The truth.

[i10pony]

Seriously guys whose gonna be our next AD and head coach. I say we give a Mustang a chance. We need to get Ramon Flannigan back to SMU. Or get UNT's coach Dickey on the Hilltop. As for the AD position SMU needs a Mustang too. I think the problem is that the people in charge in the athletic department aren't Mustangs. They have no vested interest in seeing SMU prosper. They see SMU as a stepping stone job to a school that has a bigger and better athletic department. I am sickened, disgusted, and truly saddened by this situation. SMU is the laughing stock of college sports. It would be one thing if SMU was in Rice, Vanderbilt, or Duke's league academically, and the school still sucked at football. I'd be fine with that. But the truth is SMU is an above average school. It is not a great world class academic institution like the aforementioned schools. The truth is I graduated from a university that is mediocre to above average in academics and has arguably been one of the worst football programs in the nation since 1989. I don't know what that means. But I'm having issues right now with this debacle. So I need to vent.Where do I begin? The starting f'ing QB is playing intramurals, the coaches are fighting with each other during games, the head coach after games repeatedly says he's doing a bad job of coaching. What the hell is going on at SMU!!!!!!!???? Are there any concerned alums out there in Mustang land? Why are people sitting on theeir hands letting this [deleted] go on. I'm a recent grad and I don't have any asay in these matter(hopefully someday I will), but if I was an old alum with deep pockets and if SMU wanted my money and support I would need to see an effort made by the university to get things right. I really don't see that happening right now. I hope I will someday before I turn 40 something.

[Sam I Am]

You are so right about how much it hurts to care about SMU football these days, especially when we are not in a postion to help make the changes that are needed right now.

[i10pony]

Hopefully some when some of us young Mustangs become alums of influence we can make sure a disaster like this never happens again. Crap like this better not happen again. If it does and I have anything to do or say about where SMU is going in the future as a university or a football program the university will not see a single dime from me. I look at it this way if SMU wants to waste money on fielding the $hittiest 1a football program in the country and at the same time SMU's academic prestige is either stagnant or declining then its not worth it to have a D-1a team. The money wasted on football can be used to make a SMU premier academic institution of national prominence. SMU's administration has showed me that it can neither make SMU the great academic institution that it deserves to be and it will not allow the school to field a competitive team the fans, students, and alums can be proud of. In short SMU is not great at anything it undertakes. The school is half [deleted] in everything. And I'm pissed of about it!!!!!!!!

[Eddie P]

I hate to give this post any attention, but I am curious about two things:

How would you say, specifically, that SMU's academic reputation is becoming "stagnant" or declining?

Also, in what way would "money being wasted on football" have any effect on SMU academic programs? Just curious.

<small>[ 10-28-2003, 08:55 AM: Message edited by: Eddie P ]</small>

[i10pony]

Well Ed,

Has SMU's academic rep risen to the point where it can be mentioned with the universities it aspires to be like? i.e. Duke,Tulane,Vanderbilt,Emory, Northwestern, USC, Wake Forest and Rice. In the four and half years I was at SMU I did not see SMU ascend to those lofty goals it set for the school. While I was at SMU the business school dropped in the U.S. News rankings. The sociolgy department was eliminated. The foreign language department is full of adjuncts and is woefully under funded. Oh yeah and three excellent professors that I had my freshman and sophomore years left because the school did not want to give them tenure. One is at UT and is head of the Eastern Religions department, and another is at Va Tech head of the communications department.
In regards to football draining the school, SMU covers the losses incurred by the athletic program from it's general operating budget.In the case of SMU and most universites, (bcs and non-bcs) that have D-1a programs football is the biggest money loser. Even if SMU as a new football stadium that it owns what good is it if it has only been filled once or twice? To make money you have to fill the place.You of all people should know this because of your background in the bar/hospitality industry?The athletic department is not completely endowed. Anyway my point is the money spent on scholarships operating, travel costs, staff etc... could be used for enhancing SMU's academic reputation if SMU is not commited to fielding a top notch competitve D-1a program.

[Stallion]

...there simply is no doubt that at least with respect to SAT/ACT scores and acceptance rates since the DP 15 years ago that SMU has stagnated or significantly retreated in comparison to UT, A&M, TCU, Baylor, Texas Tech. You see I tried to do a study on this one time but the great Ken Pye apparently did not allow those figures to be published starting in hmm 1987.

