Got milk? Then drink it

Charles C. Labenz Arizona Daily Wildcat Can you say moo-stache? Studio art senior Kate Ramlow (left) and media arts junior Senami Dalmeida certainly can. Both Ramlow and Dalmeida put on their best milk mustaches at the booth on the Mall yesterday afternoon.

College-aged men and women should drink at least three 8-ounce glasses of milk each day to meet their calcium requirement, a report from the Milk Processor Education Program stated.

That's the message milk educators on the University of Arizona Mall yesterday and today are trying to send to students, said Raffi Grigorian, senior marketing manager for Market Source Corp.

"We're trying to increase awareness of the benefits of milk to college students," Grigorian said. "At college, there are so many things to drink and people seem to stop drinking milk."

Representatives are handing out literature and photographing students for a milk mustache advertisement that will be featured in the Arizona Daily Wildcat this semester. The national-winning photo will be featured in Rolling Stone magazine.

UA is the first of 25 schools milk educators will visit this year, Grigorian said.

"This booth is an eye-grabber," he said. "Students walking by can easily recognize the celebrities (on the posters)."

About 2,000 UA students stopped by the milk booth yesterday, Grigorian said.

Less than one-third of college-aged men and women drink milk on a regular basis. On average, students drink less than a glass each day and tend to substitute milk with soda and coffee, a report stated.

Milk is important for students to drink because it strengthens bones and prevents osteoporosis, Grigorian said. Osteoporosis affects 25 million Americans, and one in five people afflicted is male, the report stated.

"It drives me nuts that I don't drink milk. I crave it," said Tim Quigg, management information systems sophomore.

Quigg said he cannot fit a milk jug in his dorm room's refrigerator.

Christine Alonso, undeclared freshman, said she buys a carton of milk rather than a jug to fit in her dorm's refrigerator. Alonso said she stopped by the milk booth because her friends wanted milk-mustache posters.

Justin Saltzman, finance sophomore, also visited the booth.

Although Saltzman is lactose intolerant, he said he was attracted to the booth because of the posters and pictures.

"I've learned (from the booth) that milk advertisers are using famous people to get us to drink milk," Saltzman said.