Recruiting Note & Stadium Comments

[GoMeanGreen1999]

If it HAS to go to a student vote, here's what should be done- Tell the students that UNT needs more parking. No, make that massive amounts of parking. To do that we need to tear down Fouts for the parking. First, a new stadium needs to be built across the highway. Mark your vote HERE (Yes Vote) for more student parking. Walla!

DeepGreen for President and AD!

[FirefightnRick]

The last time the vote occured was during our bowl run years in which there was great turnout at the games, including in New Orleans by students. It felt as if a "yes" vote was a sure thing at that time. Spirit was higher than ever. Then someone got their hair up over it at Bruce Hall once it was time to vote and WHAMO!!!! End of story.

I'd be willing to bet that you couldn't get the spirited brainwashed zombies at Texas A&M to even clear this to go through there.

This is not a good idea at all.

Rick

[UNTflyer]

What if the students say that you can build the parking lots at Eagle Point?

LOL! They complain already about the distance to the lots.

[GoMeanGreen1999]

I love how you put student in quotations, as if it is a contempable or dirty word. Please try to remember (once in a while) that the U in UNT stands for university. The purpose of the university is to educate these students, not to amuse you each fall.

You are blowing what I said way out, I fixed it for you - I personally don't think we do a student vote. And no, I don't believe the purpose of students is to amuse me - I graduated from here, wife works there and father teaches there as well as many many friends.

Edited June 13, 2008 by GoMeanGreen1999

[Green Mean]

So the glass is hald empty eh?

Just playing Devils Advocate here

[DeepGreen]

What if the students say that you can build the parking lots at Eagle Point?

Not a chance. That would require students to walk a considerable distance to attend classes. Kids want to be catered to these days.

[Baby Arm!]

It's been a few years and I've killed a lot of brain cells since then, but I seem to remember voting to raise student fees in order to pay for the stadium expansion when we moved up to D-1.

[UNTflyer]

I am really not worried about a vote on the stadium.

[Stan R]

I am really not worried about a vote on the stadium.

Why not? I think you should be based on prior results..

[FirefightnRick]

I really do think that sometimes people here forget that the students do matter, because it is their university. As a staff member, I always remember that without the students, we have no reason to exist.

So sorry for giving you specifically a hard time.

Most of us were students, and better yet, MOST of us here who your preaching to about what matters most, were students who still give back to the current students today, unlike the majority of what the current students will likely become in their new futures, non-caring, non donating graduates who will never return a dime to the university they recieved their degrees from because they never grew an ounce of pride due to a historically losing athletic system.

Let's ask ourselves: What's the reason for donating money to the university at all? What's the reason for having an endowement, or better yet, increasing it? And with that, why is ours one of the poorest in the state and region?

Rick

[Eagle1855]

Let's ask ourselves: What's the reason for donating money to the university at all? What's the reason for having an endowement, or better yet, increasing it? And with that, why is ours one of the poorest in the state and region?

Finally, a fresh, new topic!

[Green Mean]

Most of us were students, and better yet, MOST of us here who your preaching to about what matters most, were students who still give back to the current students today, unlike the majority of what the current students will likely become in their new futures, non-caring, non donating graduates who will never return a dime to the university they recieved their degrees from because they never grew an ounce of pride due to a historically losing athletic system.

Let's ask ourselves: What's the reason for donating money to the university at all? What's the reason for having an endowement, or better yet, increasing it? And with that, why is ours one of the poorest in the state and region?

Rick

Though I do not agree with it one bit....in fairness to former students/alumni and the current ones....for the majority of them, they have earned the right to do whatever they want as far as giving a damn about the university or not. They worked their butt off to earn their degree and it did not come for free. They had to pay for it and they did or they are currently paying for it. And the ones that got full academic scholarships, well they earned it too with their own hard work put in it. So I can see people having a legitimate reason not caring because in reality they really dont owe anything to the university.

[UNTflyer]

Why not? I think you should be based on prior results..

Because the campus attitude is apparently much different. If it is done right, the stadium fee should pass. What they need to do is start the fee in two years so that most of the voting students won't be affected.

[hickoryhouse]

Please forgive my ignorance, but much like the RPI in basketball I don't have the foggiest idea what the endowment is other than a large arbitrary sum of money, in which we have less than most schools..... Can someone help me out?

[NT80]

The last time the vote occured was during our bowl run years in which there was great turnout at the games, including in New Orleans by students. It felt as if a "yes" vote was a sure thing at that time. Spirit was higher than ever. Then someone got their hair up over it at Bruce Hall once it was time to vote and WHAMO!!!! End of story.

I'd be willing to bet that you couldn't get the spirited brainwashed zombies at Texas A&M to even clear this to go through there.

This is not a good idea at all.

Agree. Once the anti-athletics, pro-squirrel Bruce Hall group gets wind of this it's over. The Regents just need to mandate the fee to begin when all current students are graduated and everyone is happy.

[Stan R]

Agree. Once the anti-athletics, pro-squirrel Bruce Hall group gets wind of this it's over. The Regents just need to mandate the fee to begin when all current students are graduated and everyone is happy.

I think that has to be a key consideration. - it takes place after everyone graduates - Stick it to the next generation, baby!

Edited June 13, 2008 by Stan R

[trud1966]

The last time the vote occured was during our bowl run years in which there was great turnout at the games, including in New Orleans by students. It felt as if a "yes" vote was a sure thing at that time. Spirit was higher than ever. Then someone got their hair up over it at Bruce Hall once it was time to vote and WHAMO!!!! End of story.

I'd be willing to bet that you couldn't get the spirited brainwashed zombies at Texas A&M to even clear this to go through there.

This is not a good idea at all.

