Lively tabling is a trademark of Red Square, and bright fliers fight for space on campus buildings. One marketing technique that is relatively new to Georgetown resurfaced early this week on the grassy intersection between Regents Hall, the Intercultural Center and Harbin Hall. The large stand occupying this location promotes Samsung products and was preceded this fall by several stands marketing Dasani flavored waters. While the stand might not directly intrude on daily life, its presence detracts from campus integrity.

Georgetown has always taken pride in its traditional closed campus, which gives it a leg up over other city schools in the area. To stay true to its ambition to provide a tight-knit living and learning community, the university should reserve campus space for uses that improve the intellectual and personal growth of its residents. Drawing in students to consider its products with loud music and graphics, the Samsung hut fails that standard. The stand also occupies space that is off limits to such advertising from student groups — a priority that should be reversed. More importantly, such commercialization conflicts with the atmosphere originally intended for Georgetown’s campus.

It is unclear what benefits the university is reaping from these stands or if the school has a contract with university suppliers. And while the university certainly has autonomy over its finances, renting out parts of campus to commercial interests seeking to capitalize on the college student demographic should not be acceptable.

The university should reconsider allowing companies to use campus space for advertising. Georgetown spends thousands of dollars on flower arrangements — a reflection of the school-wide belief that aesthetic matters. Be it Samsung or Dasani, these stands fit neither the landscape nor the spirit of our campus.