| BOOT THE BELL CAMPAIGN
SUCCESSES |
For some time now, news of successes in the Boot
the Bell campaign has been coming in to Taco Bell Boycott Headquarters
here in Immokalee. School by school, victory by victory, students
have declared their campuses "Taco Bell-free zones."
Well, here is the latest list of the schools
to Boot the Bell (as of March, 2003):
1. Middle Tennessee State University: In Fall 2002,
three MTSU students joined workers for Alternative Thanksgiving
Break in Immokalee where they learned first hand about Taco Bell's
sweatshops by working in the fields alongside CIW members. They
returned to school determined to boot Taco Bell from their campus.
After meeting with the Aramark representative on their campus, administration
quickly agreed that Taco Bell should be removed from their campus
-- come Fall 2003, MTSU will no longer serve sweatshop tacos!
2. California State University, Los Angeles: A
year and a half ago, CSULA temporarily closed down the Taco Bell
franchise on their campus to renovate the cafeteria and rebuild
a larger Taco Bell. After a series of protests, petitions, and meetings
with administration led by students and faculty, administration
agreed that it was in the university's best interest not to rebuild
the Taco Bell out of respect for the large Latino population on
campus and the growing sentiment among Latino youth to boycott Taco
Bell. ¡¡¡Si se puede!!!
3. Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama: After
a series of protests, actions and meetings with administration in
Fall 2002, students at Samford University returned this semester
to find that Taco Bell was removed from their campus. Administration
claims that the franchise was removed because it was not profitable
-- hmmm, I wonder if the loss of profits had anything to do with
the bad aftertaste of sweatshop labor?
4. University of Chicago: In Spring 2002, students
organized an intense campaign to demonstrate student support to
remove Taco Bell from their campus. In Fall 2002, administrators
met with students and agreed that ?students had been successful
in influencing the student body that Taco Bell was, and is, a "bad
business decision." Students and administrators agreed to "form
a committee to discuss and plan the possible removal and replacement
of the Taco Bell on campus."
5. University of San Francisco: Students protested
the presence of a Taco Bell on their campus in the Spring of 2002.
As a result, their food service provider, Sodexho Marriot, agreed
to pull Taco Bell off campus by Fall 2002. When students returned,
the Taco Bell was no longer on campus and the USF website reported
that "a campus movement to break the university?s tie with
Taco Bell resulted in the removal of the chain."
6. University of Notre Dame: ND was considering
bringing Taco Bell on campus on three different occasions, but student
mobilizations prevented all three attempts.
7. University of Pennsylvania: Students organized
to successfully prevent Taco Bell from coming on their campus in
Fall 2002.
8. Milwaukee Area Technical College: The administration
chose not to take in a Taco Bell on campus due to support for the
boycott in Spring 2002.
9. University of California, Berkeley: Student
government endorsed the Taco Bell Boycott. Students also organized
to keep Taco Bell off their campus in Fall 2001.
10. Carmel High School: Students in Illinois succeeded
in having all Taco Bell products pulled off their shelves in Fall
2002.
11. Duke University: Students successfully organized
to pull all Taco Bell products from the shelves in Fall 2001.
12. West High School in Denver, CO: Students formed
an Immokalee Support Group and succeeded to getting their school
to stop buying Taco Bell products in Fall 2001.
13. Sunflower Catholic School in Florida: The school
stopped buying Taco Bell products due to student support of the
boycott in Spring 2001.
14. Catholic Schools in Gary Diocese of Indiana:
Ensured that no Taco Bell products were sold on any of their campuses,
for a total of 30 high schools.
15. University of California Student Association:
Representing students at every UC school, including universities
with Taco Bell on their campus (UCLA and UC Davis), endorsed the
boycott and committed to taking action to remove all Taco Bell franchises
and products from UC shelves in Spring 2002.
16. San Diego State University: Student government
endorsed the boycott in Spring 2003.
17. Cal Poly Pomona: Students prevented administration
from putting Taco Bell on their campus for at least three weeks
and are now organizing to permanently remove Taco Bell from their
campus.
The CIW congratulates students at all of these schools -- true allies
in the fight for fair food -- and looks forward to even more victories
as the Boot the Bell campaign really takes off this school year!
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