Looking at the many vending machines on NIU’s campus, students should expect to see a lot of Pepsi.

NIU has an exclusive license agreement that makes the university a Pepsi-only campus, said Bob Albanese, associate vice president for Finance and Facilities.

Therefore, anyone who uses university funds to buy food or drinks must buy Pepsi products.

Through this agreement, NIU receives $400,000 a year in scholarship money, as well as marketing for athletics and the enhancement of education and quality of university life, Albanese said.

“For university student-sponsored events, Pepsi will hand out products as a marketing tool,” Albanese said.

NIU made the agreement in 1999.

“Pepsi and Coke were soliciting campuses for agreements at the time, and Pepsi gave us the best deal, so we have their products exclusively,” Albanese said.

This eight-year contract will expire in 2007.

“We don’t think that the next offer will be quite as lucrative, but we’ll try to get something,” he said.

On occasion, NIU has allowed small amounts of Coke products to be available.

“If there is an event in the Convocation Center or somewhere else, and people want rum and Coke as opposed to rum and Pepsi, then we can supply small uses, but there are very little exceptions,” Albanese said.

Albanese has seen benefits of the agreement with Pepsi.

“They’re good corporate partners,” Albanese said. “As we’re going through budget cuts, it’s good to receive benefits from their products.”