Coca-cola soda cans

Photo via yourbestdigs/Flickr (CC-BY)

BYU now sells caffeinated soda on campus—and students are getting lit

Students cannot handle all that cola.

Photo of Samantha Grasso 

Samantha Grasso

IRL

Posted on Sep 22, 2017   Updated on May 22, 2021, 4:32 pm CDT

For the first time since the 1950s, Brigham Young University students are now able to purchase caffeinated soda on campus, and they cannot freaking handle it.

BYU’s students are raving about the Mormon school’s dining services development on Twitter, saying goodbye to the days they had to bring their own carbonated contraband to campus.

According to KSL.com, the school previously sold caffeine-free versions of Coca-Cola products, but this latest change will allow university students and staff to purchase the real deal. It was a decision made by BYU Dining Service and supported by the school’s Administrative Vice President’s Office as a way to keep up with changing consumer preferences and growing demand.

As clarified in 2012 by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which owns BYU, the Church forbids alcohol, tobacco, and “hot drinks,” but not specifically caffeine. So, while Dr. Pepper might be sold on campus, the school hasn’t moved its stance on coffee or tea. And while non-caffeinated soda versions will still be offered on campus, energy drinks didn’t make the cut.

“This is in response to the requests from our customers and our consumers who have been making more requests for caffeinated soft drinks on campus,” BYU spokesperson Carri Jenkins said. “We have been listening to the requests that have come to us.”

Clearly, students have waited longingly for this day to arrive.

https://twitter.com/McMittBabe/status/910913432924258304

https://twitter.com/Sean_Flan2/status/910889201620668418

There was even a campus moments story made for this sacred, caffeinated day.

https://twitter.com/Bmatheson03/status/911229789477912577

Yes, the BYU community drank to their hearts’ content. According to Jason Carter, the assistant general manager of BYU Dining Services, the school had gone through six or seven cases in a few hours, six times more than they usually sell.

Congrats, BYU, and maybe try to introduce this whole “caffeinated soda” thing into your system in sips, not gallons.

H/T Fox 8 Cleveland

Share this article
*First Published: Sep 22, 2017, 2:21 pm CDT

Samantha Grasso

Samantha Grasso is a former IRL staff writer for the Daily Dot with a reporting emphasis on immigration. Her work has appeared on AJ+, Vox, Splinter, Los Angeles Magazine, and Austin Monthly.

Samantha Grasso