Wonder why cutting hockey is on the table?

[toddpav]

Who in the hell is handling our investments for the university?

http://bgviews.com/our_views/online_upd ... -1.1616621

I know this isn't the reason we are in such bad shape financially, but it sure can't help. You've got to wonder where the oversight is on BGSU's part. Doesn't seem like its there.

[60yearsofsicsic]

I know that BG Hockey being cut isnt a popular choice but one that might have to happen.....

1. BG Hockey can no longer compete in the state ... OSU and know Miami have larger budgets and alumni money committed to the sport... we simply dont... their is not enough interest for 3 D1 hockey programs in Ohio.. the sport is not nearly as popular as it once was....

2. Some say we have so many professionals and such a rich history.... some of this maybe true... but why haven't these people given back to the program???!?!?! New Arena.... ect...

3. People who say that they should cut Basketball or Football because they cannot possibly win a National Championship and in Hockey they can... One no one cares about national championships at BG and they probably realize if they can not compete in the state there is no way they will ever again win a national championship....Hate to say it but Football and Basketball have an advantage and anyone who has studied Admissions numbers would know this.... those two sports being good also increase enrollment and alumni giving.... Plus, look people just enjoy the those two sports more ( we have one of the largest donors in BG history give to a basketball program and a school which he did not even graduate from)

4. Finally, if this money is used to save an academic program or create another academic program or sustain and create a more attrative campus in order to enroll more students; I am all for it... the University President is doing the job we hired her to do which is to do whats best for the future of the school..might not be popular but often the least popular choices are sometimes the best choices ever made...

And you can say that you will never step foot on campus again... but honestly it does matter... Their are very few kids in High School currently that remember 1984... but I bet you alot of them remember college gameday and Urban....

Rereading this quickly sounds like I am trying to pick a fight... I am not I am just trying to point out the rational of the Admin on campus after getting my Masters Degree in Higher Education Administration and being a BG Alum I simply think I can provide some insight on the other side...

[bgbill]

re: your point #3 "...anyone who has studied attendance figures..." - apparently that doesn't include you.
Look it up.

[pdt1081]

re: your point #3 "...anyone who has studied attendance figures..." - apparently that doesn't include you.
Look it up.

He must also not know about the possibility of millions being on the table if the University would just show a commitment to the program. Or the fact that the Hockey Golf Outing was canceled because it was so successful that the other sports programs felt left out of the money.

[MooneyRich86]

First of all your far behind the whole story. The alums have given and will

continue to give and the money is there. Your rationale about three teams

in Ohio means nothing. The teams are all over the state and they all recruit

in two countries for plenty of talent. Finally there are plenty of "academic"

programs that do not deserve continued funding; just because they're

"academic" programs. There's alot of junk (nice word) that passes for

academics that is a waste of money. Everyone seems to think that if you

drop hockey that BG will then be nirvana. How did hockey become the

money problem ? The more you zero in on the problems the more you

see a University that has been poorly run for decades and now wants

to cover it's bad decisions and financing but "cutting" programs. It's 2009

and you and the University are still stuck in 1980 !!

[cbjhack]

One thing that is missing in all of the talk about hockey is the season ticket base.

I was told today that there were only 300 season tickets last season (this does not include students, who pay a portion of their student fees towards athletics.) That's right, only 300. That isn't enough to support any sport, large or small.

Why is a season ticket base important? It provides funds up front that can be used immediately or invested, with the proceeds used later to help fund the program. It also shows a tremendous amount of loyalty towards the program, much more than any amount of money that an NHL'er can give.

I live too far from BG (over two hours) to have any interest in season tickets, but how many of you that live in NWO can afford to go to games or share tickets with others that you know?

[BGFan]

I know that BG Hockey being cut isnt a popular choice but one that might have to happen.....

1. BG Hockey can no longer compete in the state ... OSU and know Miami have larger budgets and alumni money committed to the sport... we simply dont... their is not enough interest for 3 D1 hockey programs in Ohio.. the sport is not nearly as popular as it once was....

2. Some say we have so many professionals and such a rich history.... some of this maybe true... but why haven't these people given back to the program???!?!?! New Arena.... ect...

3. People who say that they should cut Basketball or Football because they cannot possibly win a National Championship and in Hockey they can... One no one cares about national championships at BG and they probably realize if they can not compete in the state there is no way they will ever again win a national championship....Hate to say it but Football and Basketball have an advantage and anyone who has studied Admissions numbers would know this.... those two sports being good also increase enrollment and alumni giving.... Plus, look people just enjoy the those two sports more ( we have one of the largest donors in BG history give to a basketball program and a school which he did not even graduate from)

4. Finally, if this money is used to save an academic program or create another academic program or sustain and create a more attrative campus in order to enroll more students; I am all for it... the University President is doing the job we hired her to do which is to do whats best for the future of the school..might not be popular but often the least popular choices are sometimes the best choices ever made...

And you can say that you will never step foot on campus again... but honestly it does matter... Their are very few kids in High School currently that remember 1984... but I bet you alot of them remember college gameday and Urban....

Rereading this quickly sounds like I am trying to pick a fight... I am not I am just trying to point out the rational of the Admin on campus after getting my Masters Degree in Higher Education Administration and being a BG Alum I simply think I can provide some insight on the other side...

It's quite obvious that you have no idea what has gone on with the alums in the past as well as the amounts of $ that have been offered up to the program. Alums gave in the past and the administration, in their infinit wisdom, pooled the cash into the general fund instead of into hockey where the alums were told it was going. This is why they've held back, they want to know that the money is going to be spent where they want it to be spent.

