T-shirts remind Dr. Phil that, yes, there is a Slippery Rock University
Remember that time Slippery Rock University and Dr. Phil got into a spat?
SRU does.
The university had T-shirts made to commemorate the dust-up, and some of the proceeds will go into a student scholarship fund, according to spokeswoman Rita Abent.
In April, Phil McGraw, the TV celebrity therapist better known as Dr. Phil, issued a public apology to Slippery Rock University after invoking its name in comments he made about the admissions scandal involving several top U.S. universities during an interview with People.
He basically said SRU isn’t the kind of school parents would brag about their kids attending — or bribe someone to get them into.
McGraw later claimed he didn’t know Slippery Rock University actually existed and thought he was making up the name.
So, to have a little fun with the situation, the university had the T-shirts made, Abent said.
Available in the school’s colors of white-on-green or green-on-white, the shirts proclaim: “Yes, there is a Slippery Rock University.”
University President William Behre first gave the shirts as gifts to this year’s graduates attending a commencement rehearsal in May, Abent said.
The shirts went on sale through the bookstore this week and also are available on the university’s SGA Bookstore website.
Shirts cost $10, with $5 from the sale of each shirt going to a student scholarship fund.
“We wanted some good to come of this,” Abent said.
Abent said Dr. Phil has not responded to Behre’s invitation to visit the university.
“The invitation is still open,” she said. “We’d love to have it happen.”
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a TribLive reporter covering news in New Kensington, Arnold and Plum. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, Brian has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.
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