Graduation is just around the corner for some seniors. The feeling is mushy, bittersweet. Every now and then, the graduate is overwhelmed by memories, and wants something tangible with which to remember their time at Seton Hill University (SHU). Whether it is a tee-shirt, a window cling or a pennant, there seems to be only one place to buy that special item: the campus bookstore.
The same seems true for teams and clubs who wish to purchase tee-shirts, hats and other items that say �SHU,� �Seton Hill University� or have the grinning Griffin on them.
However, with tee-shirts running around $15.95 each, according to online estimates, buying one seems costly enough, but 20 or 30 for a team?
By Amanda Cochran,
Editor-in-Chief
Graduation is just around the corner for some seniors. The feeling is mushy, bittersweet. Every now and then, the graduate is overwhelmed by memories, and wants something tangible with which to remember their time at Seton Hill University (SHU). Whether it is a tee-shirt, a window cling or a pennant, there seems to be only one place to buy that special item: the campus bookstore.
The same seems true for teams and clubs who wish to purchase tee-shirts, hats and other items that say �SHU,� �Seton Hill University� or have the grinning Griffin on them.
However, with tee-shirts running around $15.95 each, according to online estimates, buying one seems costly enough, but 20 or 30 for a team?
Other merchandisers are currently not an option, either. Check the walls of Steve and Barry’s – nope, no SHU there.
The capitalist inside screams, �MONOPOLY!�
And though the SHU bookstore may seem like it has complete control on SHU merchandising, there are more options if one looks beyond the Hill.
If a club or team wishes to have merchandise made with SHU’s official logos and Griffin, they may, on one condition.
College Book Stores of America, Inc. (CBA), the third-party company also known as the SHU Bookstore, must be given the first bid for the order, according to Paul Edsall, controller.
CBA has a five-year contract with SHU. The company receives free rent, utilities and first dibs on student merchandising and, in turn, SHU receives a commission from the business. This means that if an organization or individual wishes to go elsewhere for merchandise, SHU will not benefit.
So that means that a graduate who has a portfolio to put together, finals to consider and job hunting/graduate school applications to start will add tee-shirt purchasing to the To-Do List? Maybe not.
Edsall said the Steve and Barry’s idea is a good one, and that he would have a SHU business representative contact the company.
So for all those graduates who move away in the �active transformation of their world,� as the university objectives state, they may (if Steve and Barry’s picks up SHU merchandise) find and wear SHU without shipping charges of online purchasing even after their bookstore tee has holes. As for those who are at SHU, shop well. Let the entrepreneurial spirit work for you, and always look beyond the world on the Hill because it will soon be your own.
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