TapIn campaign continues to pressure university to honour referendum
On a very chilly Oct. 22, the Central Student Association (CSA) hosted a rally in Branion Plaza against the continued selling of bottled water on campus. Students who braved the cold hoisted placards, chanted slogans, and listened to Guelph community members speak about the administration’s alleged intransigence on the issue of removing bottled water from campus. The rally was followed by a “bike ride/walk/roll” downtown to 10 Carden Street.
Part of the CSA’s long-running TapIn campaign, which aims to promote the use of tap water on campus, the rally intended to remind students that the university has yet to halt the sale of bottled water on campus, despite the fact that in an official 2012 referendum, 78 per cent of students polled had voted against its continued sale.
According to the CSA, this fact is incongruent with the university’s commitment to promoting a sustainable environment and represents an affront to the demands of students. The CSA also points out that 14 other post-secondary institutions across Canada have already banned the sale of bottled water.
“It’s time for the University of Guelph to join 14 other university campuses across Canada who have taken a stance against the corporatization and manufactured demand of bottled water,” says the TapIn website. The site also notes the various environmental and social costs associated with the sale of bottled water, and highlights the quality of on-campus tap water.
Dominica McPherson, External Affairs Commissioner at the CSA, organized the event and is in charge of the campaign.
“We’re literally putting a price on something that people need to live,” said McPherson at the rally.
Roughly 30 students turned up to the event, and a few more were attracted to the demonstration while walking by – though the cold weather was proving an effective deterrent.
The university sells Nestle water and promotes it as a local, sustainable option, with operations nearby in Aberfoyle. The University of Guelph has a long-standing relationship with the company.
The CSA charges that the university has committed to perpetuating the sale of bottled water on campus indefinitely, and alleges, “the only reason provided [by the administration for this decision] was freedom of choice.”