If you want to publish a coupon book that caters to college students, you’ll need plenty of offers for pizza, books, college T-shirts – and more pizza.
Oh, and don’t forget coupons for discounted legal representation in case you get busted for drinking too much or doing drugs. You know, when you get tired of just sitting around eating reduced-price pizza.
Those actual coupon offers are raising eyebrows at a Pennsylvania university that already has a reputation as a “party school”.
Within the pages of the “Campus Special” coupon book, distributed at Indiana University of Pennsylvania as classes began last week, are three coupons offered by a local attorney – “10% off alcohol related offenses”, “10% off drug related offenses” and “10% off criminal record expungement”.
Why, it’s the next best thing to getting a discount on the booze and drugs themselves!
Attorney Robert Muir, himself an IUP alumnus, told Pittsburgh’s WTAE-TV that he was approached by a student to promote his practice in the book. “I thought it would be good to give him some business and advertise,” he said.
Muir isn’t the only attorney to advertise in the coupon book, but he’s the only one whose offers are so specific. Other local attorneys have more generic offers, like a free consultation or a discount on any legal services. So if any students find themselves in a fender bender, or have a minor run-in with the law and need representation, they might want to call one of those other attorneys. But if they overdo it with the alcohol or mind-altering substances – call Bob!
And don’t forget your coupons!
The discount offers certainly don’t help the school’s reputation. In a study released this year by the drug and alcohol rehab directory Rehabs.com, IUP was ranked number 7 on the list of “most on-campus alcohol arrests per 1,000 students in 2012,” the most recent year for which data was available.
So, distasteful as it may seem to some, maybe Muir is onto something. He wouldn’t be offering his coupons if there wasn’t a demand for his services. And, as they say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity.
For the students’ sake, though, hopefully the Labor Day weekend hasn’t been too rowdy. The book only has one coupon each for alcohol, drugs and criminal expungement, after all. Students who can’t pace themselves and end up burning through all of their coupons for legal representation may have to bum extras from friends later in the year.
Trade you a pizza coupon for another “10% off alcohol related offenses” offer?
