Daily Trojan USC.edu

Issue date: 3/25/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Photo courtesy of Mike Urena, president of the North Area Neighborhood Development Council Bathing Beauties | Conquest advertises student housing with a billboard located across Figueroa Street from St. Vincent's Catholic Church and Elementary School.

A billboard advertising Conquest Student Housing that has gained negative attention from USC and the North University Park community was removed Friday for unknown reasons.

The advertisement, which had been posted for about a month at the intersection of Figueroa Street and Adams Boulevard, read that Conquest was "Housing the hottest student bodies."

The billboard also depicted three smiling young women wearing bikinis.

"When I first saw it, I was like, 'This isn't the USC I thought I was going to,'" said Jenna Stephan, a freshman majoring in biological sciences. "It gives the university a reputation I don't think USC wants."

While Conquest is a private company not controlled by the university, it is one of the most popular private housing options for students. Conquest is able to use advertising such as this because the company is so popular among students, said Paul Jansson, director of residential affairs in Undergraduate Student Government.

"Conquest has students who are supporting the business, so they can do whatever they want," Jansson said. "Because they have students who live there, they are rewarded for their actions, so they can get away with it."

Members of the community and the North Area Neighborhood Development Council also discussed the billboard, which was located across the street from St. Vincent's Catholic Church and Elementary School.

"The first meeting I sat in on as a board member, this billboard issue came up," said Max Slavkin, vice president of USG and member of the Neighborhood Council. "There are common interests between students and the community about this advertising."

Other members of the Neighborhood Council expressed their distaste with the billboard.

"Portraying college co-eds as sex-crazed party animals does nothing to foster a community relationship between long-term tenants/homeowners and USC students - a relationship that is often tedious at best," wrote Yolana Jones, vice president of the NANDC, in an e-mail. "Understanding the community in which these ads are placed and having the courtesy to show some consideration in deciding ad content would go a long way in building a better relationship ... between the community and those hawking their wares."

Conquest could not be reached for comment.

Although this billboard used advertising techniques that are surprising to many students, Conquest has used ads that similarly upset the community in several marketing campaigns.

In early 2006, Conquest launched billboards and bus stop ads that read "Get lucky every night" and "You know you want it."

Slavkin worked with Vice President of Student Affairs Michael L. Jackson, former USG members and Candy Nawroth, Conquest's general manager, to have the ads removed in December of that year.

But in early 2007, similar ads encouraging students to "Get lucky every night" appeared on Facebook.

"I think it's insulting," Slavkin said. "They're not the only company in the world to use sex appeal to sell their product, but to do something like this knowing the students, university and community are opposed to it and showing total disregard for that opinion is insulting to our integrity."

A Conquest ad now found on Facebook shows a man and woman in bed and invites students to "Sleep off your hangover in style."

"I think it was the Facebook ad that bothered me more," said Jennie Yang, a freshman majoring in biological sciences. "If I were a prospective student and I saw that, I'd wonder how seriously this school took education."

In order to eliminate future advertising problems, Jansson said USG was working to give students information about alternative private housing options via a resource center with other landlords, housing guides and legal counsel.

"The problem is there isn't enough housing in the area and people don't know about it, so they go for the easiest thing, which is Conquest," Jansson said. "By preparing this resource center that has listing of other landlords, they can go somewhere else that doesn't take advantage of them."

USG and Student Affairs are currently working on the final proposal of the project, and Jansson said he hoped to see the center within the next few years.

"Students know the reputation of Conquest, but they feel like they don't have any other options," Slavkin said. "We hope [the center] will educate students and give them access to other options."

While students said they were glad to see the billboard removed, they said they were not impressed by Conquest's advertising tactics.

"USC is well-known for academics and sports, and the student body has more to offer than sex appeal," Yang said. "Seeing it for student housing is really disappointing."

Even students who now live in Conquest Housing say the advertisements only hurt the company in the long run.

"I live here, and it's not worth driving around and seeing those absolutely disgusting and degrading posters," said Janet Krupin, a sophomore majoring in cinema-television critical studies. "[My roommate] and I are prime residents - we pay on time and we're quiet. They're turning us away because they're advertising to sleep off your hangover in style. We're completely turned away by the ads and are moving out of Conquest next year."

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools