SGA Fee Proposals

[dawg80]

It also needs to be sold as advancing the University as a whole. Athletics is a tide that lifts all boats. You might wish it weren't that way, but it is.

Well, I say "needs" to be sold. That may have been the last heli out of Kabul.

Tech leadership is so far behind the curve, that was the last heli out of Saigon.

[Dawgpix]

The first part of this quote really caught my eye = "...very successful in their fields who would never dream of sending a dollar to Tech". I just returned from visiting a Tech grad friend of mine. He was a good friend, only child, both parents passed, and basically didn't have a place to leave his $$$ (mid 60s). During one of our conversations as we were recounting old times, he said that he has willed his estate to Tech once he dies. I told him that we had thought about setting up a scholarship within our major and his response floored me. He said that Tech was NOT interested in that type of scholarship at all. Basically, all they were interested in was $$$ to the general scholarship fund. He had conversations about setting up scholarships within our major and there was no interest from Tech on that at all. They didn't even want to talk about it. All they wanted was the $$ to go to the general scholarship fund. He got the impression that if he wasn't going to will it to the general scholarship fund, then they weren't interested. This would have been within one of the majors within the Engineering program. Oh well............

In my 20 years with one of the country's most progressive non-profits I learned (and we were taught) to not downplay donor designation, regardless of what the hired guns/higher ups wanted the donor to do.
Of course, the institution wants cash (to do what the heck they want with it).
The other side of that is when there is a donor designation, the targeted recipient must know so they can take ownership and thank the donor personally, etc.
Wonder how many who receive donor designations receive the same amount of less budget the next budget year.
The Do Right Rule should always overrule what the hired gun developlment department's philosophy.

PS-If the institution wants certain projects funded then they need to say so to donors. That, I think, has gone on with our latest athletic buildings.

[DallasDog]

In my 20 years with one of the country's most progressive non-profits I learned (and we were taught) to not downplay donor designation, regardless of what the hired guns/higher ups wanted the donor to do.
Of course, the institution wants cash (to do what the heck they want with it).
The other side of that is when there is a donor designation, the targeted recipient must know so they can take ownership and thank the donor personally, etc.
Wonder how many who receive donor designations receive the same amount of less budget the next budget year.
The Do Right Rule should always overrule what the hired gun developlment department's philosophy.

PS-If the institution wants certain projects funded then they need to say so to donors. That, I think, has gone on with our latest athletic buildings.

The budget reduction was a common tactic of some in the past. I don't know if it has continued more recently.

[HogDawg]

Not sure how open about it they could have been but was this sold as integral to advancing Tech athletics from a “conference affiliation” standpoint? Hard to say we need this if we ever have a pray of going to the AAC but from what I understand getting the budget up is a must.

That is CORRECT. Any thoughts of "moving up" to a new conference just went out the window for LA Tech, with that stupid vote. LA Tech now has both ULM and ULL in a BETTER football conference than LA Tech, with Tech having no options to be invited to a better conference, even long term. With Tech's small athletic budget, nobody is going to invite Tech to anything.

It's amazing to me that so many people at LA Tech have NO FORESIGHT about this kind of stuff. LA Tech was already in a rat race against ULM and ULL for state money and resources, athletic recruiting, new students and statewide popularity. And now, LA Tech's students just gave ULM and ULL the upper hand for the foreseeable future. Perhaps decades. There's no question that the Sunbelt will be a better football conference than the new CUSA 4.0. But damn, did LA Tech really have to just lay down and capitulate??

[techman05]

It’s who we are.

[JDubyadawg]

Meanwhile, if you are doing Reserved Tailgating at JAS, they just went up 67% on the minimum amount to reserve a space and they have moved all of us into one row that supposedly has more room, but we are not seeing that. It was an interesting Zoom Call meeting held last Wednesday with the Assistant AD's in charge of that and the "feedback" was not at all what they expected.

[PawDawg]

Here’s an idea…instead of doing more of what progressively killed tailgating during the Guice/Mclelland/Holtz years, let’s go back to what was working and proven to actually grow the game day experience.

This is what happens when mindless academia are running things.

[eagle2180]

Here’s an idea…instead of doing more of what progressively killed tailgating during the Guice/Mclelland/Holtz years, let’s go back to what was working and proven to actually grow the game day experience.

This is what happens when mindless academia are running things.

Just keep taking from the long time supporters, it requires too many resources to develop new strategies and ideas or admit that we made a mistake. The long time supporters will complain, but keep forking over the dollars.

[Blue Dawg]

Just keep taking from the long time supporters, it requires too many resources to develop new strategies and ideas or admit that we made a mistake. The long time supporters will complain, but keep forking over the dollars.

Not forever they wont.

[DallasDog]

Not forever they wont.

This! There are less and less of the deep pockets every year. It’s sad but they are passing away, and so is our chance to grow.

[DallasDog]

Meanwhile, if you are doing Reserved Tailgating at JAS, they just went up 67% on the minimum amount to reserve a space and they have moved all of us into one row that supposedly has more room, but we are not seeing that. It was an interesting Zoom Call meeting held last Wednesday with the Assistant AD's in charge of that and the "feedback" was not at all what they expected.

WT ever loving F!! How can we be this bad at everything that matters?

[roughedge]

I read a lot of student comments on social media about the proposal. Most of the negative comments (98% of them) centered around the proportion of the fee that would go to athletics as compared to mental health, spirit groups, and sports clubs. They were astounded millions would go to athletics compared to the small amount to mental heath, in particular. And criticism on why any of it was going to Greek groups. Looks like providing what was taken as an "inequitable" breakdown of the areas to be funded was a mistake.

Fee proposals in the past were some of the best kept secrets on campus. Those with a vested interest voted yes. Others were completely unaware of the referendums. Social media has changed that.

[Blue Dawg]

I read a lot of student comments on social media about the proposal. Most of the negative comments (98% of them) centered around the proportion of the fee that would go to athletics as compared to mental health, spirit groups, and sports clubs. They were astounded millions would go to athletics compared to the small amount to mental heath, in particular. And criticism on why any of it was going to Greek groups. Looks like providing what was taken as an "inequitable" breakdown of the areas to be funded was a mistake.

Fee proposals in the past were some of the best kept secrets on campus. Those with a vested interest voted yes. Others were completely unaware of the referendums. Social media has changed that.

Work out and eat meat, (many) problems solved

Our answer here can't be that we need more fee secrecy though. Would it have been better to sell this as athletics only, and if it doesn't pass all aspects of the university, including academics, will cease to have relevance?

[sharky]

Not forever they wont.

As long as Tech keeps selling the best seats and the best parking spaces (even better than the few allocated to the handicap) and calling this a donation, the wealthy will continue to fork over the necessary cash.

[inudesu]

It's for subscribers only, but this made Matt Brown's newsletter as part of a trend.


https://www.extrapointsmb.com/colleg...n-study-money/