Old Band Guy Speaks (Warning - A Very Long Post)

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

Yes I am calling out BUS, Varsity Shop, IPP, and others..how much have you given to the Diamond M Club?

Statler I don't give anything to the Diamond M Club. I will certainly look into it...I know very little about it....I like and enjoy the band...and I appreciate your service with the Alumni Band...but I have to admit the band is not really my focus....Statler I guess we all have our roles to play. I contribute heavily to a BLVD spot...hundreds of dollars every year.....I have been a member of the Mustang Club for many years....thousands of dollars....I have purchased season tickets every year for years and purchased 6 season tickets this year...hundreds of dollars...I do my best to constantly recruit SMU fans.....and there are some other donations I have been a part of...so Statler I do the best I can doing my part.....looks like Bus does his part spending hundreds of dollars on tickets, Blvd spots, free food at his blvd spot....if you think we are not doing enough'....well you have the right to your opinion....I would be willing to wager we do more than you do...but whatever...I dont even like playing the game "my donation is bigger than yours"...but hey your the one calling people out....but if you forward me any information via a PM I would be open to adding the Diamond M Club to my list of things I already contribute to help get this program to where we all want to be.

As to your other what I consider "nutty" accusation that some of us have "sold our souls" to Turner/Orsini/Jones.....I say hogwash! It's funny people can't seem to just have a different opinion after careful study of an issue. They must be demonized...."sold their soul" implying "sold their soul to the devil". Can you people not accept that others just do not agree with you on the new horses? Are people "not allowed" to have a different opinion? Is it really a total reach to support people that are building brand new stadiums for SMU, building wonderful new basketball practice facilities, hiring a top tier football coach that is paid with the Top 25 Coaches in all of college football... a coach and an AD that has SMU close to winning 7 games this year.....is it just loonacy to support such progress?.....or should we just demean them any chance we get?....Demean them over adding a couple of Mustangs? BIG F-ing DEAL! CRY ME A RIVER! Demean over their vision as to what bowl is best for our program? Have some half-wits calling for June to be fired this week? Yeah we're the nutty ones....and you dont say shhit about BagIce?....Ha what a joke! Sorry if many of us want to rejoice that SMU has 6 wins this year and may be about to get 7 wins for the first time in decades instead of searching out things to be negative about. GO MUSTANGS!

[i phone money]

M Band is boss...

[Mestengo]

I would love to see the band & cheerleaders every game I just don’t want to pay for it. Do YOU?
We had no cheerleaders or band at the Tulsa game. You could have easily organized a group of people to come up with $3000 to send them to Tulsa. But unless you’re willing to come up with the money and have it matched……

[d_pony]

It is under the University - Judith Banes is the head of this area

[mustangklick]

Realistically, the bowl purse is $700k (I know its split among the conference, but bear with me).

If we transport the ~100 people (from above) it would be like $200-300k to get to Hawaii (assuming $2500 per, is this too low?). Let's bump that up to $400k even.

Does the bowl pay for the team's travel at all?

So, assuming the bowl doesn't pay for travel, and 100 people for the team, we'd be lke $100-200k over our intake. Financially, that would not be great...

I'm sure we could find donors to make up some of the difference, and everyone would LOVE to have the support of the band there. But, I also understand the economic difficulties of it. So, I guess I am on the fence (for the record, I am PRO band and PRO Peruna, you guys rock!).

[bubba pony]

This is fact (for IPP and others who doubt --- I speak facts when it comes to the M Band) - as of today the Athletic Dep is NOT Paying for the band to go to a bowl game

When did this fact come to be? I ask because I have to pay for a band members return home for Christmas trip and the air fare continues to increase as the band, or athletic department, or whomever, dithers on an announced decision. If the band director knew this information sometime ago, and failed to level with the band members, I would be rightfully irritated that anyone associated with this decision was so disingenuous by leading the band members on with false hope. Finally, if this is a fact, when will it be announced, which I assume is followed by a request for donations?

