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Post by thesenator on Sept 23, 2015 14:19:10 GMT -5
Mike Reilly '08 has a letter that was published in BV on 9/14/15, it summarizes the situation with TK to a tee. Good reading. See www.thebvnewspaper.comi didn't agree with everything that was said in the letter...that being said, i felt it was good reading because the criticism was constructive, and the writer's arguments were supplemented with facts and figures...i find myself always more inclined to take more seriously and consider more thoroughly a writer's sentiments when they are explained in detail as this letter was...
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Post by Dunga on Sept 23, 2015 14:32:01 GMT -5
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Post by zcbonnies on Sept 23, 2015 14:59:57 GMT -5
Nice job Mike.
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Post by bva on Sept 23, 2015 16:25:40 GMT -5
That was an EXCELLENT letter -- respectfully done!
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Post by towniegrad on Sept 23, 2015 21:15:30 GMT -5
I read the letter. It is heartfelt. I don,t believe student sections help win games.Mainlly, good teams win games I kind of like the idea of standing up to the big guys and refusing to give up your main strength just because they want you to, but the student section is not a strength. I think they gave it up not because of safety or because of the league but because it is an embarrassment to the school and to the Franciscan values that it needs to market
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Post by dadster81 on Sept 24, 2015 5:36:03 GMT -5
Townie grad, I disagree with two of your points. First of all, a passionate and loud fans do help win games. Disruptive to opponents, and motivating to the home team. That is one of the main reasons that SBU has been called one of the toughest places to play. When the WOlfpack is inspired, the team plays better, and vice versa. Anyone who has played, or coached, in front of a supportive fan base, will agree.
The student section is not an embarrassment to the school. I have no clue where that statement comes from. In fact, it is probably one of our greatest student recruiting assets.
As I get ready to spend this weekend with 3 other '81 Bonnies fishing in NJ, I can guarantee you that the memories that continue to bring us back together are BB games, playing cards in Francis Hall, etc. Not the Franciscan values we may or may not have learned.
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Post by bjif on Sept 24, 2015 6:44:30 GMT -5
Maybe I missed it, but has anyone actually seen the new court-side seating? A photo says a thousand words.
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Post by fan4ever on Sept 24, 2015 7:44:25 GMT -5
The letter is spot on. TK would be wise to take heed.
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Post by 5and23 on Sept 24, 2015 8:18:18 GMT -5
While looking through my old media guides at the De Soto, I get that longing feel for what this program used to be like...The lower bowl packed 18 hours in advance of each game, as students were decked out in their respective dorm floor outfits. Cool nicknames like tard kings were prevalent. Bonas had a snazzy pep band that brought the house down. Add in the ultimate crooner in Lou and it was a the most cherished venue this side of Pauley Pavilion. Not sure if anyone ever mentioned it, but ESPN once rated it as one of the 5 toughest arenas in the country. It had the proud Brown Indian mascot working the students up into a frothy lather, the lil squaw didn't hurt at all either. The students used to march in a coffin with the current opponents moniker festively displayed, all to the glorious tune of Wade in the Water (just bringing up the music on YouTube makes my inner thighs moist with anticipation). When the Bonnies scored their first bucket, toilet paper would rain down from the heavens. Pre-game beers at The 'Skellar with joyous friends. At halftime of the game, you could saunter into the concourse for a full-sized wiener (unlike the tiny, shriveled wieners they serve nowadays) from the concession stand and regale yourself in a delightful conversation of how great the Bonnies are, and life in general. After yet another Bonnies victory you could jockey for position to get out of the parking lot. The race to Angee's was rite of passage. Do you cut through the cemetery and head the back way, or do you take the not-so secret roadway along the railroad tracks that brought you out to where Constitution Ave is today, or were you the traditionalist and went your merry way through the normal means of traffic? Fast-forward to today's culture. Nothing as it used to be like and now the beloved students aren't even on the floor. I cried another tear for this dwindling program. Don't know if I agree with what's said here. Hell, I'm not sure I even understand most of it. BUT, let's call it what it is: a frigging masterpiece.
