SGA Fee Proposals

[DallasDog]

There are so many other successful universities out there that have engaged students, engaged alumni, stadiums that are filled or mostly filled, and good numbers in their athletic foundations. You would think we could just copy the bits and pieces that would apply/work for us. There doesn't need to be any reinvention of the wheel. Then there is Tech, we actually seem to strive to make things harder on our students to be engaged and harder on our alumni, especially those outside of an hours drive. We seem to not want a full stadium, etc.

I can't even defend my alma mater anymore most of the time, it's just dumbfounding.

[ChuckK3]

There are so many other successful universities out there that have engaged students, engaged alumni, stadiums that are filled or mostly filled, and good numbers in their athletic foundations. You would think we could just copy the bits and pieces that would apply/work for us. There doesn't need to be any reinvention of the wheel. Then there is Tech, we actually seem to strive to make things harder on our students to be engaged and harder on our alumni, especially those outside of an hours drive. We seem to not want a full stadium, etc.

I can't even defend my alma mater anymore most of the time, it's just dumbfounding.

My oldest son quoted me (and so many others he's heard) the other day after I told him about this..."dang, it's hard work being a Tech fan."

I'm like, "yeah son...it's not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. This is why we have NO bandwagon fans..."

[DallasDog]

My oldest son quoted me (and so many others he's heard) the other day after I told him about this..."dang, it's hard work being a Tech fan."

I'm like, "yeah son...it's not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. This is why we have NO bandwagon fans..."

You have to want it no doubt, and they make it harder every year to want it.

The older you get you just realize that something you want to do or spend/time money on, shouldn't be the fight or stress Tech is 90% of the time. It used to be, my wife and I scheduled around Tech, lately it has become if Tech happens to fit then they are an option. That's sad because on her side we have 5-6 Tech grads going back to the 60's and on my side 7 going back to the 20's and my niece starts in September to hopefully make 8. We all used to make a point to go to football and tailgate etc. That doesn't happen anymore.

The post mentioned above where Tech didn't want his estate unless it was on their terms makes me so F'ing mad, I just cant comprehend why we are like that.

[techman05]

I know of a specific scholarship for students in animal science. Memorial scholarship. Why is that one okay?

[DallasDog]

I know of a specific scholarship for students in animal science. Memorial scholarship. Why is that one okay?

Because that one was probably needed to help meet some criteria or need they had, their terms so it was fine. Hell, it could have all been dependent on who woke up on what side of the bed that day, but that is the problem, no set system or defined guidelines.

If I was working for Tech in alumni relations and you wanted to give money my only questions would be how do want to set it up and how much would you like to give. Then I would continue to reach out a couple of times a year with a thank you card/phone call, and an update on students that benefited for the scholarship or how that endowed chair is helping your college succeed. I would invite you to events hosted by the university or the college that is benefitting from your generosity, and if you can I would personally thank you and shake your hand.

Treat them right they will continue to give, usually without pressure. Instead we hit the same people up over and over and try and squeeze blood from a turnip instead of generate new donors and revenue.

[techman05]

If only anyone else had such a common sense approach to “customer” relations. It’s like you know how you would like to be treated if it was your half million being given to the school. Crazy that no one currently being paid by Tech can do the same.

[dawg80]

It all starts at the top. But it's evident at many levels, I dare say at EVERY level. I used to have a scholarship at Tech but switched it to NSU where they were absolutely thrilled to get it, well, ARE still thrilled! I tried to set up some kind of cooperative endeavor with the Engineering School with GlobalSplash, Inc. but it was like convincing Iran to open a bar-be-cue PORK cafe. Of course, it was all in the talk-stage, no obligations, yet it was so frustrating just to get someone to return calls, and they would never agree to a meeting...too much trouble. I gave up.

I actually kind of hope Tech athletics are about to enter a "dark time" with the programs losing so I can wean myself off this addiction...I know that is terrible. But I can't walk away on my own, would help to be pushed away. Would be so much easier to actually NOT CARE anymore.

[techman05]

We are quickly approaching a time in life where it won’t make sense for us to have any tickets to any sports. Kids sports, dance practice, church, Saturday fishing tournaments and practice fishing during the week, and not to mention loads of homework. I made a couple of football and basketball games this year and have seen 1 baseball game. Hopefully, by the time this season of life is over, we will have a compelling product that I want to reinvest in.

[PawDawg]

We are quickly approaching a time in life where it won’t make sense for us to have any tickets to any sports. Kids sports, dance practice, church, Saturday fishing tournaments and practice fishing during the week, and not to mention loads of homework. I made a couple of football and basketball games this year and have seen 1 baseball game. Hopefully, by the time this season of life is over, we will have a compelling product that I want to reinvest in.

There was a time that we put Tech events at the top of our list for family entertainment. Twenty years later, We enjoy baseball and we'll try football again (if tailgating is not messed up) since Holtz is finally gone.

I'll probably never watch another MBB game, even on TV.

[FriscoDawg]

Because that one was probably needed to help meet some criteria or need they had, their terms so it was fine. Hell, it could have all been dependent on who woke up on what side of the bed that day, but that is the problem, no set system or defined guidelines.

If I was working for Tech in alumni relations and you wanted to give money my only questions would be how do want to set it up and how much would you like to give. Then I would continue to reach out a couple of times a year with a thank you card/phone call, and an update on students that benefited for the scholarship or how that endowed chair is helping your college succeed. I would invite you to events hosted by the university or the college that is benefitting from your generosity, and if you can I would personally thank you and shake your hand.

