Loyola students will be reaching a little deeper in their pockets this semester when they head to the Coke machine.

Over the semester break, Coca-Cola raised the vending prices of their canned drinks from 50 to 60 cents. Bottles of soda from the vending machines remain $1.

“Coke has wanted to increase the price for the last three years,” Chris Cameron, director of the Danna Center and Student Services, said.

Cameron said he has been able to hold off the price increase citing broken Express Card readers on the machines.

“The company (Coca-Cola) has been fairly consistent with continued inquiries regarding the Express Card and Loyola fixing the machines,” Cameron said. “Now that we have most of them back on-line on the main campus, Coke increased the prices.”

Cola-Cola has exclusive distribution rights on Loyola’s campus, but the contract with the company will expire in 2006.

“Coca-Cola by contract with the university determines the pricing of all its products,” Cameron said. “The university does not have the right to refuse a vending increase.”

The change in price is not a national increase, and only affects the machines on Loyola’s campus. Coke made the same increase on the Tulane campus two years ago.

Coca-Cola donates a yearly amount via check to the university because of its contract. Cameron uses the money to help maintain the machines.

Any money left over after the maintenance can be used on the Danna Center, according to Cameron.

Students and faculty received an email from Cameron on Dec. 17 informing them about the increase.

Many students are upset but understand the business side of the cost increase.

“I haven’t received many complaints,” Cameron said. “People are not happy about the change, but they understand that there was nothing that we could do.”

“I’m not too upset about the increase,” Natalie Boyer, political science senior, said. “Prices are always going to increase sooner or later.”

Some students are a little more upset about shelling out the extra 10 cents.

“It was so easy to just have one dollar bill and get back two cokes,” Paul Lilly, a general studies freshman, said. “Fishing for extra change is going to be a pain.”

Cameron is unsure about the university’s switching to another vender, such as Pepsi.

Coca-Cola is the largest distributor in the soft drink world, and Coke is traditionally more popular in the south. In recent years, Pepsi has concentrated its marketing in high schools.