New student orientation banks on naming rights

Freshmen who took advantage of the walking tours offered last Saturday during New Student Orientation may have noticed more than just Philadelphia's neighborhoods during their three-hour trek across the city.

For the second year in a row, Citizens Bank sponsored the PennTracks walking tours, its logo printed on maps given to students.

Citizens Bank spokesman Matt Ciciarelli said that the University approached Citizens Bank about the sponsorship.

"Penn approached us, and the powers that be gave it consideration and approved it," Ciciarelli said. "We have a good relationship with the University, and this is just a continuation of that relationship."

NSO Director David Fox said that the monetary gift provided by Citizens Bank has allowed for the expansion and enhancement of NSO activities, adding that sponsorships make it possible to do more interesting things for incoming freshmen.

"We've done walking tours before," Fox said. "Citizens Bank has sponsored them to take them to a new level."

Both Citizens Bank and Fox were unwilling to disclose the amount paid for the sponsorship. Fox refused to discuss how the money was put to use.

College freshman Zandy Cucharale said that he felt the sponsorship to be a little strange.

"I think it's a good money maker," Cucharale said. "It's a little sketchy . . . but I didn't mind it at all."

Did the sponsorship make him more likely to patronize Citizens Bank?

"Not at all," Cucharale said. "I didn't really give it much thought."

Engineering freshman Kyle Andrews thought that the sponsorship was a great idea.

"I think it's really good [because] Citizens Bank is one of the bigger banks in Philly," Andrews said. "It makes sense that Citizens would want to get in on the new students, too."

Andrews, who already has an account with Citizens Bank, said that he considered switching to PNC due to the high number of that bank's ATMs on campus but ultimately remained with Citizens.

Ciciarelli said that Citizens Bank is not sponsoring orientation events at any other colleges in the Philadelphia area.

While the tour guides were not required to discuss Citizens Bank, Ciciarelli said that many of them did anyway.

"It wasn't required for them to talk about the bank, but they do," he said.

Andrews said that his tour guide discussed Citizens Bank "maybe a little at the beginning, but it wasn't something that was reiterated throughout the tour."

Cucharale, on the other hand, said that his tour guide never mentioned the bank.

"I was with him the whole time," Cucharale said. "He didn't talk about it at all."

The PennTracks walking tours offer guided trips through Philadelphia districts such as West Philadelphia, the Art Museum District, the Avenue of the Arts, Chinatown, Historic Philadelphia, Rittenhouse Square, South Philadelphia and the Gayborhood.

Fox said that next year he plans on adding more walking tours, expanding the ones already established and opening them up to alumni.

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