[Cyn]

Hey i10pony who in the hell are you? I agree with EddieP 200%. How can you begin to make a point with this? Maybe if the requirements are lower just a little more we can get some "blasting talents" into the football program that will give the school that over whelming revenue that would be shared with the rest of the school. Whether you want to admit to this or not, FOOTBALL brings in the money, honey! No matter what level of football.(middle/high school, college, professional) A lot of money! FOOTBALL is the American sport. Some people are not fortunate to have the finances to pay for a good education. Getting a FOOTBALL schloarship is the way for a promising individual to get a once in a lifetime education. With the education they receive from SMU from a FOOTBALL scholarship they have the opportunity to make this some-what sick world a better place for our little ones.... like my 3 yrs old daughter.
So, to you i10pony-----Please think about what you say before you say it. Who knows? That certain individual who could be your boss (u know that person who decides the amt of money you will make year after year) could very well be an idividual who gained their education from a FOOTBALL scholarship. Think 'bout it? :hmm:
I have had 2 brothers who received FOOTBALL scholarships. Both brothers chose SMU over Texas, TCU, Oklahoma, Houston, Baylor, UTEP, etc. I'm just a sister, but am very thankful for my brothers having the opportunity.
(one currently a player on the team now)

Don't blame the under funding, professor leaving, and fields of study being dismissed on the fact of FOOTBALL and FOOTBALL scholarships being given out.

Hang in there bro! :thumbupcool:

[EastStang]

Granting of tenure is not usually a budgetary decision, although the school does expect professors to get research grants and the like. Tenure is also not granted due to the popularity of a given professor by his or her students. Tenure is granted because the Professor is well-published and renouned in his or her field. The ability to attract research grants is indicative of that recognition. The foreign language department has been relatively mediocre since I was at SMU over a quarter century ago. If it is important to you, go out, make a couple of Million and endow a chair for modern languages. That's how it works. Or create a foundation which give grants to foreign language research. Then give grants to deserving SMU professors. Don't gripe because some of our alums give their money to our athletic department. Odds are, it would not go to the foreign language department if we didn't have football.

[Cyn]

Right on! Right On!

[Eddie P]

I-10

Just wanted to see your response. I was afraid you were heading towards one of those "we should have spent that 50 million on ________ instead of a football stadium." But you're better informed than that, I see.

[Stallion]

I think the point is that as we have come to the end of the Ken Pye Model I think we can all agree that it has been an unmitigated financial disaster and boondoggle that has cost and will cost this school millions and millions of dollars until SMU either drops football or decides to compete on an even playing field with its natural and traditional rivals.

[Duke Blue Blood]

No one is getting fired. Stop the talk, no one who can make the change is listening.

[Duke Blue Blood]

Don't post unless you have at least seen the facts. SAT scores have risen and acceptanve rate has dropped. Usually there are a few well informed posters on this board, but clearly they are more well informed about the football recruiting.

[Stallion]

not since 1986 they haven't-maybe last year they have don't know-but in 1986 the above schools were in order UT, SMU, A&m, Baylor, TCU, TECH. A&M has now far surpassed SMU in average SAT scores and TCU and Baylor are neck and neck with us, Tech has improved significantly too. Now if they published that information like had been done in every year from at least 1980-1986 then I could prove it. Those numbers were hushed up-I've done the research-the year Ken Pye took office. Now the only numbers they publish are percebntile ranges and we are neck and neck with TCU and Baylor last time I saw them. Heck the loss in endowment after the Pye years in relation to those schools was also startling, but amazingly when Dr. Turner becomes President 1/2 Billion Dollars are raised in a couple of years. If you got the real numbers let's see em pal.

<small>[ 10-28-2003, 02:51 PM: Message edited by: Stallion ]</small>

[i10pony]

First of all I just want to let every one know that I'm PRo-SMU.I am not anti-Football, or anti-football player. If I was I wouldn't be wasting my time on this board. But I am anti-mediocrity. And mediocrity is all I have seen come out of SMU. I don't think that the university has done all it can do to make SMU the place it deserves to be academically and athletically. I believe there are people in the admistration and athletic dept. who look at their jobs at SMU as a stepping stone to some better and bigger job. Thats why I advocate that Mustangs should run the athletic dept. I don't believe Bennett will get the job done either, because frankly even a person with a minuscule amount of football watching experience can see that he is doing a crappy job with this team. That being said I hope he will prove me wrong though I seriously doubt that. I'm also anti-Copeland because I believe he has made two horrible hires for the football team. I am anti-faculty senate who put SMU fball where it is. Even with all thes changes I believe poor decisions have been made. And the proof is in the pudding. SMU has gone down in academic prestige, and athletic prestige because. This university is not exceptional or world class at anything.