[Student Fee Is Crucial For Survival]

I can only hope that the athletic office and this administration have been diligently working on a plan to administer a student fee to help support and grow UNT athletics. It is simply a matter of survival and must be applied in conjunction with or without any future corporate sponsorship.

If for some reason, legit or not, this administration feels it must give the current students the opportunity to vote on whether to accept or reject such fee, then it is even more important that a carefully planned and thought out campaign be put in place. Hopefully we already have this plan.

The "Central Theme" of the plan should not make it's focus on a new stadium or athletics but on the "Value" it offers each and every student who walks off our campus carrying a degree in hand. It's all about value.

We should not focused the campaign on changing the minds of those we know who already oppose any such fee, but on the other 25,000 who really haven't given it much thought because no one has yet explained to them in a simple intelligent way how they will benefit from a strong athletic program.

The word "fee" is never used but replaced with the word "investment".

We never talk of a student athletic fee in it's totality but only what it's daily investment would be when figured over the course of a semester. For instance, a $50 investment is broken down to .36 CENTS per day. You must show the value of what .36 cents per day will give each student. The campaign might show two homes, one worth $75,000(Fouts) and the other $450,000(new stadium) followed by a simple question..."Would would buy the $450,000 home if it cost you .36 cents more per day"?

It really all boils down to a quality Marketing Plan. And time is of the essence!

[40 Guests Attended The Mean Green Social]

Sending out an email a day or two before the event is not doing everything you can do. They should have announced it 2 months ago and sent weekly email reminders, not only to MGC members but to alumni as well.

You're absolutely correct. That would be the proper, professional way to do it.

[Who's Holding Us Back?]

I cannot find any reason why UNT should not be equal to or better than the other 9 D1A Texas schools in both academics and athletics. However,

I can certainly list many reasons why we should.

So, who is holding us back? Is it sly, manipulative politicians in Austin with ties to Tech, Houston, maybe SMU or Baylor who literally fear what might happen to their schools pool of resources and their school's image & standings should UNT ever reach it's potential?

Or are we ourselves the guilty ones. Could it be a combination of both or something totally different? Something doesn't make since, does it? Aren't all of you getting sick and tired of forever watching our beloved University wallow in mediocrity? Don't you feel like we're constantly gasping for our next breath of air? Why? Can anyone logically justify why The University of North Texas continues to trip, stumble and fall?

I personally believe that the Gene Stallings report concerning our return to D1A football and more specifically the suggestion that we keep playing at Fouts Field set the bar "so low" that we are still paying for it today. Who knows, maybe the report was altered at Dr. Hurley's request but one thing is for sure and that is this; our return to D1A was a half-hearted effort at best. Had we made building a new stadium our main focus back in the early nineties we would be playing in CUSA today! Maybe even a better conference.

I could go on and on but it won't do any good.

I believe we are fortunate to have Rick Villarreal and Coach Dodge on our side.

Only the announcement of a new state of the art stadium will convince me that UNT and it's leaders are serious about it's football program and athletics overall.

[Is Todd Dodge Unt's Joe Paterno?]

TodDo is not quite JoePa.....YET. Maybe when he wins about 350 more games...we can make that claim.

Penn State is not in College Park, btw. That's Maryland. Penn State is in State College, Pa.

Thank you.

[Is Todd Dodge Unt's Joe Paterno?]

That was my fault, I told him College Park. Sorry dad.

It's ok Matt. It's no big deal. Relax.

Go Mean Green.

[Is Todd Dodge Unt's Joe Paterno?]

I still think we should try and sign Penn State to a 2 game series with one in Denton and one at State College.

[Details Of The Smu, Army Series]

SMU ain't dumb. Todd Dodge may well be gone by 2014.

[Too Little...too Late?]

Thank you Gene Stallings and Dr. Hurley!

We need a miracle.

[More Denton Development]

The DFW area is projected to double in population from just under 7 mil to near 14 mil by the year 2030.

The North Texas region will be the most toll encumbered area in Texas.

Already land is being purchased and acquired for an outer loop north of 380. It will pass near the Celina area and continue making it's way towards Farmersville and further south.

The DFW area will not only become more congested but more expensive to travel in and around.

People living in and around the Denton area will see UNT as their main source of entertainment because of travel cost and time. They will embrace all UNT athletics as well as performances at the Murchison Center. They will become season ticket holders for football, mens and womans basketball, mens baseball and possibly womens soccer and softball. Tickets for the Murchison Center will be difficult to get.

It will happen unless the world blows itself up.

