Questions and Comments We've Received April 22, 2003 I'm a Tulane grad, A&S, 1974, businessman here in New Orleans. Tulane is clearly not the only private university in America whose academic program subsidizes its athletic department. And that's been the case for years. And I don't think that's the point anyway. Is anyone asking this question -- what are our goals and expectations for our athletic program? Is it purely financial self-sufficiency? Does a winning football team year after year assure that? I don't think leaving Division 1A makes sense without a compelling case to alumni, faculty and students that answers these questions. And there's one more. If the subsidy is, lets say, $10 mm annually, please tell me where that money will be spent to improve the academic standing, reputation or other subjective standard measurement of the university. What will that buy Tulane? Better faculty? Better students? Just what? ***** Dear Dr. Cowan-- I am writing to urge you to maintain Tulane's Division I-A status in athletics and to obtain alumni input on this very important issue before making any final decision. I am a 1978 graduate of A&S and a 1982 graduate of Tulane Law School. I have served on the Tulane Alumni Association Board of Directors and have also served as a member of the Adjunct Faculty of the University College. I have been a continuous football season ticket holder since my graduation. Putting emotion aside, Division !-A college football has in fact become big business since World War II. Football programs at state universities such as LSU and Clemson have evolved into profit centers where the priorities are profits, winning, and getting players into the NFL. However, thank goodness, some colleges like Tulane, Vanderbilt, and Rice have maintained their integrity and held onto academics and graduation as their top priorities. I think you will find that most Tulane Alumni are extremely proud of this accomplishment and want Tulane to continue to lead by example. Tulane and other academic institutions can be successful in Division I-A football, but Tulane must continue to reinvent itself through innovative marketing aimed at capturing a generation of fans who were lost when Tulane football left uptown New Orleans. When I was growing up, virtually everyone in uptown New Orleans felt some ownership in the team and knew when they were playing at home. Rick Dickson is on the right track by putting games in Tad Gormley which is a more accessible and welcoming venue for fans. If it had not rained last year, that stadium would have been full. Chris Scelfo is also to be commended for putting together a exciting, winning product that people want to watch. Please consider these observations and those of other Tulane alumni as you continue to evaluate the future of an athletic program which has meant so much to us through the years. ***** Dear President Cowen, I strongly feel that we should remain a Division 1 university. Our school spirit is just now getting started, and would only diminished if we were to drop down to Division 3. PLEASE listen to the students and our pleas for remaining in Division 1. Thank you. ***** i hope this is a bad rumor, dropping tulane down from division one is an extremely bad idea not only for the sake of the schools rep, the schools morale (what little it has), and legitimacy, but for the sake of entertainment. The school needs to remain in division one, and it does not need to drop lower. How about the opposite of this situation? Why don't we make some effort into making the school good at sports in division one and achieve national recognition for it? ***** I am opposed to downgrading athletics from division 1-A. We're talking about football. That is what is responsible for the huge loss. I would rather see the football program die with honor than be downgraded and suffer the same fate later on. Tulane is an academic powerhouse. Education is everything. It is the only thing. ***** Just when the Big 3 Men's Athletic Program seems to be stabilized and doing well -football, basketball, baseball - we see a bunch of academic idiots wanting to get out of Division I. Maybe we can then play Delgado, Loyola, and the like. I have been an ardent supporter of Tulane's Athletics since the 50's when I attended the University. My oldest daughter and son are both graduates of Tulane, and major Tulane Athletics has been a source of keeping my children (and now my grandchildren) closer together as a family. C - USA is a great sports conference with equally competitive teams. Our graduation rate among Tulane Athletes make us all proud of our school and coaching staff. What Tulane Athletics needs is a better marketing strategy for the Athletic Program. Right now it stinks. If I ran my Engineering practice like that, I would have been out of business 25 years ago. Shame on Tulane for the recent media releases. Stop the hemorrhaging now with a strong statement from your office. ***** PLEASE KEEP TULANE DIVISION 1 !!!!!! ***** Totally unacceptable! The damage has been done, so exit as quickly as possible. Medocrity will always be with TU short sighted review process. ***** Dear Dean Cowen, I wanted to write on behalf of me and my friends here at Tulane Law School. I came to Tulane in part because of the athletic program here. I was a Division III athlete, playing four years of college football at Middlebury College in Vermont and I have the upmost respect for Division III athletics, but they simply do not belong here. This is a Division I school, and any talk that that doesn't coincide with the academic philosophy is a cop out. Numerous academic institutions of this quality have and do field extremely competitive athletic teams (Stanford, Duke, Northwestern) without compromising academic success and, of these three schools alone, only one (Northwestern) sits in as fertile a recruiting area as Tulane. This school can, should, and I believe will win in all its primary athletic endeavors, and winning breeds a following, along with donations, and increased income for both the academic and athletic programs. Without an athletic program, I feel as though the student body's already abundant apathy will only increase. The administration needs to get the undergrads involved with the athletic programs and foster more school spirit. Any attempt to eliminate or lessen athetics will only, I believe, seriously harm this school. For one, I will not donate money to a school that feels academic success is the only measure of a school's quality. When you start the decision making process on this matter, please involve some students who care, and realize that this is an extraordinarily important decision for Tulane. Thank you for your time. ***** Dear DR Cowen: I was forwarded your message by my daughter who is an athlete at Tulane University. As a loyal contributor