Advertisers are aiming to target college students in the State with a controversial new scheme. The Oxigen advertising agency wants to promote its clients' products on computer screensavers in the libraries, computer labs and study rooms of Irish colleges, writes James McDonald.

The London-based company has already purchased space on computer screensavers in 28 universities in Britain, including the 5,000 screens at Manchester Metropolitan. And according to Oxigen's co-founder and marketing director, Charles Varley, Irish colleges are next on the list.

"We are planning to break into the Irish market at some stage in the near future," says Varley.

"It will be a superb opportunity for colleges in Ireland. They will be able to earn enough money from the scheme to replace their entire computer system every three-and-a-half years," he says.

Varley says that colleges will keep full editorial control over any adverts shown on their computers. "Every college will have three working days to reject any advert before it goes up on computer screens," he says.

The Oxigen scheme also promises that one-third of each day's screensaver time will be dedicated to messages from the college to its own students, such as lecture times and club and societies announcements.

In Britain, some colleges have responded positively to an opportunity to make money and at the same time make contact with their students, but others suggest that Oxigen's plans are one more step towards a sponsorship- and advertising-driven college environment.

Dr Gillian Evans, the public policy secretary for the Campaign for Academic Freedom and Academic Standards in Britain, believes that advertising should not be allowed further into education.

"When you get to a point that universities have to scramble around for money from anywhere, they might have to accept things that go against their morals," she says.

Varley says that this is low-impact advertising, and that each university selling its screensaver space consults with student-union representatives on what sort of adverts would be acceptable.

The company also says that students could design their own university's messages and that psychology departments could study how people then react.