SMU On a Roll

[S....M....U]

money money money

[SMU_Alumni11]

Get us a new coach, better football stuff that we can sell on as well as new coach and staff before spending on non-revenue sports! Sorry but my idea is invest to get self sustaining support (P5 conference) and that way tv money provides ton of comfort and then we can fund the non revenue sports then eventually MUSTANG BASEBALL!!! (This will probably be my only idealistic post ever)

[Water Pony]

Hmm. I have heard that the band has to recompense some of the construction costs as well. I wonder, is Turner personally paying for the 2.5 million dollar Turner Quad centennial whatsit thingee? What academic or student experience impact will that expense have? At least with the band, that is a unique part of the SMU experience and student life. And what about the poor swim team, who have actually raised millions to build their new facility? If we are raising an additional $250 million, why can't we help these (successful) student groups out? I wasn't a swimmer, but I thought it was cool that we had a great swim team, and a pretty unique band. It was part of the experience of going to SMU. I understand that "revenue sports" are priority because the bring in money, but still. After all, we are for some reason finding significant funding to Trinity River for a golf course we don't need. Oh, AND it's not like Trinity River would be like the UT golf club, we would get use of it, but it doesn't appeared to be branded for us. Would someone PLEASE explain why we're dumping cash into this?

I'm not disputing that most of that money needs to go to the endowment or to scholarship funds and academic programs. The lion's share should. But the administration should be raising this money for all of the SMU community. Will setting aside some of the money for the swim center or the band actually hurt our academic rep? After all, for all the pushing and improvement we are allegely making we fell two spots in the USNEWS (Understanding that those rankings are not the end all, but we have designed this push to improve in them). In fact we've pretty much stayed where we are for nearly two decades without huge, or really any, improvement. And it is not like news outlets are speaking of SMU's academic ascent. In fact, a quick google search of improving and rising institutions, we are conspicuously absent in these discussions. There is no "buzz" around our academics.

The band and swim team needed new facilities. Both are very successful community-facing programs that have been allowed to starve for lack of a new building or administrative support. If we had broken the top 50, or even made a stride in that direction, perhaps this would not disturb me so much, i could say, well, the administration is improving the quality of the school. But they haven't. We sit in neutral. Leave the band be, and build the swim center already.

Thanks, GP, for the vote of support for a new Swimming & Diving facility for our two teams. And, I agree, on the urgency. However, Stallion is correct that the General Endowment should not be a source of capital improvements, although a new Swimming Facility is a challenging Development effort for Friends of SMU Swimming. My confidence that we will actually build anything, much less in a reasonable time frame, is slowly evaporating (pun intended).

[Greenwich Pony]

I didn't mean that money would come from the genral endowment, but while we are fundraising, I would think we could make it a centerpiece of one of these campaigns. Perkins looks, well, like it is rundown on the boulevard, swimming has traditionally been a strength of our athletic program, and while I know it is not a revenue sport, swimming is getting a higher profile. I was on a business trip last spring and literally watched the NCAA championship not by choice, because it was on every TV in the terminal and it was essentially an add for Texas, Georgia, Stanford and a few other SEC schools. The announcers were falling over themselves to discuss the merits of the "big time" programs.

I would even buy the bollocks that "We needed to move the band first," but they haven't even played that game. And it is very frustrating that this administration has been very bad planning out athletics facilities (such as building then teraing down Turpin at a couple of million). If we are going to be a big time program, then we need to look like it, and swimming is one of the few places where we have consistantly been "Big Time." I know football and basketball make the money and should get the lion's share of attention, but come on. And it has been my understanding is that swimming has come up with $10M or so. The facility (once quoted at $17, now probably in the $20-$25 range I guess) seems like something that could be an anchor for the next drive and that we could put some centennial push behind it. I know there is a lot of talk about baseball aand lacrosse, but are you kidding me? We need to support the sports we still have.

And let it be noted that if academically we were rising into the top 30 or so, and the cost was a downsized athletic program, I'd be all for it. But we've been in the 55-65 range for 25 years. I don't see any buzz in the academic community about our rise (and I have a number of academic clients). I know these things are slow and take several years to show progress, but there has been next to zero. So are we going to be a Stanford? Then I think the administration should act like it.

[Water Pony]

And I say, Amen.

[PK]

And I say, Amen.

Me too. Amen!

[smusportspage]

It is really, really a shame that the school has allowed the swimming facilities to languish in disrepair. I challenge anyone to take a gander through Perkins Natatorium (including the outdoor pool). I can guarantee that you will be shocked. It is a testament to the swimming coaches and the swimmers that they manage to be competiive at all.

[Water Pony]

It is really, really a shame that the school has allowed the swimming facilities to languish in disrepair. I challenge anyone to take a gander through Perkins Natatorium (including the outdoor pool). I can guarantee that you will be shocked. It is a testament to the swimming coaches and the swimmers that they manage to be competiive at all.

Thanks for all the love on this thread and I wish there was a reason for optimism. But, I am reducing my expectations since the alternative is too painful.

Men's Non-revenue sports have taken too many hits. The loss of Men's Track & Field and baseball teams, the loss of national stature in soccer and the loss of our traditionally strong Swimming & Diving program, which was consistently Top Ten. Even our Women's Swimming Program, which was elevated to a top level, has regressed due to facilities and despite our coaching staffs great efforts.

[Greenwich Pony]

And that's my point. Certainly the revenue sports should get the most attention, but if we're going to let all the other aspects of our program go to seed (and we have heretofore fielded good, competitive teams), then perhaps we should consider hanging this up and dropping to a level of competition we are willing to maintain. I don't drop down, I don't think it is a good idea. On the other hand, if we're not willing to do what it takes to keep the other sports competitive, then what's the point? We're just wasting money.