FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[repete]

Some big news out of Bethel this morning - artificial turf, provisions for a bubble covering, and a track to boot.

https://www.bethel.edu/called/athletics/

So, this makes Carleton the only school left in the conference with a natural grass football field--including St. Scholastica and Macalester.

Caveat being that Scholastica doesn't play their games on campus, but at one of the Duluth high schools, which does have artificial turf.

It's overdue for BU.  Glad to see them going in that direction - wonder when they hope to have it done?

Scholastica does have artificial turf on their campus practice field.  At some point I assume they'll put up some bigger bleachers and play home games there as the 7 mile trek over to Denfeld has to hurt student attendance. 


As for Bethel, I'm disappointed they're putting a track around the field, but it might have been tough to find space for it anywhere else.

Does CSS ever play at Ordean, AO? Seems it would be closer and would hold the fans they draw, even during a Johnnie visit. A good friend (and a former Gustie QB) who is a professional photographer posted a shot of it from his drone for this week's snow HS game.

Closer than going to the West End. (You just have to tolerate the cake-eaters.) And on nice days, a great setting over the lake.

[SagatagSam]

The story is that when the nuns decided to permit football, it was with the caveat that it would not be played on campus. Who knows if that will last, though.

Like with a number of schools sponsored by religious orders, CSB-SJU included, the attachment to the order is becoming more symbolic rather than active as the members age and the monasteries/Abbey dies out. I think the average age of the monks at SJU and sisters at CSB has got to be in the late 70s or even early 80s. Lotta white hair at Mass these days.

As far as I know, the orders at CSB, SJU, and CSS aren't growing and aren't expected to grow anytime soon.

I'm afraid in the next 10-20 years, regular sightings of black habits around Collegeville will become a novelty rather than the staple of the experience like the first 160 or so years.

I would imagine the prohibition of on-campus football at CSS would go away in a similar time frame.

To illustrate the trend:
When I was a senior (it was the 20 century although some of the posters think it was the 19th) the faculty at SJU was:
58 priests, all but 1 or 2 monks
1 nun from CSB
19 laymen including John, George Durenberger and  Bill Osborne
I did not count ROTC personnel
I wonder if anyone can tell me what the present status is?

I'd be willing to bet that you can count on one hand the number of monks who are presently on faculty--could be two, but I doubt it. Most Tommies wouldn't need to take their shoes off to count them, I can guarantee that.

I just did a quick search and there are only two monks in the theology faculty. That should tell you a lot right there.

[57Johnnie]

The story is that when the nuns decided to permit football, it was with the caveat that it would not be played on campus. Who knows if that will last, though.

Like with a number of schools sponsored by religious orders, CSB-SJU included, the attachment to the order is becoming more symbolic rather than active as the members age and the monasteries/Abbey dies out. I think the average age of the monks at SJU and sisters at CSB has got to be in the late 70s or even early 80s. Lotta white hair at Mass these days.

As far as I know, the orders at CSB, SJU, and CSS aren't growing and aren't expected to grow anytime soon.

I'm afraid in the next 10-20 years, regular sightings of black habits around Collegeville will become a novelty rather than the staple of the experience like the first 160 or so years.

I would imagine the prohibition of on-campus football at CSS would go away in a similar time frame.

To illustrate the trend:
When I was a senior (it was the 20 century although some of the posters think it was the 19th) the faculty at SJU was:
58 priests, all but 1 or 2 monks
1 nun from CSB
19 laymen including John, George Durenberger and  Bill Osborne
I did not count ROTC personnel
I wonder if anyone can tell me what the present status is?

I'd be willing to bet that you can count on one hand the number of monks who are presently on faculty--could be two, but I doubt it. Most Tommies wouldn't need to take their shoes off to count them, I can guarantee that.

I just did a quick search and there are only two monks in the theology faculty. That should tell you a lot right there.

In my Sagatagan yearbook, beside regular college students, there were 80 clerics studying to be Benedictine monks and 69 seminarians from various dioceses.

[OzJohnnie]

Father Don was my floor resident. Brother Mark (I think, hard to remember the name now) was my advisor. A priest taught me German and another taught investing. A nun taught a course about Irish history and liberal education over at st Ben's.  A teaching graduate student led an RE course I took (actually my favourite class at SJU. Was pure learning indulgence and an intellectual challenge. No vocational value.). And lastly another brother, I think, was my work-study supervisor.

That was the early 90's so still a pretty big presence then.

[AO]

Some big news out of Bethel this morning - artificial turf, provisions for a bubble covering, and a track to boot.

https://www.bethel.edu/called/athletics/

So, this makes Carleton the only school left in the conference with a natural grass football field--including St. Scholastica and Macalester.

Caveat being that Scholastica doesn't play their games on campus, but at one of the Duluth high schools, which does have artificial turf.

It's overdue for BU.  Glad to see them going in that direction - wonder when they hope to have it done?

Scholastica does have artificial turf on their campus practice field.  At some point I assume they'll put up some bigger bleachers and play home games there as the 7 mile trek over to Denfeld has to hurt student attendance. 


As for Bethel, I'm disappointed they're putting a track around the field, but it might have been tough to find space for it anywhere else.

Does CSS ever play at Ordean, AO? Seems it would be closer and would hold the fans they draw, even during a Johnnie visit. A good friend (and a former Gustie QB) who is a professional photographer posted a shot of it from his drone for this week's snow HS game.

