BLOOMINGTON, IN — Even with tuitions rising and many universities seeking innovative ways to lure students to their campuses, some methods of promotion are less welcome than others. Indiana University, for instance, would prefer that famous softcore girlie magazine Playboy not promote the beauty of its student body’s student bodies.To express its extreme disapproval of being included in Playboy’s most recent issue, which features the “Girls of the Top Ten Party Schools,” the college is not curbing its students enthusiasm for drinking, dancing, and getting down and dirty. Instead, it’s considering a trademark infringement lawsuit against the esteemed, if controversial, publication, which recently featured nine of the University of Indiana’s female students posed sans garments next to their alma-mater-to-be’s logos.
Although the 2002 and 2005 issues of Playboy included models from Indiana University, this year’s poses, which included four girls at the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity house, were the first to include the university seal and trademarked “pitchfork,” according to dean of students, Dick McKaig, who has not seen the issue in question. McKaig, based on reports that have come to him regarding the identifying logos, plans to contact Jenny McDaniel, counsel for the university and vice president of licensing and trademarks with the IU Research and Technology Corp.
When asked about the issue, Theresa Hennessey, the Midwest publicity representative for the magazine observed that the symbols from the fourth ranked party university were not the only ones to appear in the publication. Indeed, according to Hennessey, the Delta Upsilon fraternity flag and several other logos for party college winner Wisconsin also are visible.
Chris Hoffman, president of the Wisconsin house thinks photos which depict two nude women are “funny” and feels that the opportunity to take such photos was likely “too good to pass up.” University officials plan to look over the photos, which showcase the attributes of 23 fraternity members and 19 nude or semi-clothed students before deciding whether to pursue legal action.
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Hennessey indicated that, given how protective her company is concerning its own logo, no actionable offenses had been committed.
The controversy doesn’t end with the university itself, however. Whether or not the ATO frat house was actually used is also uncertain. Although four of its members are posed with two male observers and a poker table with scattered cards in a room that appears to be the ATO trophy room, the current president of ATO could neither confirm nor deny the actual location. “I was not president at the time and we’re not going to support it,” Brad Blinn insists.
Blinn claims that a member of the house serves as a publicity representative for Playboy and that their involvement may be why people perceive the fraternity to be associated with the photos. He also proposed that a room mock-up may have been constructed in order to resemble the ATO trophy room.
McKaig says that there is little likelihood that the university will take action against the ATO fraternity, given that the house is on “private property.” Additionally, while there have been complaints about Playboy’s photographers being on campus in the past, nothing of the like occurred this year. “Usually I just tell parents that if they’re of legal age and it wasn’t on campus, there isn’t anything we can do.”
This year’s models engaged in a university first by autographing copies of the publication at The Den.
Party school ranking this year saw Wisconsin at the top, followed by University of California, Santa Barbara; then Arizona State University; IU; San Diego State University; Florida State University; Ohio University; University of Georgia; University of Tennessee; and then Canadian McGill University. Rankings are made based upon information from the Kinsey Institute and general university reputation, as well as interviews with more than 250 students and professors throughout the country.
Playboy editorial director Christopher Napolitano explains Playboy’s stance on the issue by saying that “We feel that the students at each of the universities on our ‘Top Ten Party Schools’ list have the opportunity to receive an excellent education while enjoying an active social life.”
