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Post by class70 on May 17, 2015 18:38:14 GMT -5
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Post by bva on May 17, 2015 21:50:20 GMT -5
" ... Bona’s total athletic revenue matched its $9.5 million in expenses ...."
Case closed: The athletics program is NOT a drag on the university budget!
The faculty's problem is declining enrollment, not athletics. I can't believe a philosophy professor is incapable of distinguishing between apples and oranges ("The comparison group [only] consisted of two institutions in NCAA Division I ...."). Of course we spend more on academic support -- we receive the revenue to do so; and the university is located in one of the lowest cost-of-living areas in the nation.
We had this discussion on the Bandwagon a year or two ago; my conclusion: drop Div. I athletics and you might as well turn out all the lights, because your student population will dwindle below 1,000.
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Post by brownindian11 on May 17, 2015 21:57:08 GMT -5
Agreed BVA. Never cared for Gan much at all and that studies comparison group is a joke. Take away D1 Athletics and we are done. I know it's not an easy job but Sister Margaret isn't cutting it. We need some new blood calling the shots and filling the dorms and class rooms. We can not continue to drop in enrollment. D1 Athletics are not the problem, lack of leadership is. How much time and energy was wasted in this grand Hilbert merger? Time for sister Maggie to move on.
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Post by bva on May 17, 2015 21:57:48 GMT -5
"Treks to the third floor of Plassmann Hall for class have become no more."
Uh, yeahhh, b/c we just funded a new Business school, which used to occupy many of those Plassman classrooms.
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Post by Bonas08 on May 17, 2015 23:19:35 GMT -5
Recruit 5 freshman students, get season tickets in the reds. Recruit 10 freshman students get season tickets in the blues. 15, HOF room, etc..
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Post by res on May 18, 2015 7:32:07 GMT -5
" ... Bona’s total athletic revenue matched its $9.5 million in expenses ...." Case closed: The athletics program is NOT a drag on the university budget! Not exactly. What the author did not point out and might not have understood, is that the exact match is merely an accounting convention in the reporting. If you peruse college athletic income statements, you will notice that the vast majority show revenues exactly equal to expenses. As pinnum can tell you more clearly and in much more detail than I, the revenue accounting can be murky. It certainly includes a large dollop of general university revenue assigned to the athletic budget.
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Post by Bona84 on May 18, 2015 8:32:31 GMT -5
There you go, stirring up trouble again, res.
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Post by sneakers on May 18, 2015 8:45:51 GMT -5
If Bonaventure alums and friends of the University really want D-1 athletics to stay at Bonas and to thrive, the BAF needs to have much more funding. It's that simple. If you aren't giving generously to BAF then don't complain if you see changes that you don't want to see in the athletic program at Bonas. The University is facing enrollment issues (as are MANY small private colleges, particularly if located in areas of shrinking populations (see the recently announced closing of Sweet Briar College)) and is also facing a lack of financial support from its alums. Do you realize only 20% of alums donate to the school at all. While that may be higher than some colleges, it is not where we need to be. We all know that Bonas is a special place and understand the "cult" that is our fan base. It needs to be reflected in donations. If you have not been giving generously to BAF I suggest now is the time to step forward and donate or increase your existing donations. We need to increase both participation rates and per donor amounts if we want to survive and thrive in D-1. Giving will not only support our programs, but will send a message to the University that athletics is valued. Go to www.bonniesbaf.com/landing/index
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Post by Pinnum on May 18, 2015 10:18:42 GMT -5
RES is correct. Athletics are (likely) not funding themselves but they also wouldn't be if they were D3. I don't know how much money the athletic department pulls from the University to 'break even' but even if the gap were over $1MM a year, that is what Hilbert College 'loses' by operating athletics. So assuming both schools have to pull $1MM a year from the general fund, which school is getting the better return from athletics spending? If that figure is $2.6MM, is SBU getting a better value than Alfred University?
The important thing to realize is that SBU already operates many teams at a D3 level. You're not going to see SBU putting less resources into MSoccer or WLAX if they were to go D2 or D3 because they already offer less than what many teams in those divisions offer. Going D3 will not really change anything outside of basketball where it will relegate the Bonnies to a St. John Fisher or Pitt-Bradford peer. (Also, the article lists Daemen as a D3 school but they are D2.)
With the exception of basketball, if SBU went D3 the only thing that would change is the athletic scholarships would go from the athletic budget to the general scholarship fund. It would be no real savings to the University as they would just be taking the money out of a different pocket. Considering most SBU sports only have a few scholarships to offer in each sport (well below their A10 peers), it is not likely that would make a significant difference in academic programs or enrollment.
I am not an advocate of being in the athletics arms race but there is no doubt SBU has a basketball identity that the alumni love and if D1 basketball was lost the alumni support would likely deteriorate. Alumni pride is SBU's biggest asset.
This is the most significant line in the article, for me:
"In Western New York, Bonaventure spent the least among the four Division I schools — slightly less than Niagara."
I think SBU is doing a good job of maximizing athletic benefits with minimal expenses.
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Post by class70 on May 18, 2015 10:37:19 GMT -5
The writer is a new graduate of Bona's and may not be aware of the political infighting that goes on at a university. It would also be natural for him to place greater weight on opinions offered by faculty. I sent him an email pointing out that my experience in academia suggests there is always some element of pay envy between those on the academic side vs. athletic programs having national recognition.
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Post by Pinnum on May 18, 2015 10:45:09 GMT -5
The writer is a new graduate of Bona's and may not be aware of the political infighting that goes on at a university. It would also be natural for him to place greater weight on opinions offered by faculty. I sent him an email pointing out that my experience in academia suggests there is always some element of pay envy between those on the academic side vs. athletic programs having national recognition. I have found professors will often be critical of athletics and then when you ask them why didn't they take a job at (in this instance) a school like Hilbert College or the Franciscan University of Steubenville they will cite things like campus community, school's reputation, and other factors which are all made possible by the school's complete makeup which very much includes athletics.
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Post by derhut on May 18, 2015 11:23:44 GMT -5
if sbu loses its D1 status in hoops, within 5 years they become Houghton without the Pegula's contributions
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Post by sbu79 on May 18, 2015 11:59:55 GMT -5
... there is no doubt SBU has a basketball identity that the alumni love and if D1 basketball was lost the alumni support would likely deteriorate. Alumni pride is SBU's biggest asset. I believe this bears repeating and remembering.
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Post by gdub2009 on May 18, 2015 12:58:29 GMT -5
I am not an advocate of being in the athletics arms race but there is no doubt SBU has a basketball identity that the alumni love and if D1 basketball was lost the alumni support would likely deteriorate. Alumni pride is SBU's biggest asset. This is the most significant line in the article, for me: "In Western New York, Bonaventure spent the least among the four Division I schools — slightly less than Niagara." I think SBU is doing a good job of maximizing athletic benefits with minimal expenses. Ya the author leaves out how Niagara and Canisius has hockey and Buffalo has football, so I am guessing that definitely makes a difference on the overall budget. I absolutely agree with you Pinnum that alumni support would deteriorate if the school drops it's D1 status. I think we as alumni pride ourselves in being able to take down Goliath every once in a while.
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Post by zcbonnies on May 18, 2015 14:25:51 GMT -5
I'm sure we'll keep arguing about the content of the article but credit where credit is due: overall a really well written journalistic piece that takes no side (which is the point) and offers equal light to both arguments. Detailed. Factually relevant. Quotes from sources on multiple sides of this thing and a good understanding of the big picture.
ESPECIALLY for someone who did this as a student. Better than most reporting we see in the OTH. Looking forward to reading parts II and III.
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