UCL students are up in arms over the college’s decision to allow filming of a Nestlé advert in its iconic front quad.

The advertisement for Kit Kat Senses stars pneumatic pop princesses Girls Aloud walking down the college’s distinctive steps and waiting in front of its gates while platinum blondeshell Sarah Harding sits down and ‘has a break’. The ad was available to watch on the UCL website.

A motion passed in UCL Union’s council condemned the college’s involvement with Nestlé, which the students union has been boycotting for the past two years in protest against the company’s advertising practices in third world countries.

The company’s promotion of its milk formula to mothers as an alternative to breastfeeding has been criticised for breaking the World Health Assembly marketing requirements for baby food.

Breast milk is important for the development of the immune system, and the World Health Organisation estimates that 1.5 million children die every year as a result of inadequate breastfeeding.

Kate Rowley, UCLU Welfare Officer for 2008/09, submitted the motion to the union’s council. It intends to raise the profile of the boycott, which began in 2006 and was renewed this year, and explain to students the reasons for the union’s stance, resolving to “expand the campaign for ethical investment to include a call to disinvest from Nestlé.”

UCL’s current Education and Welfare Officer, Andrew Fernando, will write a letter to the college “expressing disappointment at their decision to allow Nestlé to film on campus, and reminding them that the students have chosen to boycott Nestlé.” The letter will also be sent to Nestlé.

UCL stocks Nestlé produce in its shops despite many students feeling unhappy about the ties between the college and the multinational.

One student commenting on Youtube said: “UCL should not have allowed Nestlé to use their building for this advertisement. Students have been trying to boycott Nestlé for years. I think it’s highly inappropriate and unfair. This is not an attack on Nestlé (even though I’m actively boycotting them) or Girls Aloud - just UCL. This is proof that it’s slowly becoming less devoted to its students’ interests. If they need/want to make money, they should have done it with a more respectable company.”

Sham Rajyaguru, one of UCL’s most committed activists said: “from working over the last couple of years as an activist in Disarm UCL I’ve discovered how difficult it is to push for UCL to adopt an effective ethical investment policy.

“I think it’s a huge shame that UCL ignored the Union’s policy on Nestlé and let the Quad be used to film a Kit Kat advert. This, alongside the issues over investment in arms companies and rip-off graduation ceremonies makes me think that our university cares more about making a profit rather than sustainable and ethical practices.”

Kate Rowley told London Student, “this term’s motion was passed almost unanimously by Council, although no one spoke against it.”

She added: “in an ideal world it would be excellent if we could persuade UCL to disinvest from Nestlé and stop selling their products. However, we should respect College’s decision should they decide to continue stocking Nestlé, it is then up to us to keep the students informed of our policy and let them make a decision on how they spend their money.

“Disinvestment is a more serious issue and has to become part of - and certainly not distract from - the wider call for our fees to be invested ethically that’s been carried forward brilliantly by Disarm UCL over the past couple of years.

“I have no reason to believe there was any deliberate disregard for Union policy involved in the decision to allow Nestlé to film in the Quad. As a student union, though, if we don’t continue to present our policy effectively to UCL we aren’t doing justice to our students and their beliefs.”

A senior academic at UCL offered some explanation of UCL’s approach to fundraising:

“The provost has to make some very tough financial decisions. Costs such as staff salaries and utilities are high and continue to increase. With the global economic downturn it has become difficult to maintain income, for instance charities’ investments have reduced returns which inevitably makes it harder for them to provide funding for research.

“Ultimately the college has to decide between what’s best for UCL and carrying ethical principles through to matters of fine detail. In my opinion compared to issues such as investments in the arms trade, allowing Nestlé to film this ad does not seem like a big deal.”

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Girls Aloud, Kit Kat, UCL Union