NCAA staffer Michelle Hosick sheds light on her favorite marketing plan.

I think someone in the marketing department at Southern Illinois deserves a raise.

On April 4, the Salukis will host their first "Kids Night Out" - a promotion that will give parents of kids ages 3-12 the opportunity to go out on the town while student-athletes babysit. The cost is minimal - a $5 donation partially benefiting the local Boys and Girls Club - and each kid gets a free Saluki T-shirt.

As the mother of a young child, I think this is brilliant.

Everyone wins. The parents get a night to themselves without the expense of a $10-an-hour babysitter. The kids get the attention of some local "stars" (and don't forget the T-shirt). And the school? The school is the biggest winner of all.

Every weekend from now until their "babysitters" graduate, those kids are going to beg their parents to attend a game, buy concessions, get a new T-shirt/jersey/Saluki stuffed dog. The one night out the student-athletes sacrificed to watch some snotty-nosed 8-year-olds could translate into community support from those parents for years.

I'll just be waiting for one of the Indianapolis institutions to do this. And lower the age floor to two.