A coalition of University groups expanded their criticism of Coca-Cola yesterday to include allegations of union busting in Turkey and Indonesia.

About 25 University students assembled outside the Fleming Administration Building last night to protest the University's contract with Coca-Cola. Protesters the building three times - once for Coca-Cola's alleged environmental violations in India, again for Coke's alleged complicity in violence against union leaders in Colombia and a third time for alleged union busts in Turkey and Indonesia. Afterwords, they moved past various administration offices inside the building.

"We wanted representatives from different groups to come to remind the University of the diversity of students in the coalition and the multiple aspects of this issue," said LSA senior Jayanthi Reddy, a member of the Association for India's Development. "It is not just an environmental issue or a labor issue. There are lots of students that would like to see the University cut its contract with Coca-Cola."

Currently, 20 student organizations - including Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality, the College Democrats and the University's United Asian American Organizations - have formally declared their support for the Coke Campaign Coalition. "We believe (the coalition) deserves a response from the University," said College Democrats chair Libby Benton. "Right now, it is important to keep up the presence and visibility and show that delaying a response won't make student activists go away."

Representatives from 18 of the 20 student groups were present at the protest, including the campus chapter of Amnesty International and the Graduate Employees' Organization. Yesterday's turnout was an improvement over a demonstration last month, when only four student members of the coalition showed up to picket outside the administration building.

During the past year, the Coke Campaign Coalition has pushed the University to cut its $1.3 million contract with Coca-Cola, based on the company's alleged international human rights and environmental abuses.

The University announced in October that Coke successfully met the first requirement for contract renewal set forth by the University's Dispute Review Board, which stated that the company must either engage in "good faith actions" or accept a third-party audit. The DRB, charged with investigating whether Coke adheres to the Vendor Code of Conduct, developed a set of deadlines Coke must meet for the 2005-06 academic year.

University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said the University's position remains that the best relationship it can have with Coke is one of exerting a positive influence on the company's conduct. She said the October decision to continue working with Coke was appropriate because there were indications the company had made progress toward complying with the code of conduct. The University's next deadline for Coke is set for Dec. 31.

Peterson said the University's contract with Coke will most likely be cut if the company does not meet the remaining deadlines or act in a manner that fosters a valuable working relationship with the University.

"The University has been taking this issue very seriously," Peterson said. "Students are free to express their concern, and this group of students want to let the University know of their concern with this issue. We are aware of that."

Some students, such as LSA junior and Environmental Justice member Ben Grimshaw, said that a show of support from multiple student groups might have more of an impact on the administration.

"We are confident that the contract will be cut soon," Grimshaw said.