UH Students for Fair Trade

Several Students for Fair Trade members had a meeting with UC honcho Keith Kowalka yesterday. He said that the student run Shasta’s ice cream store in the UC would be vending coffee by August 1. At least one blend would be fair trade. Without any prior notice, Mr. Kowalka reneged on his April promise to us to make the store 100% fair trade. The projected vendor for Shasta’s according to Kowalka is Katz coffee, which is an independently UH alumnus owned business.

Kowalka also claimed that a Starbucks would be put in the MD Anderson 24 hour study lounge by April ‘08 despite the Student Government bill passed mandating that be a 100% fair trade vendor. While the Food Service Advisory Committee meetings don’t back up that claim, Mr. Kowalka claimed the decision was made outside the FSAC.

The University, without consulting students or the Food Service Advisory Committee have decided to close the Java City outlet in the UC in 16-18 months. Currently 4 of 5 blends offered in Java City are Fair Trade Certified. Java City national sales manager Cathy Dodge refused to comment this morning and referred questions to Aramark.

Daily Cougar - University of Houston, Volume 72, Issue 131, April 17, 2007
Taylor Gibson, Guest Columnist
There has been a lot of discussion about adapting our campus to sell only fair trade-certified coffee. There have been many misconceptions and incorrect statements made concerning fair-trade coffee, especially by members of the Student Government Association. [...]
Read the full article

Featuring Timothy O’Brien, speaking out against the relationship between the University of Houston and sweatshop labor to craft uniforms for college football team and University of Houston brand clothing.

Featuring Timothy O’Brien and Ross Barnard, discussing Fair Trade movement and Fair Trade at the University of Houston.
Listen to this radio interview

Read the first bill, authored by Timothy O’Brien, to push for 100% Fair Trade coffee to be sold on the University of Houston campus.

Download this document as Word (doc) or Adobe PDF (pdf)

Read the resolution that was passed.