Student petition seeks to replace UMKC Starbucks with local shop

  A petition to replace the Student Union Starbucks with a local shop has been circulating on campus, and it all started with Freshman biology major Laiba Baloch. The reason for the petition is Starbucks’s alleged ties to Israel, which Starbucks has publicly denied. 

  When the conflict between Israel and Palestine started, Baloch and her family decided to reevaluate their shopping habits, starting with their favorite coffee shop, Starbucks. 

  For Baloch, going to Starbucks with her mom to get their daily iced, brown sugar, shaken espresso was a fun tradition. However, after seeing on social media that Starbucks may have ties to Israel, she decided to reevaluate.

  “We took a step back, and we were like we can’t support something like this,” said Baloch. 

  During her orientation, she noticed the Starbucks on campus and decided she wanted to do something about it. 

  “I told my parents, I feel like we should replace this with a local business, like, that would be my dream,” said Baloch.

  Baloch hopes that students will join her in reevaluating how they spend their money.

  “I think it really matters, because it might seem like a mundane thing, just buying a drink every day. That $5 that you’re putting into getting your drink, where is it going? How is that being used?” said Baloch. “Starbucks is a multinational corporation that is tied to these other bigger businesses that fund genocide.”

 While the petition has gained some traction, there are many on campus who have voiced concerns, especially over how it could impact student employment. 

 “I have 15 to 16 students who rely on international jobs. For them to stay here, they have to work on campus, and if it was taken away that would hurt the international students,” said Michelle Richards, supervisor of the Student Union Starbucks. 

  UMKC has a notable international student presence on campus, with 14.6% of students being from other countries. 

  “If people are losing out on work opportunities, I think that’s a big thing,” said Selena Lauver-Garcia, a sophomore communications major.

  Richards also wanted students to know that the Student Union Starbucks is not a corporate location.

  “We don’t actually work for Starbucks. We work for Sodexo. It’s not run by a corporate Starbucks,” said Richards 

  Richards claimed that the Starbucks brand name has created many opportunities for students. 

 “We had a local coffee company, and we didn’t make much, so we could only employ, like, two people. But once we did build a Starbucks, that’s when we were actually making money for the university itself,” said Richards.

  Richards suggests that students who take issue with the Starbucks brand should instead go to one of the other coffee shops on campus, Einstein Bros and The Roasterie.

  Several students feel that supporting local businesses is a good initiative, but worry about cost.

  “I mean, it’s convenient. I know what I’m gonna get, but I also like supporting local. The only thing with local, sometimes it’s a little pricier,” said Taryn Sydzyik, a freshman dance major. 

   While many students are open to supporting local brands on campus, some have expressed concerns about drink quality and consistency. 

  “We have The Roasterie, and that’s local, and I know that their coffee at an actual shop is good, but here on campus it’s not that great,” said Sarah Hedrick, junior economics major.

While Starbucks does not have any direct ties to Israel, they have fired employees for showing support for Palestine, and several of its biggest investors do have direct ties, such as BlackRock and The Vanguard Group. 

[email protected]