Diggs tells it how it is

[NLeininger]

While some of Quandre's points seem to have merit, he shouldn't be comparing them to schools that don't have 1/2 the alumni base of Texas. KSU does what they do because they have to, Texas simply does not. The other problem is lack of marque games at home, which has to do with our crappy conference. We already give away our best rivalry game to Dallas, and the rest of the conference just doesn't travel well due to small fan bases and in some cases long distances that can't be readily driven in a weekend.

Even when Mack had us rolling and we were winning 10+ games every year most of the home games were over early in the 3Q, which bread some of our arrogance. Fans come to games to be entertained 1st and foremost, and when you suck or when you are so good and the rest of the conference sucks, fans are going to to look at their bottom line and say, I could spend $200 in a better way. I'm hopeful that the playoffs will eventually expand to 16 teams, 11 FBS conference champions and 5 WC's. Then the importance of conference games really gets turned up a notch.

 

[armadillo slim]

The university has over 50,000 students attending - not including the faculty and employees. Stadiums were not built to entertain alumni - they were built for the student population, first and foremost, and our stadium should be no different. Rich alumni should not be allowed to buy entitlement - it reeks of opulence and arrogance. Besides, it's just not right.
This is a state university - basically supported by state funds and the costs of attending - donations DO NOT support the school.

that would be incorrect, doc. sorry.

take a look. http://giving.utexas.edu/why-give/why-we-need-your-support/

no gifts and research grants = no university, of any class, let alone first.

 

[Topstarr]

well lets just go play some football.....and WIN.

 

[doc longhorn]

that would be incorrect, doc. sorry.
take a look. http://giving.utexas.edu/why-give/why-we-need-your-support/

no gifts and research grants = no university, of any class, let alone first.

Actually, you are only partly right. For example, what percentage of sponsored programs are direct gifts from alumni? It appears to me that has been separated as "gift Contributions".

Research grants are part and parcel of every university and does not endow the sponsor with "entitled perks".

Here is some more data - at least up to 2008:

http://www.utsystem.edu/cont/reports_publications/RevExp/AUS.pdf

 

[Randolph Duke]

The university has over 50,000 students attending - not including the faculty and employees. Stadiums were not built to entertain alumni - they were built for the student population, first and foremost, and our stadium should be no different. Rich alumni should not be allowed to buy entitlement - it reeks of opulence and arrogance. Besides, it's just not right.
This is a state university - basically supported by state funds and the costs of attending - donations DO NOT support the school.

As of Aug 31, 2013, the university had 36,724 undergrads enrolled. Grad students are a lot less likely to be going to football games, especially if they didn't do their undergrad at UT. Thinking we are going to fill up most of the stadium with students, first and foremost, is misguided.

For the year ending Aug 1, 2013, state funding was $292 million. Gifts and contributions were $227.5 million, plus another $42.7 million in additions to various endowments (non PUF).

http://www.utsystem.edu/cont/Reports_Publications/CONAFR/ConsolidatedAFR13.pdf (page 118)

 

[doc longhorn]

As of Aug 31, 2013, the university had 36,724 undergrads enrolled. Grad students are a lot less likely to be going to football games, especially if they didn't do their undergrad at UT. Thinking we are going to fill up most of the stadium with students, first and foremost, is misguided.
For the 2013-14 budget, state general revenue funds supplied 13% of the total budget. Gifts and endowments provided 10%, AUF funds provided 9%. In spite of having the largest endowment of any public university in the nation, donations provide more than the endowment and almost as much a state funds. Donations are incredibly important to the future of UT Austin.

http://giving.utexas.edu/why-give/why-we-need-your-support/

It's not that I think we will fill the stadium - after all it holds over 100,000, it's that the students should be placed closer to their team - and centered and not cost punished. If that occurred, I don't think it is unreasonable to expect 15,000+ students to attend the games. And this goes for basketball as well.

What I don't like to see is the student population being treated as an after thought and the alumni pushing them aside in the seating - just because they can afford it..

 

[Randolph Duke]

It's not that I think we will fill the stadium - after all it holds over 100,000, it's that the students should be placed closer to their team - and centered and not cost punished. If that occurred, I don't think it is unreasonable to expect 15,000+ students to attend the games. And this goes for basketball as well.
What I don't like to see is the student population being treated as an after thought and the alumni pushing them aside in the seating.

I agree. It seems we have moved the students away from the field to be able to sell those tickets at a high price and part of the cost of doing so has been a disengagement by the fans who don't want crappy seats. I am a huge fan of giving the fans opportunities to enjoy preferential seating if they attend more events, getting their tickets scanned before the game starts, purchase concessions during the send half of the game and things like that. A lot of pro teams have a points reward system for their fans. It seems creating one for UT students would be rather simple and those with the highest point totals get the best seats for various events (including both sporting events and concerts). They could even try to add points for overall class ranking.

 

[monarch]

....bravo quandre, bravo!....

 

[texasdobbs]

The university has over 50,000 students attending - not including the faculty and employees. Stadiums were not built to entertain alumni - they were built for the student population, first and foremost, and our stadium should be no different. Rich alumni should not be allowed to buy entitlement - it reeks of opulence and arrogance. Besides, it's just not right.
This is a state university - basically supported by state funds and the costs of attending - donations DO NOT support the school.

I call bs on this. It's not entitlement when I pay for something? As fare as state funds.. not a penny of state funds is used for athletics.

 

[Fred Willard's Right Hand]

As a non rich alumnus who sits 6 rows behind the team(section 4), I can tell you we are not the problem. We come early and make noise. It is embarrassing to look over and see a 1/4 full student section when the game is about to start. It is not because of the location of their seats. We didn't have the primo seats when I was there from 1987-1991 either. But we showed up.

