FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[aueagle]

Former NCAC standout lands in the CFL....This Kenyon Lord deserves our congrats.....
Harry von Kann is going to play pro.
http://athletics.kenyon.edu/x39294.xml

[Li'l Giant]

Texas high school teams in Plano and Southlake Carroll play regular season games before 30,000 fans.  Austin Westlake has a very nice stadium with a big Diamondvision screen for replays.

The renderings of UMHB's new stadium look great and they deserve credit for building what will undoubtedly be a fantastic facility, but yeah, many high school stadiums in Texas are much larger than that.

[cave2bens]

Texas high school teams in Plano and Southlake Carroll play regular season games before 30,000 fans.  Austin Westlake has a very nice stadium with a big Diamondvision screen for replays.

The renderings of UMHB's new stadium look great and they deserve credit for building what will undoubtedly be a fantastic facility, but yeah, many high school stadiums in Texas are much larger than that.

True enough, LG.  The local districts surrounding that southern perimeter of Ft Hood - Temple, Killeen, Belton, Gatesville, and Copperus Cove have big facilities - and some fine BBQ joints nearby. Out of curiosity, did Westlake ISD retain its big sponsorship from Coke that was creating controversy a while back with the "nutrition police" and some of the local politicos? 

[Joe Wally]

Top flight facilities are nice to look at, but in a day and age when public school resources are doing nothing but get smaller, you have to question the priorities of those school districts.

While I am bearing my fiscal soul here, I have to admit that I openly questioned the decision of Wabash to make such a substantial investment in the athletic infrastructure at the same time that the faculty was shrinking to a size that it has not seen since the mid seventies.

I am hopeful that the establishment of the Placher Fund......not the right name, but those that have received the literature know what I am talking about......will help to restore an appropriate faculty size at Wabash.

As much as we all enjoy watching our various teams compete in their various competitions.  Certainly at the DIII level, it is important for us to remember that sports are not the primary reason that those students are on campus.

I will now hide behind my soap box, and watch my karma crater.  

[formerd3db]

Joe Wally:

You get +k for important, legit points .  As you know, there are two sides to the issue; some schools have seen the need to upgrade their facilities regardless due to the fact that they need to attract more student-athletes for enrollment (examples in our league Adrian and Olivet) as well as that their facilities were just plain old and outdated.  I agree with you though about what the main focus has to be at our DIII, although if the schools can afford it and/or receive/raise the $, it sure is nice to have new, upgraded facilities to give us just a little bit of that "big time" atmosphere.

[wabco]

Joe Wally

The issues you to which you refer are a bit more complicated than simply athletic facilities and faculty. 

There is often "mission creep" within higher education ... you may have noted the increassed faculty numbers and education facilities throughout the campus  ... while the student body remained largely the same in number.  Some is necessary as the nature of the education product becomes more complicated.  Some was "more is better", bigger departments is better. 

Additionally student recruitment and student happiness and retention need to be balanced with the "other" factors which may not be as meaningful to the recruitment initiatives/lifeblood.  Students come to appreciate but are not generally chosing a school because of physics or poetry.  Males at age 18 are (perhaps sadly and perhaps not ... depends on perspective) sports oriented coming from HS enviornments with good facilities and looking at schools they perceive as having equal academic offerings (so perceived whether or not in fact a reality) and ... are affected in their choice by ... YES VIRGINIA ... athletic facilities.  Athletics and the athletic facilities are important aspects of today's school (in a school such as Wabash) and not just "adds".

Success in athletics is important to today's students, parents, and graduates/alumni/donors as a part of the total College being.  (Not everywhere ... but even the University of Chicago ... for example ... after a period of gleeful dismanteling ... is now building up its Div III presence.)  Wabash, being all male, must be robust in its enviornment and successful in its leadership as one of its central traits.  Sports provides this.  As  much as Mud Hollow was once an OK spot for baseball.  It is not today.  The new stadium was not only needed ... it was required to recruit students with an interest in baseball and a good education.  The same is true with football and soccer.  Together ... these three sports probably involve on an intercollegiate level more than 1/3 of the student body at one time or another. 