[Stallion]

If the Band doesn't go to Hawaii who will play the music for our newly bought, 1 month "tradition" of Cowboys dancing on the saddles of Cowpoke and Maybell while waving lassos and Cowboy hats to rhythmic music.

Maybe we could pay Don Ho and his band to play SMU fight songs and Varsity with Hula girls instead of the Cheerleaders. June thinks its a more powerful statement of Mustanfg Pride.

[BUS]

We all do our part and give to the organizations we feel closest to. Oh, I have purchases M-band CD's and donated money for new uniforms but you are correct, not as much as I give the Mustang Club.
We all need to pull the university in the correct direction. Winning and success will raise more money for EVERY organization.

Please do not take this wrong but, I will donate another 75 dollars to help the band go to Hawaii as others may if asked. My suggestion is to start calling for connections and large donations as other universities have done for their bands to go to Bowl games.

Be thankful that we are taking another step along our path as champions. Spend your energy working for the M-band and reach for your goal.

Peace be with you always.
BUS/GSS

[ponyte]

It is under the University - Judith Banes is the head of this area

Thanks.

Has anyone contacted Ms Barnes about the band? If the band is under her area, I would think she would know more about the band and its situation then an athletic director. Seems she would be the place to start to understand the needs that must be met for the band to travel.

After we have more information (cost, potential travel arrangement, sources of revenue to support the trip, etc.) we can make a more informed decision on how to help.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

When did this fact come to be? I ask because I have to pay for a band members return home for Christmas trip and the air fare continues to increase as the band, or athletic department, or whomever, dithers on an announced decision.

We have not been even invited to a Bowl game...so how could they be "dithering" on a decision? If we bought all the airline tickets and then ended up not going to Hawaii everyone would be hollering "those idiots...why did they do that before we even made it?".

[The Spaz]

My 2 Cents

1) I totally agree with the hardship bands have due to the middle class nature of the program. ESPECIALLY at SMU. I don't make a ton of money (I'm a video game designer), but I always contribute 25 bucks a year, ever since I finished undergrad. Now, I know most MSU grads probably have 100 bucks in their sofa cushions right now, but that's a lot for me, especially when I was in grad school not making money. Honestly, things have looked up and I've paid off some loans, so I'm looking to up my donation each year (don't quote me on that just yet, guys

2) I think Statler was a little harsh calling people out to say that they needed to do more. I think almost everyone on this board (bagice excluded) does more than their fair share to help this university and this team. It's hard to get excited about things you may not have been directly involved with, especially when it comes to forking out money. I tip my hat to any of you who give even a dollar to any SMU organization.

3) THAT BEING SAID, think for a minute about a gameday without the band. I know how unsettling it was to not hear Peruna at the Marshall game. Being an ex-bando, I realized I've never been to a game without at least one insturment to play Peruna (about 5 of us went to a Tulsa game with 2 trumpets, it sounded like crap). It was odd.

I guess what I'm getting at is thanks for any money or time you've given to the university, next time you're thinking of contributing, think about giving even a little bit to the Band. Heck, we could use some of that sofa cushion money you rich guys got

As a great man once said, we need "one more dollar from everyone..."

[Diamond Girl]

Rec sports in under Student Affairs. The VP of SA is Dr. Lori White.

[Stallion]

Earlier this moring I read that as part of the Hawaii Bowl's agreement with CUSA, the Hawaii Bowl agreed to pay for the travel expenses of its invitee. I doubt that includes band.

[Mestengo]

[quote="Stallion"]If the Band doesn't go to Hawaii who will play the music for our newly bought, 1 month "tradition" of Cowboys dancing on the saddles of Cowpoke and Maybell while waving lassos and Cowboy hats to rhythmic music.

The God father part 1?

[CalallenStang]

Earlier this moring I read that as part of the Hawaii Bowl's agreement with CUSA, the Hawaii Bowl agreed to pay for the travel expenses of its invitee. I doubt that includes band.

Correct.

Statler, Please forward your post (edited for the audience) to Mr. Orsini and R. Gerald Turner.