We aren't "blue hairs". Most around me are 30 - 50 year olds who have bled orange for our whole lives. I don't have a problem trying to make the game day atmosphere better, but when I see people (most of whom don't even regularly attend games) talking about moving the "blue hairs" out of their seats, you can kiss my ass. Come and talk to me after you've been paying for season tickets and LHF since 1995. Someone who has attended almost every game for 20 years shouldn't have to move for the sake of change.

 

[texasdobbs]

As a non rich alumnus who sits 6 rows behind the team(section 4)' date=' I can tell you we are not the problem. We come early and make noise. It is embarrassing to look over and see a 1/4 full student section when the game is about to start. It is not because of the location of their seats. We didn't have the primo seats when I was there from 1987-1991 either. But we showed up.
We aren't "blue hairs". Most around me are 30 - 50 year olds who have bled orange for our whole lives. I don't have a problem trying to make the game day atmosphere better, but when I see people (most of whom don't even regularly attend games) talking about moving the "blue hairs" out of their seats, you can kiss my ass. Come and talk to me after you've been paying for season tickets and LHF since 1995. Someone who has attended almost every game for 20 years shouldn't have to move for the sake of change.[/quote']

This 1000th percent... I have season tickets and give a lot to the LHF and when I leave the game after The eyes of Texas... I can barely talk due to losing my voice. ..

 

[Tulsahorn]

I'm with Diggs. First come first serve for the students and yes, they should get in free.

Why?

If the pissing and moaning on this board are any indication of the student "fan" mentality, I don't want them at games.

The spring game is free - show some support there before - like Bama or other rabid student bases.

 

[Tulsahorn]

I agree. It seems we have moved the students away from the field to be able to sell those tickets at a high price and part of the cost of doing so has been a disengagement by the fans who don't want crappy seats. I am a huge fan of giving the fans opportunities to enjoy preferential seating if they attend more events, getting their tickets scanned before the game starts, purchase concessions during the send half of the game and things like that. A lot of pro teams have a points reward system for their fans. It seems creating one for UT students would be rather simple and those with the highest point totals get the best seats for various events (including both sporting events and concerts). They could even try to add points for overall class ranking.

Good luck in getting a seat without paying for a PSL - you are way off on how pro's do it.

 

[Hooverhog]

Why?
If the pissing and moaning on this board are any indication of the student "fan" mentality, I don't want them at games.

The spring game is free - show some support there before - like Bama or other rabid student bases.

Because they, or more likely their parents, are already paying a hell of a lot in tuition to go to UT. Does the university really need the extra couple hundred bucks apiece the students are paying, on top of the thousands? JMO

 

[NLeininger]

As a non rich alumnus who sits 6 rows behind the team(section 4)' date=' I can tell you we are not the problem. We come early and make noise. It is embarrassing to look over and see a 1/4 full student section when the game is about to start. It is not because of the location of their seats. We didn't have the primo seats when I was there from 1987-1991 either. But we showed up.
We aren't "blue hairs". Most around me are 30 - 50 year olds who have bled orange for our whole lives. I don't have a problem trying to make the game day atmosphere better, but when I see people (most of whom don't even regularly attend games) talking about moving the "blue hairs" out of their seats, you can kiss my ass. Come and talk to me after you've been paying for season tickets and LHF since 1995. Someone who has attended almost every game for 20 years shouldn't have to move for the sake of change.[/quote']

I'm in section 4 row 2.

 

[MikeV73]

Does the university still have the all sports pass that I only paid 75 bucks a year while at UT? That was a great deal, got me in to FB, baseball, BB without any other fees for tickets. Of course that was over twenty years ago and that great program may have vanished years ago. Definitely didn't generate funds, but did help put butts in seats during the non sellout years of the early 90s for football. And of course the never sold out drum for hoops games. Anybody out there think the old school "runnin horns" nickname during penders era was a bit silly? I guess we needed all the PR we could get at the time. It did represent the penders style, just alleyways thought it was silly to call your team that instead of the Horns or Longhorns.

 

[HornNdriftwood]

I'm in section 4 row 2.

 

[MikeV73]

Section 4 appears to be a happening section. Could be the official HS section soon!

 

[doc longhorn]

I call bs on this. It's not entitlement when I pay for something? As fare as state funds.. not a penny of state funds is used for athletics.

I think you have misunderstood my comment. When I see students having to sit in the end zones because no seats are available to them on the 50 yard line, I think that is wrong. I don't know about you, but when I was a student I simply couldn't afford a seat on the 50. Furthermore, college stadiums are not the same as NFL stadiums - they are for the college kids first and foremost. You can agree with this being the way it should be, can't you? Would you object to a UT college kid having an opportunity to sit in a premium seat while you, a paying alumni, are having to sit on the 30 yard line? Or, do you take the position that, by God, that kid can sit in the end zone as far as you care - if he wants a premium seat he can pay just like you did?

Doesn't that seem a little upside down to you? Can you envision a scenario whereby ALL of he premium seats are bought out by fans other than the students - who only have the end zones and nosebleed seats available to them? Does that seem fair to you?

Everyone needs to understand that I am sure that quite a few alumni scream their lungs out for our Horns. Yet, our national reputation as stadium fans is that we are mostly a subdued bunch - even at sold out games. That seems to indicate the bulk of the stadium fans are of older generations, doesn't it?

Finally, my comment about the funding of the school had nothing to do with supporting athletics - it was in response to whether or not the school would have to shut down without athletics.

 

[SFlonghorngirl]

Section 4 appears to be a happening section. Could be the official HS section soon!

Aww...my season tickets are in Section 31. How do I get better seats?