Closer than going to the West End. (You just have to tolerate the cake-eaters.) And on nice days, a great setting over the lake.

Yeah, they've played at Ordean in the past, but not since 2013.  They played 2 games at UMD in 2019 after playing everything at Denfeld in 2018.

[BDB]

Scholastica does have artificial turf on their campus practice field.  At some point I assume they'll put up some bigger bleachers and play home games there as the 7 mile trek over to Denfeld has to hurt student attendance. 

I really don't see on campus football ever at CSS. While they do have artificial turf on their practice field there is very little room for anything but the field, and absolutely no place for parking. Add on top of that there is only one route to get to this field which winds on some small roads through campus. Also, the nuns are super protective of the natural areas that surround the field.

The high school stadium that is used isn't on campus but really not very much of an effort to get to and it's a pretty nice facility. CSS also plays some games at UMD when the Bulldogs aren't there and that stadium is only a mile away.

[hazzben]

Some big news out of Bethel this morning - artificial turf, provisions for a bubble covering, and a track to boot.

https://www.bethel.edu/called/athletics/

So, this makes Carleton the only school left in the conference with a natural grass football field--including St. Scholastica and Macalester.

Caveat being that Scholastica doesn't play their games on campus, but at one of the Duluth high schools, which does have artificial turf.

It's overdue for BU.  Glad to see them going in that direction - wonder when they hope to have it done?

Scholastica does have artificial turf on their campus practice field.  At some point I assume they'll put up some bigger bleachers and play home games there as the 7 mile trek over to Denfeld has to hurt student attendance. 


As for Bethel, I'm disappointed they're putting a track around the field, but it might have been tough to find space for it anywhere else.

They don't have to move the field at all, since the stadium and field was designed to have a track added later on. Same setup, just with a track and turf field. No change for fan experience.

[AO]

Some big news out of Bethel this morning - artificial turf, provisions for a bubble covering, and a track to boot.

https://www.bethel.edu/called/athletics/

So, this makes Carleton the only school left in the conference with a natural grass football field--including St. Scholastica and Macalester.

Caveat being that Scholastica doesn't play their games on campus, but at one of the Duluth high schools, which does have artificial turf.

It's overdue for BU.  Glad to see them going in that direction - wonder when they hope to have it done?

As for Bethel, I'm disappointed they're putting a track around the field, but it might have been tough to find space for it anywhere else.

They don't have to move the field at all, since the stadium and field was designed to have a track added later on. Same setup, just with a track and turf field. No change for fan experience.

Just a missed opportunity to improve the fan/recruiting experience.  Especially considering you don't play soccer games on that field so you could have placed the field as close as Gustavus does.

[SagatagSam]

Father Don was my floor resident. Brother Mark (I think, hard to remember the name now) was my advisor. A priest taught me German and another taught investing. A nun taught a course about Irish history and liberal education over at st Ben's.  A teaching graduate student led an RE course I took (actually my favourite class at SJU. Was pure learning indulgence and an intellectual challenge. No vocational value.). And lastly another brother, I think, was my work-study supervisor.

That was the early 90's so still a pretty big presence then.

I hear the monks are phasing out even as Faculty Residents in the dorms, which is shocking. I had monks all the way through. Apparently, they are 30-50% lay Faculty Residents.

I hate that trend toward lay FRs because you lose so much of what made the Johnnie experience unique. But, I guess we can't force people to go into the religious life or monastic communities. It's the old "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink" phenomenon.

[MUC57]

Johnnie fans

As a Catholic man, if I hadn't gone to Mount Union, I would have loved St. John's. Being a student there would have to be an unforgettable and incredible experience. It's even tough for me, an outsider, reading about some of the changes, e.g., phasing out monks as Faculty Residents.
I certainly hope we are not seeing the end of an era. This world needs all the scholars and all the religious leaders we can get.
May God bless our schools and the United States! 🎓 ✝ 🇺🇸

[art76]

Johnnie fans

As a Catholic man, if I hadn't gone to Mount Union, I would have loved St. John's. Being a student there would have to be an unforgettable and incredible experience. It's even tough for me, an outsider, reading about some of the changes, e.g., phasing out monks as Faculty Residents.
I certainly hope we are not seeing the end of an era. This world needs all the scholars and all the religious leaders we can get.
May God bless our schools and the United States! 🎓 ✝ 🇺🇸

+K Muc57!

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

It's nice that y'all theorize and chatter about COVID, but until you bury a loved one who died from it, you really don't know what you're talking about, other than abstract theory. My mom, who was in excellent physical health for someone much younger than her age, tested positive on Nov 3 and died Nov 8.  Maybe the US needs to follow the example of Oz, NZ, South Korea, Japan and others and actually do something to stop this disease but too many have the selfish mindset  of "don't inconvenience me, you're stepping on my rights" (even when those rights step on the rights of others)

(Yeah I'm bitter about this)

[emma17]

I'm sorry for your loss Summit. Losing a mother is heartbreaking. Prayers for her and you.

[MUC57]

Summit

I think emma17 said it for all of us. Prayers for you and your mother!

[hazzben]

Hey Summit,

My condolences. My dad's funeral is tomorrow. He was 70 years old and a few months from retirement. They couldn't wait to spend summers in MN with the grandkids fishing and going to their sporting events. We had to battle with the hospital to let my brother and I be in the room when he passed. Covid sucks.