Penn apparel is far too expensive

Upon receiving word of acceptance into their first choice college, high school students are generally fairly ecstatic (we'd like to think that Penn was the first choice of many students). While this often leads to the impulse to purchase apparel of the school to which you were admitted, in the case of Penn, new students (and returning students who simply wish to show any measure of Penn pride) should be ready to dig deep into their wallets.

The price of Penn clothing at the Penn Bookstore is simply outrageous. A polo shirt costs $45. A light windbreaker costs $90. A rugby shirt costs $85. The otherwise exorbitant price of a Penn T-shirt ($17) looks downright affordable in comparison.

These extremely high prices are detrimental for several reasons. First of all, by their very nature they discourage many students from buying the clothing who might otherwise be interested. In turn, this reduces the number of people wearing Penn clothing, not just as a show of pride on campus, but out in the world as well. You would think the University would have an interest in the mass amount of free advertising that goes along with a higher volume of Penn students and alumni in Penn clothing.

If Penn feels that it is doing a fine business selling the clothing to parents euphoric beyond rational thought upon their child's acceptance, or just to students who make the college visit tour up and down the Eastern Seaboard, so be it. But Penn should consider offering some sort of discount on the clothing to current students, as a way to prevent them from being discouraged and uninterested in the apparel.

If a student discount isn't a viable alternative, Penn could encourage other stores to buy its licensing, so students could have a cheaper alternative (while tour guides could still faithfully bring parents and high school students to the Penn Bookstore). However, as it stands, the high price of Penn clothing restricts too many students from displaying their pride in our University.

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