Treat them right they will continue to give, usually without pressure. Instead we hit the same people up over and over and try and squeeze blood from a turnip instead of generate new donors and revenue.

Sounds like Guice hasn't changed much from the previous administration when the infamous "Do not call" list was in place during Reneau's term as president. That list was reserved only for specific projects that he wanted to fund, and supposedly no one else in the university was allowed to solicit that group.

Everything in the quoted post is the right (and only) way to treat donors. If a donor wants to set up a scholarship, it is the university's job to facilitate getting that done the way the donor wants.

[techman05]

They are still begging the same group that they have been pandering to for 40 years instead of growing the brand and reaching new donors. Someone should go and remind Les Guice about the Parable of the Talents. Those who do more with a little will be entrusted with much greater. Use our donations to do great things and then watch it grow. So far, our university has proven to be the wicked servant who buried the talent. We aren’t even doing more with less.

[Festus]

Small minded students. This election result makes me realize I might be financially supporting a sinking ship, and I have to seriously consider redirecting my support in the future. I believe this is the only school fee in the history of LA Tech to EVER get voted down. And sadly it was the one we --and the students-- needed the most.

This is a great example that PROVES that LA Tech is recruiting the WRONG kind of students. They are obviously not forward thinking people. LA Tech has got to get away from recruiting so many free riding "TOPS" students, most who don't have the money to pay their own way and who don't have enough education/knowledge to appreciate what the school is trying to do in NCAA sports. It's very clear that most of our students had no clue why the contents of this ballot was good for LA Tech, north Louisiana, the City of Ruston area and THEM!

My message to LA Tech: Please start recruiting BETTER STUDENTS, who care about something besides themselves. Your school's future is literally at stake. That's not hyperbole. We need Tech students who understand the BIG PICTURE. Otherwise, the school itself will end up --if it hasn't already-- being irreparably damaged in the long term, as the "QUALITY of STUDENT" at Tech continues to erode and deteriorate on campus. Make no mistake, this was a very bad decision by the students, and it will definitely hurt LA Tech athletics --and the value of our college degree-- long term. And it likely came about because the students had a petty grievance against the fraternities, which for some unknown reason was on the same ballot to receive funds to pay someone to manage the Greek fraternity and sorority councils in the future. It was a real bad call for the SGA to put that initiative on the same ballot as the athletics funding request when we have so many Tech students who apparently can't walk and chew gum at the same time.

If these current LA Tech students want LA Tech to be just another small fry little school like Ouachita Baptist, Nicholls St, Northwestern St or Henderson State, please cut off their free ride "TOPS scholarships" today and tell those folks to pack up their stuff and move on to one of those little schools that don't care. Louisiana Tech is already being left behind by 8 of its' CUSA peer institutions in the new AAC conference. LA Tech wasn't invited. Those 8 schools --because they were better prepared and had much larger athletic budgets than Tech-- will now make millions more in conference revenue EACH YEAR than LA Tech will, simply by being members of the AAC. That's what LA Tech missed out on. This vote was a chance to try to assuage some of that damage from getting passed over for AAC membership back in October 2021, by getting LA Tech's athletic budgets hiked up to more acceptable levels, and possible reconsideration in the future. That's a big deal. And it's a shame the students and their misguided faculty leaders didn't understand this.

This is a pretty epic and silly melt.

What’s a “good student”, lol? Maybe the admissions team should interview high school kids to see if if they like athletics and Greek life? Or... I guess since TOPS kids are “too poor to pay their way”, Tech should only take either all out of state kids or maybe those that are in state, smart, but don’t qualify for TOPS? Doesn’t exist. This smart, non-TOPS kid would be either rich and hate free money or just too lazy to apply.

Speaking of lazy... blaming kids’ ability to pay for this failing... that’s lazy. I get it, it is frustrating for this to fail but it was poorly sold and poorly designed.

[JDubyadawg]

This is a pretty epic and silly melt.

What’s a “good student”, lol? Maybe the admissions team should interview high school kids to see if if they like athletics and Greek life? Or... I guess since TOPS kids are “too poor to pay their way”, Tech should only take either all out of state kids or maybe those that are in state, smart, but don’t qualify for TOPS? Doesn’t exist. This smart, non-TOPS kid would be either rich and hate free money or just too lazy to apply.

Speaking of lazy... blaming kids’ ability to pay for this failing... that’s lazy. I get it, it is frustrating for this to fail but it was poorly sold and poorly designed.

I haven't been that engaged lately with all things La Tech and didn't realize this has failed until yesterday. I agree you can blame the students or the quality of the students if you want to but they got organized and kicked the administration's butt. They may have been misinformed and led by "all about me" professors but they still did it.

I also remember sitting in the student center in 1981 and most of us there were watching the inauguration of Ronald Reagan on that one big tv they had in there at that time. A couple of students who had some power or control of the tv walked in put in one of those new fancy "video tapes" that was a replay of the previous weekend sports highlights from ESPN because that was what they did at that time every week. We told them why don't we just keep watching this and you can put your tape in after it's over. They then asked us why did we want to watch that "crap?" They had control of it and got their way. So two guys in letter jackets sat there and watched it and probably 50 or more of us just got up and left. I wonder whose kids or grandkids who are now at Tech voted on the fee?

[THEarmada]

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.

[Blue Dawg]

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.

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.