It'll be Coke, not Pepsi that Catawba College students find in vending machines and the dining hall when they return to campus for spring semester 2015. Thanks to a new contract the College signed with Coke, students will also be able to use their debit or credit cards to access this line of beverages from vending machines across campus.
The new contract, effective in early January, runs through the 2019 academic year. Coke products will also be available through the concession stands at various athletic events.
"We believe that the majority of our student population will be very pleased with the switch," explained Catawba Dean of Students Ben Smith. "Coke is planning a series of on-campus events at which they will re-introduce their line of products to campus."
Students will also benefit this New Year with some added amenities on campus. Mobile phone charging stations, branded with Catawba logos, have been installed in multiple locations. These are available in the Hedrick Administration Building (first floor); the Cannon Student Center (Leonard Lounge, Student Affairs Office Suites, McCorkle's, Game Room); the Hayes Field House (Athletic Training Room); and in the following residence halls: Woodson, Salisbury-Rowan, Stanback and Hollifield.
New flatscreen televisions are being installed in lobby spaces in the upper class residence halls, Goodman East and Goodman West, and in the freshman residence hall, Salisbury-Rowan.
Smith said that the spring launch of Catawba's new Bike Share program will perhaps be of most interest to students. Initiated by Environmental Steward Dan Couchenhour '14, the program used the money saved from residential students' water conservation efforts on campus to help purchase 12 new yellow bicycles with baskets, helmets and locks from the local Skinny Wheels bike shop in downtown Salisbury.
Couchenhour's campaign, which began during the '13-'14 academic year and was taken over this year by new project leader and Environmental Steward Joel Schlaudt, earned the support of a donor who matched, dollar for dollar, the monetary savings the students realized through their conservation efforts. Through savings and matched donations Couchenhour and now Schlaudt's "A Gallon a Day" effort accrued over $4,400 which includes the match. Catawba students will soon be able to "rent" one of the bikes from the Student Affairs Office on campus.
"It [this campaign] has changed into something bigger," Schlaudt says. "It now focuses on helping students become aware of not only their water usage but their whole lifestyle. It encourages them to use less paper, waste less food and recycle."
