| 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! | 
