IU reaps benefits from cream, crimson emblem

As she walks down the Indiana Memorial Union hallway, no one can see IU senior Beth Levy's blue IU T-shirt, only because it is covered up by her navy blue IU sweatshirt. Like most IU students Levy feeds her fondness for anything IU with merchandise that bears the school letters.\nWhether students are wearing IU T-shirts, writing with IU pens or drinking from IU coffee mugs with the crimson and creme logo, the IU symbol is a fixture around Bloomington, and the University reaps the financial benefits.\n"I have shirts in just about every color, key chains, cheer bands," Levy said. "I guess I just have a lot of school spirit." \nShe said though the clothing isn't always cheap, it makes her feel special when she goes home to Texas.\n"People have a direct interest in their school and they feel they are a part of something," said Jay Wilkin, the manager of Steve & Barry's, 421 E. Kirkwood Ave., a retailer of IU apparel. \n"People often live vicariously through the athletic teams," said Wilkin, who suggested that IU merchandise is important to the thousands of alumni, students and people from IU who view the school as part of the fabric and culture of the state.\nThe IU Research & Technology Corporation makes an 8 percent royalty off every licensed item sold that bears the school's name. That equals to about $1 million a year for the University, depending on consumer attitudes and the success of IU's sports teams.\nSixty percent of these funds go to general scholarships, while 40 percent go to the athletics department, said Vice President of Licensing & Trademarks Jenny McDaniel. Her department also works on developing, promoting and protecting the licensed use of the IU trademark and promises to use the law to stop anyone who uses the symbol without permission.\n"We are always trying to figure out new ways in which to get people to use the IU name in new and unique ways," McDaniel said.\nShe also helps decide what companies can use the emblem and will not allow companies who use unfair labor practices, advocate violence or tobacco use the IU name. \n"We don't want people using our emblem who don't stand for what we at IU stand for," McDaniel said. \nDifferent schools and organizations also use the emblem to help raise money for their prospective organizations. But the force behind the success of the emblem is IU athletics.\n"The Michigans, Notre Dames and North Carolinas of the world make the most money," said McDaniel, referring to the success of the colleges' sports teams. "We are somewhere in the middle."\n"Beyond a shadow of doubt winning affects sales," said Paul Hazel, the director of the IU Bookstore, who said that sales for IU wear can increase 20 to as much as 50 percent after a win. "The phone calls from alumni for clothing increase with every IU win."\nHowever, the relationship between increased sales and athletic success might put added pressure on sports teams to be successful and the athletics programs to make hastier decisions to make more money.\n"Stakes nowadays are huge with all the money that goes into these sports programs," Wilkin said. \nThough the teams' success might waiver, IU students and alumni continue to rally around the school's logo. \n"People who are watching the games in front of their home television have to be in their IU crimson," Wilkin said. "People like to feel a part of the family."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Cordell Eddings at ceddings@indiana.edu.