queen’s will re-enter the agreement is forthcoming.

The exclusivity contract was signed in 2000 and originally expired in 2010, but was forcibly extended by two years. The contract gives Coca-Cola exclusive rights to sell their beverages on campus, such as in vending machines, cafeterias and in AMS services.

The University’s contract with Coke has been criticized in the past by groups like Queen’s University Against Killer Coke because of alleged human rights abuses in Coke’s factories.  

Coke has provided Queen’s with over $5 million funding for the contract, $4 million of which went toward the construction of the Queen’s Centre. The remainder is split 30/70 between the library and student organizations, about $100,000 per year in total.

If the University doesn’t enter a new exclusivity agreement with Coke, it can either sign an agreement with another supplier or allow a variety of beverage companies to supply their products.

A request for proposals has been issued, but Queen’s is still in the negotiation process.

See queensjournal.ca for updates once a decision is announced.

— Holly Tousignant

New copyright services

Queen’s won’t be signing an agreement with Access Copyright – a decision that has led the University to develop new copyright services in its place.

The new services include helping faculty access materials in compliance with copyright laws. Professors who wish to reproduce materials must report to the on-campus Copyright Advisory Office, who will then look into purchasing clearance.

The requirements for scanned copyright materials to receive clearance will be reviewed by the University on a case-by-case basis.

Queen’s chose not to sign with Access Copyright in June after campus groups including the AMS, the Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS) and the Queen’s University Librarians and Archivists (QULA) released statements condemning the agreement.

“We really considered all this very carefully,” University Librarian Martha Whitehead said. “The University believes the decision not to sign is in the best long-term interest of the university.”

The agreement’s associated fees would have cost each full-time student up to $22.50.

Queen’s has been operating without a copy license agreement since December 2010 when the previous Access Copyright agreement expired.

— Rachel Herscovici and Holly Tousignant