This opinion is brought to you by Toyota – “”Moving Forward.””
Actually, that is not true. But this newspaper is brought to you free of charge by its advertisements for local restaurants, tanning salons and cable companies. Their sponsorship of the Guardian enhances journalism on campus by covering the cost of production and compensating the paper’s staff. But it ends there. There are several programs on campus struggling to make ends meet, yet few, if any, of them have harnessed the revenue-boosting power of ads. This resource has been ignored for too long.
The foremost program that desperately needs the aid of ad revenue is athletics. Students just approved a fee increase of $234 per year to get UCSD’s athletic program out of debt and generate sufficient funds to provide scholarships because the administration is unable or unwilling to provide that funding.
But that is not the only way to get the needed money. According to Registration Fee Advisory Committee Chair Garo Bournoutian, Cal State Bakersfield and Chico State earn, on average, 10 times more revenue from advertisements and royalties than UCSD does. These schools have Division II athletics programs about the same size as that at UCSD.
A quick glance at RIMAC’s basketball court and its football field (or lack thereof) shows why. The arenas are devoid of corporate logos. Other college and professional athletics programs make money by putting ads on the sidelines, above the bleachers and even on the support arms of the basketball hoops. For whatever reason, UCSD chooses not to.
Of course, advertisers will pay substantially less for exposure on UCSD courts than they do for that on televised courts. But this has not held back Cal State Bakersfield or Chico State, whose games are televised only locally, if at all. In fact, if advertisers indicate they would pay more if our games were televised, perhaps administrators will set that up and UCSD would take another step toward Division I.
UCSD would also benefit from more commercialism at its concerts. About 1,200 people attended WinterFest 2007 to see its headliners, Cursive and Zion I. The concert was hindered by the fact that it took place in Price Center Ballroom instead of the RIMAC Arena, reportedly so the A.S. Council could save enough money to have beer gardens at the Sun God festival. But why sacrifice when you can have it all?
Imagine the posters if UCSD embraced ads in its concerts. It would be WinterFest 2007: Presented by Pepsi Cola, in association with Axe Body Spray, MasterCard and a flurry of other companies which would love to corner more of the college-student market.
With more corporate sponsorship, the A.S. Council could make much-needed upgrades to these shows. It could afford bigger headliners like Akon or the Fray. It could afford to hold more concerts in RIMAC to accommodate all the students who would come out to see such popular artists. Having so many more students in attendance would give that much more exposure to sponsors, and they would likely pay more to advertise at the event next year.
And though it sounds unthinkable, UCSD would actually benefit from advertising in classrooms. Or, to be more precise, advertising the classrooms themselves.
Public and private schools across the country utilize wealthy donors, who love to see their names immortalized on a building or classroom. At UCLA’s Andersen School of Business, some of the largest and most luxurious classrooms are named after people. For example, outside the door to classroom Andersen D301, under the room number, there would be a name: The Henry Wilson Classroom. Inside would be state-of-the-art visual equipment and modern desks, all provided with very generous support from Wilson himself.
UCSD could easily adopt this idea. Chancellor Marye Anne Fox could send a letter to UCSD’s esteemed philanthropists noting that naming rights for one of the university’s largest lecture halls, like Center Hall 101, are now for sale.
After describing in what manner the recipient’s name would be displayed, the letter would note that all proceeds go to 1) refurbishment of the room itself 2) need-based undergraduate scholarships or 3) whatever project is of the highest priority.
The university has done naming to honor its most beloved employees (such as in Ledden Auditorium). Now it should think about naming to honor its students by funding needed improvements to the classrooms.
Yes, now.
The campus is under more construction at this time than at any in recent memory. This makes it the perfect time to help fund that construction with naming rights for the classrooms as well as the buildings themselves.
Advertising, of course, has its drawbacks. Haphazardly plastering corporate logos all over the basketball court could tarnish some of the purity and wholesomeness of the game.
Administrators would have to be selective in their solicitation of advertisements. For example, a concert sponsored by Mantra Films, the producers of “”Girls Gone Wild,”” would probably offend some students. Selling the naming rights to classrooms and buildings could be considered “”selling out”” and sacrificing some of the independence of the university.
These arguments, though, pale in comparison to the benefits that sponsorship will provide to UCSD. The university’s championship teams could get airfare to compete with the top Division II schools on the East Coast. Gnarls Barkley and other big-name performers could appear at Sun God. The old ‘70s-style chairs in the Solis lecture halls could be replaced with more modern ones. These necessities and luxuries can all be obtained.
UCSD’s fundraising ideas have been at a standstill for too long. It is time the university embraced advertising.
It is time it was “”Moving Forward.””
