Last night, the Student Government Association addressed issues
that affect Saint Louis University students and chartered student
organizations.

SGA senators unanimously passed two pieces of legislation, one
concerned with spot funding for student organizations and the other
addressing the lack of posting space available for students in the
Busch Student Center.

The senate also deliberated over the use of Fair Trade Coffee in
the would-be DeMattias Coffee Shop.

Fair Trade Coffee is a program that ensures coffee farmers are
fairly compensated for the sale of their product.

Fair Trade also verifies that their coffee farmers adhere to
environmental standards. Black Student Alliance Senator Andrew
Chapelle, co-author of the resolution, explained the benefits
accrued by using Fair Trade Coffee on campus. “We need to really
think about how our money affects people out there in the world,”
Chapelle said. “In terms of coffee, it is a very important issue
that affects 25 million people.”

According to Fair Trade, farmers typically receiver between 30
cents and 50 cents per pound of coffee beans. Fair Trade guarantees
that their farmers receive a premium of no less than $1.26 per
pound of beans. On average, Fair Trade coffee costs $.05 more for
the consumer than the alternative.

Over the past year, Fair Trade Coffee has completely replaced
non-Fair Trade products at Georgetown University and Boston
College. Chapelle indicated that he was interested in eventually
selling Fair Trade coffee exclusively on SLU’s campus.

If SLU decided to exclusively feature Fair Trade product on its
campus, this would not affect the university’s business
relationship with Chartwells, since the food-service provider
features coffee blends that carry the Fair Trade label.

Ultimately, senators decided to delay their vote until next
week’s meeting, in order to hear opinions of SLU administrators
before making a final vote.