Is it okay for college athletic departments to accept advertising from a state lottery? Erskine Bowles, President of the University of North Carolina system, has decided the answer is no.
"While it is legal for our students who are 18 or older to participate in the lottery, the lottery is nonetheless a form of gambling, and I feel strongly that we should not encourage gambling by our students," Bowles wrote. "The University's educational role extends beyond the classroom, and we should keep that responsibility in mind as we make decisions about which entities our campuses contract with for advertising or athletic sponsorships."
The North Carolina state lottery spent more than $300,000 in advertising and sponsorships with six state schools during the 2006-07 school year. Most went to the system's flagship campus in Chapel Hill, with $120,000 buying in-game check presentations, two basketball season tickets, and an ad on the athletic department's Web site.
Dick Baddour, Athletic Director at UNC-Chapel Hill, says he was not aware of any opposition when the department and the lottery agreed to a one-year deal covering the 2006-07 sports seasons. "Before we pursued it, we had conversations about whether this was okay for us to do, and we decided it was," he says. "But now I have a directive to follow and I'm not going to second guess it.
"When we lose a sponsorship like this, I'm always concerned if we'll be able to replace it," Baddour continues. "But the president has made a decision based on his sound judgment, so we'll implement it."
The decision has also affected East Carolina University, where the lottery spent $40,000 on advertising and signage last season. "We take our marching orders from President Bowles, and I personally appreciate his willingness to take a stand on this issue," says Terry Holland, ECU's Athletic Director.
Alice Garland, Spokesperson for the North Carolina Education Lottery, says she was surprised by the move. "We see the college venues as being largely an alumni audience, not students," Garland says. "In several cases, the universities contacted us for the sponsorships, so it was clearly something the individual schools wanted. And the lottery money is used for college scholarships. Students are the ones who benefit from our scholarship dollars, so it seems a natural relationship to us."