That is why we cannot afford to screw up the design of the new football stadium. Starting with 30,000 is ok if it truly is "state of the art" and can be readily expanded. However, the new stadium should be able to be expanded to no less than 75,000 because the population growth will support that size stadium, maybe more.

[Dave Campbell's Tidbits]

Just F@#$#@ great! Seems we could have headed this kind of negative attention off at the pass had there been a press conference held to voice dissapointment over the unfair treatment of NT by the NCAA how other schools NT outscored were being given a pass. Had that fact been brought up, during an opportunity that to me seemed as a no brainer to DEFEND THIS PROGRAM, when it occured, then maybe Dave Campbell's would have considered making it an issue bringing more attention to the problem. Of course, this shouldn't surprise us, considering we heard nothing in defense of the Star Telegram's Wendell Barnhouse's misinformation about college football advances two weeks ago.

Rick

I agree with you.

Also, I hope our leaders have the desire and willingness to do everything and anything legally possible to raise the stadium out of the ground. We know they have the competence.

The silence concerning the stadium is really frustrating.

[Here Is The Jerk That Is Spamming Us]

I'll bet he searches every single conference baord to rip UNT and declare us unworthy for their conference... has anyone checked out the Big East boards???

He was on a board that delt with high school football..5A Texas Football? Don't remember the exact site. He attacked every fiber of UNT. Nothing he posted had anything to do with football, athletics or other schools. Keep in mind that a bunch of high school football players and many of their parents read that board.

I personally believe that Orsini hired him as a hit man to attack and destroy the image of UNT nation wide. It scared SMU to death when we hired Coach Dodge so much that they went out and paid jones 1.2 million more than they needed to. Of course I like to think that twenty wealthy men "own" June Jones and one mighty God owns Coach Dodge. I would not trade Coach Dodge for Jones or anyone else coaching college footall today. We are really really fortunate.

[Forget Ut, Ou, Atm, Tt, Osu And Ua]

I would love to see UNT go after a one for one with Penn State even if we only have a 30,000 seat( NEW) stadium. They keep their gate and we keep our gate. They get exposure into the DFW high school talent pool and we charge $45.00 per ticket making about 1,000,000 on ticket sales. 30,000-8,000(students)=22,000. Then there is parking and concessions not to mention the media exposure both local and national. I think they would do it but it might take 10 years out unless we get a lucky break with scheduling.

[Whats Wrong With Unt?]

Well you could look at it as we now will have 400 more students at the football games. If they bring a couple of friends and their mentor, then we will have 1600 more at the games. One could also look at the amount of money she raised and implemented a new program. Donors want to know that the university is doing what it should be doing. Successful programs bring additional programs, which translates to additional fundraising.

Tell me you're not serious especially if you really have a PHD.

[Whats Wrong With Unt?]

Knowledge without Wisdom is utterly and totally useless. Never forget it.

I ask, have we become so dumbed down that we can no longer recognize nonsense when we see it. Or, are we so beaten down that we just turn our heads and walk away, exausted from constantly being pressured into ignoring common sense and simple logic? Oh rest assured, it is not just present in the hallowed halls of UNT. It runs rampet through the streets all across our once great nation. For yes, gibberish and poppeycock are now fashionable even admirable especially if they can bring about a desired result. For doesn't the end always justify the means? And what does dignity, honesty and respect have to do with anything anymore?

Here is an excerp from a letter dated February 8, 2008 signed by our esteemed president, Dr. Bataille asking for a gift of 500 dollars.

"We enrolled more than 400 students in our inaugural class of Emerald Eagle Scholars, assuring that these academically gifted students with high financial need will receive four full years of tuition and fees if they maintain a 2.5 GPA and complete 30 semester hours each year."

Listen carefully. "Academically gifted" but only required to maintain a "2.5" and get "four full years of tuition and fees." Pathetic!! This is an insult to the Universtiy of North Texas. I know students who make 3.7 and above, are active in campus life, support all UNT athletics, belong to fraternities, hold office in student organizations and promote the University of North Texas every day and every where and these solid students can't get ONE dime in financial aid. ZERO!

And who do you think will be the ones that give back to the University?

Our president also says in her P.S. "Your gift sends a message of support to UNT students and adds value to your UNT degree." More insult.

Dr. Bataille, I ask you to donate your entire raise ( BOTH of THEM) and then some to funding the football stadium. A new football stadium will add a lot more value to my UNT degree then the pathetic 2.5 standard you and your administration has deemed worthy of four full years of free tution and fees.