Although many said worker conditions have improved over the past decade, union heads in California assert that life is still miserable for workers.

"The reasons why Cesar Chavez began the third boycott in 1984 are still valid--nothing has changed," said Mark Grossman, director of the press division of Chavez's union, the United Farm Workers (UFW).

Now, it appears the majority of students no longer feel as strongly about the alleged mistreatment of workers as they did several years ago.

"I tend to be forgiving. Other people feel [students are] conservative and selfish, and we don't care about anything beyond our world," said Sergio J. Campos '00, a member of RAZA, a Mexican/Latino-American student group which supported the boycott, in a recent interview. "But you have a lot of students here who recognize a lot more than people think."

Campos, however, said he does not attribute the results of the grape referendum to lack of caring but instead to student pragmatism. "The economy presses people to do well so they can do well when they graduate," he said. "It keeps people from jumping into causes that might be beneficial for them in the future. It's harsh to get involved in a cause. It's not pure selfishness but more practicality."

And HDS said students were the motivation behind the reconsideration of the boycott. "Each year we've been getting more and more requests for grapes, particularly in forums like our manager's roundtables," said Alexandra McNitt, a project manager with HDS.

Many students chose the juicy taste of the small, round fruit over considerations of what many activists deem inhumane treatment of workers in the fields.

"I'm excited about grapes--grapes are cool," said Mikhail S. Ulinich '99. "I just hope they're seedless."

Grape supporters formed the ad hoc Grape Coalition to advocate repealing the boycott. It was led by Adam R. Kovacevich '99, whose father owns a grape farm.

The Coalition argued that voting against the boycott was also a vote in support of students' rights, noting it would give them the choice whether or not to eat grapes. "We consider a vote to reinstate grapes to be a sign of respect of your fellow students' rights to be able to eat grapes through the school year," Kovacevich said.

Many student groups, including RAZA, UNITE and the Progressive Student Labor Movement (PSLM) opposed the Coalition.

After numerous debates, forums and a delayed vote, students finally voted on the referendum, deciding whether to vote "yes, I believe Dining Services should serve grapes of any kind" or "no, I believe Dining Services should not serve grapes unless and until grapes become available with a United Farm Workers (UFW) union label."

About 50 percent of the undergraduate population--3,166 students--voted. The turn-out for this election and for the council elections this year marked some of the highest numbers ever. Some took this as a sign that students are taking a greater interest in social issues.

"I was thoroughly shocked at how many votes we got for the grape referendum," Daniel R. Morgan '99, a member of the PSLM, said in a May interview. "I think this year has been a more activist year than previous years."

But both times students voted conservatively, moving towards passive decisions and away from the activism displayed during Jiang's visit.