Rick

Can you (or someone that remembers the details) re-cap what happened exactly when they did this? There was a few years in there I went to some games but didnt keep up with UNT that much. I had heard rumor about something about a stadium vote getting turned down back then, but never really heard all the details. . Was there much of a campaign done? What was the deal with Bruce Hall? Did they mass a big "Anti-Stadium - Vote NO" contingent or something?

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

Please forgive my ignorance, but much like the RPI in basketball I don't have the foggiest idea what the endowment is other than a large arbitrary sum of money, in which we have less than most schools..... Can someone help me out?

The endowment is money given to the university by indviduals, trusts, wills, companies, etc. Except in rare cases, that movey is invested and only the interest can be used by the university. Some specify that the donation is to endow a chair in a specific department, school or college. Some may give for a building, landscaping, project, etc. but much of it is for general operations such as adding courses of study or supplementing an academic gift.

There are a number of Division 1-A schools with endowments of more than one billion dollars. North Texas got a comparatively late start and our endowment stands in the vicinity of $100 million.

By the way, none of this money can be used for athletics.

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

Please forgive my ignorance, but much like the RPI in basketball I don't have the foggiest idea what the endowment is other than a large arbitrary sum of money, in which we have less than most schools..... Can someone help me out?

The endowment is money given to the university by indviduals, trusts, wills, companies, etc. Except in rare cases, that money is invested and only the interest can be used by the university. Some specify that the donation is to endow a chair in a specific department, school or college. Some may give for a building, landscaping, project, etc. but much of it is for general operations such as adding courses of study or supplementing an academic gift.

There are a number of Division 1-A schools with endowments of more than one billion dollars. North Texas got a comparatively late start and our endowment stands in the vicinity of $100 million.

By the way, none of this money can be used for athletics; however, athletics can start their own foundation.

[GrandGreen]

Though I do not agree with it one bit....in fairness to former students/alumni and the current ones....for the majority of them, they have earned the right to do whatever they want as far as giving a damn about the university or not. They worked their butt off to earn their degree and it did not come for free. They had to pay for it and they did or they are currently paying for it. And the ones that got full academic scholarships, well they earned it too with their own hard work put in it. So I can see people having a legitimate reason not caring because in reality they really dont owe anything to the university.

Actually they only paid for a portion of it. State funds keep getting reduced, but students are still a way off from paying for the full cost of their education. Yes, people have a choice about what they support to some extent. Obviously, if you are a taxpayer you are probably supporting many causes that you may not subscribe to. As for as paying for an education, I think most would think that is a very good investment. There is nothing mandatory about any charitable contribution, but thankfully many chose to give. If owing to you denotes having a contractual obligation to donate, than nothing is owed to your degree institution. Of course, the same could be said about your most important relationships with friends and family.

[TIgreen01]

Because the campus attitude is apparently much different. If it is done right, the stadium fee should pass. What they need to do is start the fee in two years so that most of the voting students won't be affected.

You talk like you were not around when the last vote was taken. What makes you so confident that those of us that were should calm down and not be worried about this??

I know (for a FACT) that it doesn't take many votes to swing a UNT student election one way or the other. Unless the SGA is completely (doubtful) behind this and has a few thousand votes up it's sleeve, I'd say that letting the students vote on a massive student fee increase is not going to work.

The question has been asked over and over on this board, but WHY must UNT put an athletic/stadium fund fee increase before the students to vote on? Is UNT somehow legally bound while other state universities in Texas are not?

Edited June 13, 2008 by TIgreen01

[UNTflyer]

The question has been asked over and over on this board, but WHY must UNT put an athletic/stadium fund fee increase before the students to vote on? Is UNT somehow legally bound while other state universities in Texas are not?

Because it is the law.

"(f) If the total compulsory fee[0] charged under this section is more than $150, the increase does not take effect unless the increase is approved by a majority vote of the students voting in an election held for that purpose or by a majority vote of the student government at the institution. In subsequent years, an election authorizing a fee[0] increase must be held before the fee[0] can be increased by more than 10 percent of the fee[0] approved at the last student election."

Texas Education Code Chapter 54

Of course, the same code identifies The University of Texas as an exception.

"( b ) Subject to Section 54.514 of this subchapter and subsections (j) and (k) of this section, the board of regents of The University of Texas System may charge and collect from students registered at The University of Texas at Austin fees[0] to cover the cost of student services that the board considers necessary or

desirable in carrying out the educational functions of the university."

[UNTflyer]

Here is an interesting passage from the student Senate bill passed in 2002, when the student vote failed and the SGA was forced to approve an increase in fees to meet Title IX requirements:

"The SGA further requests that the increase in fees be in effect until a Dedicated Athletics Fee may be proposed and approved in the Texas State Legislature, at which point the increase would be dropped;

The SGA also approves of a Dedicated Fee for Athletics to be enacted upon state legislature approval and requests that the UNT Athletics Department be ineligible for Student Service Fees once a Dedicated Fee has been enacted."

So... it appears that in order for the BOR to impose a dedicated athletics fee, the Texas Legislature needs to approve it. I suggest we all write our representatives in the Legislature and politely urge them to allow UNT to have a dedicated athletics fee that would be controlled by the BOR.

Edited June 14, 2008 by UNTflyer

[Mean Green Matt]

Agree. Once the anti-athletics, pro-squirrel Bruce Hall group gets wind of this it's over. The Regents just need to mandate the fee to begin when all current students are graduated and everyone is happy.

If we can get Bruce Hall to think they are voting to reform marijuana laws, then we might have a shot...

[filmerj]

If we can get Bruce Hall to think they are voting to reform marijuana laws, then we might have a shot...

Why don't we tell them that the stadium will be a pot growing venue.?

Edited June 14, 2008 by filmerj