The athletics department at the University of New Mexico received backlash from students after visitors to the department’s Facebook page saw an advertisement for Trump Hotels.
An advertisement for Trump Hotels appeared on the University of New Mexico (UNM) athletics department’s official Facebook page as a paid partnership featuring the UNM mascot’s logo, according to a report by the Albuquerque Journal.
“Calling all Lobos fans! We want to send you on a luxury getaway,” read the Facebook ad, “One lucky winner will choose from the eleven amazing Trump Hotels properties that span the globe. Enter here for your chance to win a trip with unparalleled service and extraordinary experiences!”
The ad included an image of the Trump Turnberry Hotel in Scotland, with a link providing more information, although the website is not currently active.
When your school claims to be all about diversity and acceptance but has a paid partnership with Trump Hotels. I guess it makes sense considering there’s a lawsuit against @UNM for its inability to help a female student after she was raped. Everyone’s a Lobo! 😒
PC:@ggallegos13 pic.twitter.com/QmNegYyED7— Javi 🌙 (@javiously711) February 2, 2019
Reaction from students and alumni on social media was swift.
“When your school claims to be all about diversity and acceptance but has a paid partnership with Trump Hotels,” said one user on Twitter, “I guess it makes sense considering there’s a lawsuit against @UNM for its inability to help a female student after she was raped.”
The tweet — which implied that the school lacks diversity due to having an ad geared toward students outside of Leftist groupthink — was posted with a screenshot of the Facebook ad.
“As an UNM alum, I am [thoroughly] disgusted with this. Perhaps it’s indeed time to cut ties with Learfield. Who probably gave big $ to the president,” read another tweet.
UNM came out with a statement clarifying that its media partner, Learfield Sports Properties, works with many different advertisers who provide them with brand content, according to Daily Lobo.
“This particular ad was approved for social media distribution last year,” stated UNM, “Due to concerns about the broken link, as well as fan responses, we decided to remove the ad.”
UNM student Ry Dozier-Lerum said the casual way in which the university handled the ad, and its removal, is “alarming,” according to the Albuquerque Journal.
“Especially because this is such a diverse university, I feel like there should be more thought put into that,” added the student, “It really seems kind of careless.”
The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico (ASUNM) Director of Communications, Brendon Gray, stated that his group was “definitely concerned” when they saw the promotional ad.
“[We] hope this incident will be an opportunity for administrators and leaders across campus to reflect on the tumultuous climate students navigate,” said Gray in a statement.
Gray added that ASUNM is waiting to hear “the full story” regarding the Trump Hotels advertisement.
“We’re definitely going to be watching this closely,” said Gray.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo and on Instagram.
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