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Post by thebonafan08 on Sept 24, 2015 20:52:12 GMT -5
The letter is spot on. TK would be wise to take heed. Sadly he won't. The school will ignore it too. Look at the admissions numbers released today. This school is so close minded, small and shortsighted in its decision making its ridiculous. The whole seat thing is not about 18", it's not even about the Reilly Center or basketball. When our school is year after year putting up the embarrassing enrollment numbers we need real cooperation and action across all aspects of the university.. Every decision that every department makes needs to answer positively to the question: "will this decision makes us more attractive to prospective students?" In taking students off the court, and eliminating one of the few unique aspects Bona has, Tim's chair decision decisively does not make us more attractive. Is it the end all be all and will Bona go down solely because of it? Of course not. But the more we allow our bone head administration to needlessly shoot the school in the foot time and time again, eventually we will bleed out. So go ahead tell me I am over reacting about the seats, maybe I am, but I am so tired of our school and its self inflicting wounds. our administration time and time again keeps taking gimmick self serving short cuts that make their individual department one or two year budget look better but in the long run hurt the school big time somewhere else. Quick look at the math... - Just looking at seats in front of the students. Let's assume for a second Tims fantasy scenario that all twenty seats are sold to new ticket holders who for whatever reason never had tickets before. This creates $14,000/year -Just 1 student every 4 years being swayed to attend Bona's because of a unique on court student section creates $18,000*/year. *avg. tuition using discount rate That's right if the school can convince just one student every 4 years to come to Bona in part because of an awesome opportunity to participate in the rowdiness that is the students on the court we beat Tims fantasy scenario by $4000. Say what you want about how it's ridiculous that a kid would pick a school because of a student section but why does the school use the student section picture in nearly all of their prospective student promotional ads? I know for me, when I went to a game as a high schooler maybe it was not the main reason I went to Bona but it was definitely a back of the mind factor. The students on the court has pull, it's unique, does it add 50 students in a year? No, but I would bet 1 every 4 years is a safe bet. That said, judging by Tim and the schools admin. reactions to an entire alumni base telling them they are wrong nothing will change, in a year no one will care about the seats and in 5 years when nothing new is done, more bonehead small decision are made and enrollment continues to fall we will wonder why.
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Post by 123Rob on Sept 24, 2015 21:07:22 GMT -5
There are only two left This move won't keep prospective students from enrolling. Constant griping by alums might The students that go are great. Poor numbers of them show up consistently. Only winning will get more there. Only money will bring more resources that will bring more wins.
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Post by Hermit on Sept 24, 2015 22:32:57 GMT -5
The letter is spot on. TK would be wise to take heed. Sadly he won't. The school will ignore it too. Look at the admissions numbers released today. This school is so close minded, small and shortsighted in its decision making its ridiculous. The whole seat thing is not about 18", it's not even about the Reilly Center or basketball. When our school is year after year putting up the embarrassing enrollment numbers we need real cooperation and action across all aspects of the university.. Every decision that every department makes needs to answer positively to the question: "will this decision makes us more attractive to prospective students?" In taking students off the court, and eliminating one of the few unique aspects Bona has, Tim's chair decision decisively does not make us more attractive. Is it the end all be all and will Bona go down solely because of it? Of course not. But the more we allow our bone head administration to needlessly shoot the school in the foot time and time again, eventually we will bleed out. So go ahead tell me I am over reacting about the seats, maybe I am, but I am so tired of our school and its self inflicting wounds. our administration time and time again keeps taking gimmick self serving short cuts that make their individual department one or two year budget look better but in the long run hurt the school big time somewhere else. Quick look at the math... - Just looking at seats in front of the students. Let's assume for a second Tims fantasy scenario that all twenty seats are sold to new ticket holders who for whatever reason never had tickets before. This creates $14,000/year -Just 1 student every 4 years being swayed to attend Bona's because of a unique on court student section creates $18,000*/year. *avg. tuition using discount rate That's right if the school can convince just one student every 4 years to come to Bona in part because of an awesome opportunity to participate in the rowdiness that is the students on the court we beat Tims fantasy scenario by $4000. Say what you want about how it's ridiculous that a kid would pick a school because of a student section but why does the school use the student section picture in nearly all of their prospective student promotional ads? I know for me, when I went to a game as a high schooler maybe it was not the main reason I went to Bona but it was definitely a back of the mind factor. The students on the court has pull, it's unique, does it add 50 students in a year? No, but I would bet 1 every 4 years is a safe bet. That said, judging by Tim and the schools admin. reactions to an entire alumni base telling them they are wrong nothing will change, in a year no one will care about the seats and in 5 years when nothing new is done, more bonehead small decision are made and enrollment continues to fall we will wonder why. Did I just read that the reason enrollment is down is because of the......front row seat hullabAloo??? God, have mercy on us all.......
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Post by bbb on Sept 25, 2015 2:52:36 GMT -5
No, it's the attitude behind it.
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Post by thebonafan08 on Sept 25, 2015 6:06:38 GMT -5
Got it, so 1 student every 4 years brings in $5,400 more.
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Post by tomgleason on Sept 25, 2015 7:30:49 GMT -5
bonafan08 using common core math, I see...full sale of seats to new ticket holders brings in $14,000, yes...the next part of the equation should be...if one student every four years is dissuaded from attending because of this, we lose $4,000 per year...really doubt that will happen
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