BYU students staging a protest against the no-caffeine policy on campus were asked to leave Brigham Square by police officers.
The demonstration was advertised on Facebook, and students planned to hand out 200 cans of caffeinated soda at Brigham Square between 11:50 a.m. and noon on Friday.
According to Seth Howard, who spearheaded the operation, the group handed out 50 cans in three minutes before police officers arrived. The students were informed that they had not gone through the proper channels to hold the event and were asked to take the cans of soda and sign off campus. The officers gave a warning, not a citation. Howard and fellow students stopped giving out drinks and began to move the coolers the drinks were in.
'We just wanted to show BYU there is a demand for caffeinated soda,' said Scott Wyman, one of the students involved in the protest. 'We want to show that people will purchase them.'
Howard got involved with the 'BYU for caffeine' Facebook group after hearing that BYU dining services saw 'no demand' for drinks on campus.
'BYU's reasoning wasn't accurate,' Howard said. 'We really hope to see a change. It's not about the caffeine, it's about the flavors.'