Alcohol advertising under scrutiny

0 Comments | La Crosse Tribune, Aug 19, 2004 | by Magney, Reid

Student newspapers at La Crosse's two universities each accept advertising from bars, but have different standards regarding alcohol marketing.

The papers' policies are in the spotlight as the parents of a drowned UW-La Crosse student prepare to sue the university for allegedly promoting binge drinking that led to his death.

Jared Dion's parents filed a $250,000 claim with the university this week. Among their accusations - the university accepted ads in the UW-L Racquet for downtown bars. The family also faults the university and the city of La Crosse for running a bus between the campus and downtown, which was intended to prevent drunken driving.

Dion's drowning death last spring, after a night drinking downtown, prompted several meetings about Racquet advertising policies, said Travis Willing, who was business manager of the Racquet last year. He didn't attend the meetings.

The Racquet operates fairly independently, though last year an advisory board including students, staff and community members was formed, said Larry Ringgenberg, who's in charge of UW-L's student center and activities.

Last year, the Racquet received about 15 percent of its $50,350 budget from student activity fees, according to figures supplied by Ringgenberg. Much of the remainder is made up from advertising revenue.

Willing said bar ads make up "a decent amount" of the Racquet's ads, but he didn't have access to exact figures.

Ringgenberg said he saw some figures last year, but said the revenue from bar ads "was not as high as I thought it was."

Bar -ads for Club Rhino, Brothers and The Library regularly appeared in the Racquet last winter and spring, hilt don't make up the majority of ads.

About 20 percent of the advertising in a February issue of the Racquet was for bars touting alcohol specials, according to a Tribune analysis.

Many of the ads in the Racquet featured drink specials. "$3 gets you all you can handle on our 1/2 barrels," one ad said. "50 cent rail mixers all afternoon."

In comparison, ads for cell phone companies comprised 28 percent of ad space in the same issue.

At Viterbo University's Lumen student newspaper, it's a different story.

The Lumen does not accept ads "encouraging the unhealthy / unregulated consumption of alcohol (i.e. drink cards, happy hours, all you can drink, etc.)," according to a policy approved by the university's Publications Board.

Anne Ellefson, alcohol and other drug addiction prevention specialist at Viterbo, said bars may advertise events and food, such as karaoke, but not alcohol.

Viterbo spokesman Pat Kerrigan said the Lumen runs ads aimed at discouraging alcohol over-consumption.

A group of students produces the print ads, which appear in the Lumen and on posters around campus, Kerrigan said.