Students vote for new M&M;'s

Pink, purple or blue. Those were the options more than 50 students who came to Houston Hall Friday had to choose from. And the topic was which color, if any, should be added to "M&M;'s" Chocolate Candies. The stop by the M&M;/MARS Corporation was part of a nation-wide campaign to determine which color M&M;'s consumers would prefer. If a new color is chosen, it will be the first addition to the M&M;'s since 1941. It is also the first time since that year that the M&M;/MARS company has asked its consumers to vote for a new color. Students had strong views on the subject and were ready to discuss the pressing issue. If there is a color change, College sophomore Jessica Manlove threatens to "boycott for a while." "I don't think there should be a change," she said. "It's tradition. I was against it when they put the red back in." But other students disagreed. "Blue?I love blue," College sophomore Heather Beltran said. "Blue Blowpops are the best and blue tongues are cool. Besides, purple and pink are already out in Valentines Day candy." However, blue is already in the M&M;'s Easter Blend, and therefore would not be completely new. Wharton sophomore Felix Estrada said he would like to see purple added to the blend. "Purple is a majestic color," he said. "It's royal." Estrada added that having a person dressed up as a blue M&M; at the voting site might cause bias. The blue M&M; and its spokesperson refused to comment. First-year Medical student Ann Poduri said she was happy to see the blue M&M; walking around. "Blue is my favorite color," she said. "It would go nicely with the green and I think the other colors would clash horrifically." Poduri said that although she thought the color selection was a good marketing technique, it would not entice her to purchase more M&M;'s. Free M&M;'s samples were also distributed by the giant blue M&M; and students gave him hugs in return. Voting began on January 15 and the polls will close on March 17. The official result will be announced to the general public in April.