There is a marketing adage that goes, “If you are not the customer, then you are the product. At Tulane University, students have become both the customer and the product. With the students be billed more than $ 56,000 per year in tuition fees, there is no doubt that they are the clients of the university. However, the Tulane campus is increasingly flooding visitors to the campus with advertising. Grubhub has signs all over campus; The Wall Street Journal advertises in the library; and our sports stadiums are covered with sponsors of all types. How much do students pay for their time in college, why are they subjected to this constant stream of advertising?

There is an unshakeable feeling that there is something anti-collegiate about it. A liberal arts experience, in its idealized form, is a place of learning, free of special interests, an oasis where revolutionary ideas can germinate and grow in safety. In a way, it seems contrary to this goal, as the university invites for-profit companies into the neutral intellectual space that is the goal of a university.

Plus, it all sounds anti-Tulane. Tulane says that “Fostering a close and cooperative relationship with our community and our neighbors is one of Tulane University’s most important priorities. “ Still, the university is inviting multinational companies like Grubhub to the campus, whose high fees are passed on to local restaurants and directly hurt the local businesses that Tulane claims to support. The university spends thousands of dollars on campus health services, but allows energy drinks to advertise at the Lavin-Bernick Center. Students are adults and can make their own decisions, but it seems absurd to actively promote unhealthy choices when the university claims to work to help students lead healthy lives.

In addition, there is the aesthetic concern of advertising on campus. In other words, it is an eyesore. The Tulane campus is beautiful, with masterfully maintained greenery and flowers, and it has a lot of beautiful architecture. Bringing in outside advertisers to adorn our campus with their signage seems foolish, and it undermines the exhilarating aura of tradition in beauty that is the Tulane campus.

The benefit of the influx of advertising should also be discussed. Tulane having business partners brings in money for the school to spend on the student body and to employ members of the New Orleans community. But is this corporate partnership in its current form the best and most ethical way to achieve this? If the administration sticks to the decision to have these partners and advertisers, they should disclose how much they get from these deals, so students can see the cost it takes to get Tulane to compromise. on its mission.

Do we really need Grubhub when something like Nola delivery exist? D’livery Nola is a local alternative to corporate giants which are nationally recognized delivery apps. They charge a fair fee that is reasonable for the customer and the restaurant, and the money spent through them stays in the community. New Orleans has a vibrant community of local businesses that can be perfect alternatives to many of Tulane’s current partners. University money is better spent on local affairs instead of enriching shareholders’ dividends.