FARM's Sponsorship Appeal

Corporate sponsorships are often used by educational institutions as an alternate stream of revenue. Proponents claim that it allows them to keep classes running and that the corporations rarely get involved in defining curriculum. Critics contend that it compromises the integrity of the curriculum and ends up serving as an endorsement for products and services. In some cases the corporations also ask for the rights to the intellectual property produced by the students in the class.FARM (Future Action Reclamation Mob) began as Robyn Waxman's MFA thesis project. The project is an alternative form of non-violent protest and reclaims public space to build community, provides services for underserved and transient populations, and rehabilitates toxic land. During the project Kraft/Triscuit contacted Waxman through a nonprofit urban farm organization. They wanted to corporately sponsor the San Francisco FARM so they could use it for advertising... to show their engagement in ‘humanitarian’ projects. In exchange they would give them soil, seeds, and a part time gardener. Waxman said this would have been the cheapest advertising opportunity money could buy—especially since they get dirt, seeds and a workforce via donations and volunteering. After brief consideration, Waxman responded by letting them know exactly how she felt about a company that peddles diabetic-causing food to (mostly) children wanting to associate themselves with an organic urban farm... as if they actually built it.Where do you weigh in on corporate sponsorships? Do you think there's a place for them in education?