[Warthog]

re: your point #3 "...anyone who has studied attendance figures..." - apparently that doesn't include you.
Look it up.

bill, you better go back and re-read sicsic's post. It says "...anyone who has studied admissions figures..." Don't go cracking on someone when you mis-read.

[jpfalcon09]

One thing that is missing in all of the talk about hockey is the season ticket base.

I was told today that there were only 300 season tickets last season (this does not include students, who pay a portion of their student fees towards athletics.) That's right, only 300. That isn't enough to support any sport, large or small.

Why is a season ticket base important? It provides funds up front that can be used immediately or invested, with the proceeds used later to help fund the program. It also shows a tremendous amount of loyalty towards the program, much more than any amount of money that an NHL'er can give.

I live too far from BG (over two hours) to have any interest in season tickets, but how many of you that live in NWO can afford to go to games or share tickets with others that you know?

And the question to follow that is how many more people season ticket packages would people have bought if the arena and program wasn't neglected by the university? It's just the same tune being sung here. I'd be curious to see how many season tickets are bought for the basketball programs once the Stroh Center is built.

[bgbill]

re: your point #3 "...anyone who has studied attendance figures..." - apparently that doesn't include you.
Look it up.

bill, you better go back and re-read sicsic's post. It say "...anyone who has studied admissions figures..." Don't go cracking on someone when you mis-read.

I stand corrected.

[TheKa]

cbjhack- if you got your information from Facebook or from rumor, you are quoting the wrong number. This Van Wright person from the VP of External Affairs office said there were 200 season tickets for NEXT season according to the original source. Well...that's just another source of mis-information being slung around by the Administration on this issue. They are purposely not telling people that Season Ticket renewal forms aren't even filled out until SEPTEMBER. Heck, season ticket holders were hoping to be watching the Falcons at the Joe this weekend.

Secondly, Van Wright also told this person that the alumni dollars aren't equal to that of other sports, which is pure BS. I'd ask the University what they did with the hundreds of thousands of dollars the Alumni gave 10 years ago. I'd ask the Administration why if they were so concerned about funding they didn't bother to ask a SINGLE season ticket holder for donations. I'd also ask the Administration why they told the alumni 6 months ago they needed 4 million dollars for renovating the ice arena and then promptly pulled that off the table without so much as a word to the alumni. I'd also ask the administration what happened when one single donor pledged 250K less than 2 years ago and asked others to match him, but it's still sitting in his bank account because the University clearly doesn't want his money because it was going towards the ice arena and the program.

I'd also ask the Administration about the line item in the budget about the construction of the football stadium lights and the money it takes to power them up...during the day and when the team is not even in season, mind you...but then again, I'd probably be accused of being vulgar.

GO FALCONS!
Erika

[Altoid_storm]

One no one cares about national championships at BG and they probably realize if they can not compete in the state there is no way they will ever again win a national championship....Hate to say it but Football and Basketball have an advantage and anyone who has studied Admissions numbers would know this.... those two sports being good also increase enrollment and alumni giving.... Plus, look people just enjoy the those two sports more ( we have one of the largest donors in BG history give to a basketball program and a school which he did not even graduate from)

The only thing that irritates me about this is that it's really horrible to generalize, especially with the 7000+ people hanging out in that Facebook group right now that were horrified at the possibility of it being cut. I am a student and a resident advisor so I work very closely with all the students in my building. From what I hear the only reason most people go to the football games is so they can get drunk before and then they just leave early and go watch a Big Ten team play. Of course that's not everyone and I'm not trying to generalize either, but the support at the hockey games is usually from the love of hockey instead of not having something to do that night.

It may be off topic, but I took a group of my staff members to a hockey game earlier this season and they all fell in love with it and came to every game after that. They went to the first football game, got hit in the head with a seat cushion, and didn't go back.

I'm not saying your opinion is wrong or anything, that's just what I think
[aka don't attack the student haha]

[It's the Journey...]

This Van Wright person

Do you even know who Van Wright is?? My guess is you don't and don't care enough to find out. It goes back to a lack of respect that has run rampant on here for the better part of two weeks.

Secondly, Van Wright also told this person that the alumni dollars aren't equal to that of other sports, which is pure BS. I'd ask the University what they did with the hundreds of thousands of dollars the Alumni gave 10 years ago. I'd ask the Administration why if they were so concerned about funding they didn't bother to ask a SINGLE season ticket holder for donations. I'd also ask the Administration why they told the alumni 6 months ago they needed 4 million dollars for renovating the ice arena and then promptly pulled that off the table without so much as a word to the alumni. I'd also ask the administration what happened when one single donor pledged 250K less than 2 years ago and asked others to match him, but it's still sitting in his bank account because the University clearly doesn't want his money because it was going towards the ice arena and the program.

I'd also ask the Administration about the line item in the budget about the construction of the football stadium lights and the money it takes to power them up...during the day and when the team is not even in season, mind you...but then again, I'd probably be accused of being vulgar.

Keep going, we'll kill this thing yet... There is a huge difference between asking the question the right way and asking a question in the most closed minded of ways. Learning the difference would help the cause. But what do I know, I don't know all the "inside" jokes. I just want to save as many programs at BGSU as possible. Shame on me for that I guess...

[Flipper]

This Van Wright person

Do you even know who Van Wright is?? My guess is you don't and don't care enough to find out. It goes back to a lack of respect that has run rampant on here for the better part of two weeks.

Nicely done...people, you need to turn the anger down a notch. Getting pissed and lashing out solves nothing.

[TheKa]

You mean Van Wright, assistant to the VP of External Affairs? I believe that's his title.

You might want to check your PMs because I refuse to do this on the board. Flipper is right.

GO FALCONS!
Erika