Balance is required and I think Wabash does pretty well at balance.  Having said that ...  I agree ... donate to the College including the faculty enhancement funds.  Wabash has and will continue to have (at least in my view)  teams and facilities we can be very proud of and a faculty and academics which are also "in the playoffs" every year.

[wab64]

Joe Wally- another plus-K for your excellent piece. However I would venture to guess that a 30,000 seat stadium in a Texas town was not paid for from the activities budget, but from "booster club" contributions- whose rabid interest and deep checkbooks flourish in the Texas football environment.

[Pat Coleman]

I believe in Texas you have to spend equal amounts on athletics and the arts, which results in some great theater and musical productions and facilities to go along with the football stadiums.

[Joe Wally]

Wabco,

I understand the recruiting spin on the upgrade to the facilities.  Trust me, I heard it from several members of the administration when I expressed my concern.

I can not hide from the fact that I am closer in age to the parent of the 18 year old kid that you refer to than I am to the 18 year old kid himself.  As that parent, I would much rather know that the student-faculty ratio is below ten, than to know that the football team plays its home games on field turf.

Would I love to have both.  Absolutely!  As an alumni, I want to have both at Wabash.  But if I have to make a choice........

[bashbrother]

I believe in Texas you have to spend equal amounts on athletics and the arts, which results in some great theater and musical productions and facilities to go along with the football stadiums.

I have heard this on multiple occasions and I have a close family member that is an associate professor at a top rated undergrad theater program, that actually recruits students.   Texas is one of their biggest recruiting bases because of the funding of the arts in Texas high schools.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

[drt]

Wow, athletics AND arts in Texas.  Who'd a thunk it?  I'm impressed.  Maybe more will follow suit. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

Wow, athletics AND arts in Texas.  Who'd a thunk it?  I'm impressed.  Maybe more will follow suit. 

Now if only a majority of them could read!

[OWho?]

OWU!!!!!!!!

At least we're not Hiram.

YES!!!!!!

[wabco]

Understand.  And I think Wabash can and does have both guns and butter.  We have to remember that the dip in the last few years economically is unpresidented in our "lifetime" experience and threatens the very life of schools without the support we have.  And you have short term adjustments (cash flow ... if you will) you have to make and longer term programs (such as pohysical assets which have a loinger plan and gestation).  Also ... coming into play is the opportunity to correct false turns in the road which were not apparent when taken ad well as plan foir the future herd.  I think a lot of this happened at Wabash ... while very concerned, the "bank" was not threatened ... just challenged.

BUT ... Wabash Always Fights ... sets us apart ... the student faculty ratios with great faculty are not and will not receive harm nor will the longer term plans (including facilities) be sidlined.  All we need to do is keep on what we always do ... Keep Wabash in your expectations, your financial support and your prayers ... and always be there both with support and constructive criticism.  The Trustees hear you and are - in fact - you.

Now DePauw to Hell we have the Bell ... and 47 - 0

[aueagle]

Look at Mount Union and what they did in 2009. In the "Drive for Distinction"..........
They raised $80 million and opened the McPherson Academics & Athletic Complex (The MAAC). When you look
at the fact that of 2200 students: 25% participate in intercollegiate athletics....75% in intramural & recreation
activities....There is the Demand and it Must Be Met. Is every school different...maybe...is the dynamic at Wabash
particular because it's all male...maybe......An 18 year old does look & will weigh the "athletic" equation into the final
analysis...."Facility Warfare" has been going on for years, and as long as it does not hurt the classroom....and you
can afford it....Go Nuclear with it. One kid will love Whittier Field at Bowdoin because of it's historic value...another will
say it's to antiquated and look to a program with all the candy....Sometimes, facitlities matter...sometimes not. If a school
is a position that it can afford to lose a kid because of it's physical plant...God Bless Them. There was a time at Ohio Wesleyan,
when the president  was always speaking of excellence in the classroom (he was NOT a "athletic or Frat" proponent). When pushed
for the reason why OWU could not have excellence in both the classroom and on the athletic field, he would say they were not linked
and end the topic. I think at OWU, for that time peroid, they paid a price for that rational....the product they played in and what was on
the field ...was not good. Hey...if you can afford to lose...cool. If not...Pony-Up.