It’s amazing what schools will do for a little bit of money. Last year I watched my highschool’s gymnasium turn into the “Discovery Federal Credit Union Gymnasium”. My Highschool and even within Kutztown have strategically placed Purell dispensers. When we buy food, we’re only given the option of Pepsi products. Even the Dixon Cremery has large signs advertising it’s supply of Turkey Hill Ice Cream. Corperate endorsements of educational facilities can be seen everywhere. However it’s more of a double edged sword, the school gets to brag that they supply their students with the best brand name, but at the same time the university is mindlessly whoring itself out to whoever will give it the most money. And I’m not overstating by using that w-word, the schools these days are doing no less than whoring itself out to the highest bidder.
But the thing is that no matter what happens, someone will be unhappy. If the school were to switch to some PA-Farmer brand cola, as soon as the switch happened there would be some group organizing complaining that they can’t get a brand name soda on campus. With the example I gave of my highschool’s gym, people may complain about the Discovery Federal Credit Union stickers all over the place, but they’re perfectly happy with all the extra money the endorsement has given the athletics department.
The way I see it is as long as they try to minimize the mindless whoring of school facilities, there’s a certain amount of corperate endorsement that can be delt with within an academic facility. Likewise, those students who protested the school accepting endorsements with companies with shady practices have the right and duty to make the students aware, because what fun would the college experience be without the occasional political protest?
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