to the athletic fund at Tulane, I cannot strongly enough state that a strong athletic program instills pride in both a school's students and its supporters. Any downsizing of the current programs will certainly cause me to revaluate my charity towards Tulane. Academics and athletics can coexist towards the fulfillment of Tulane's mission and I urge you to continue the current athletic program. ***** I really think Tulane should stay Division 1. Tulane dropping down to Division three will damage the little school spirit that we do have, and what else will we be able to unite around? Also, a lot of people will loose their scholarships and ESPN and ESPN2 will not visit us anymore. As an Admissions Office Intern and Green Wave Ambassadors member, I can tell you that a lot of prospective students and their parents are happy to hear that we have Division 1 sports. If we can no longer use that fact in our tours and in our information that we give out, I think we may see some decreased attention in our school. Just something to think about... ***** I disagree strongly with the idea that Tulane shoud leave Division I-A. Tulane has a fan base that can be tapped into, but it will require effective athletic department management and marketing, as well as a successful football team. Had these things been in place over the last decade, the program would be profitable, or at least break even by now. Last year showed some positive steps. I hope they will continue. Tad Gormley was a welcoming venue, and Chris Scelfo seems to be getting the job done. Now is not the time to throw in the towel. ***** President Cowen, I arrived at Tulane in 1998 as an undergraduate freshman, and currently I am a first year student at the School of Law. The accomplishments of your administration during the past five years, which I have viewed first hand, have been nothing short of spectacular. However, I am extremely concerned with the proposition of Tulane's athletic program moving away from Division I status. I understand that there are financial concerns that must be addressed, but I hope that your administration will recognize the value, beyond financial figures, that the athletic department provides. Ingrained in my Tulane experience are memories of the undefeated football season of 1998, the college worldseries of 2001, and the Tulane-LSU baseball game which broke the collegiate baseball attendance record last season. Tulane athletics provide a much needed means to promote a sense of commuity both within the school itself and between the school and the broader New Orleans community. Additionally, Tulane's athletic programs provide an avenue for alumni to remain in touch with the school on a regular basis. Perhaps most importantly, Tulane's student athletes serve as wonderful ambassadors to prospective students while providing Tulane's name with the nationwide exposure and name recognition that Division I status provides. As evidence, I will again mention the football team of 1998 which completed the season undefeated in addition to having the highest GPA and SAT scores of any football team in the country. Instead of de-emphasizing Tulane's athletic programs by a change in status, I hope that Tulane will one day choose to re-emphasize the athletics program to enhance the benefits that a successful athletics program provides. From a student's perspective, I would suggest that Tulane athletics suffer in support only because events occur too far from campus. One day, I would like to see a both a football and basketball facility near campus. In fact, and please forgive my ignorance on the matter, I would love to see a football stadium built at Uptown Square. Despite my wishes, I understand that there are more pressing issues for the University to address at this point in time. Nonetheless, I hope that the remedies that your administration chooses for today's problems do not sacrifice the immense value that Division I status provides to the University as well as its students. Personally, I know that a change from Division I status would have an immense effect on my relationship with the University as it will for many others. ***** Tulane has finally turned the corner in Division I Athletics. A decision to drop out now would be detrimental to the University and send the wrong message to the Alumni. ***** Mr. President's e-mail was rather vague about what the committee is considering in athletics, but I just wanted to voice my opinion that I like the current division we are in, and it would be a travesty if we dropped down to division 3, like I've heard we may be doing. Please talk to those on scholarships, or those who actually attend sporting events, in consideration of dropping down in divisions. Thank you for reading this. ***** President Cowen, I feel that it is very important for Tulane to stay Division I in Athletics because I feel that it is a vital part of Tulane spirit. Athletic evnts are one of the ways the students feel a part of the university, and I feel that dropping to Division Three would be a huge mistake. It would bring less publicity, less attention, and less prestige. The football team went to a bowl game this past year. The baseball team went to the World Series 2 years ago. These events draw attention to Tulane and help us to maintain our great reputation. Without Division One sports, we would not get the same kind of coverage. I also feel that it is unfair that the student body is not being fully informed and is not able to participate in this decision process. The board is being unfair because we as concerned students will not be able to rally support against becoming a Division Three school when you are convening during our finals period. Please take this into consideration. ***** President Cowen, I think it is very important that Tulane remain a Division 1 school because the school spirit at Tulane is marginal and dropping down to a Division 3 school would hurt the remaining spirit tremendously. As a member of GWA, I learned that Tulane relys on its ranking as a Division 1 school for recruiting many athletes that would otherwise be uninterested in Tulane if it was not Division 1. In turn, this would greatly hurt Tulane admission as well as its current students. Please take deeper consideration before making such a huge change! Thanks! ***** As a student and soon to be alum of Tulane University, I am very displeased at all that has been happening. In the past 4 years I have attend Tulane, I have seen the school go from one that I wanted to attend since I was in 6th grade to one that I would not even consider. We have been concerned about an alcohol problem that DOES NOT EXIST (at least in the eyes of my peers), and now there is a concern of an athletic problem the DOES NOT EXIST. I, like many of my peers, chose Tulane University because of the diversity that was uniquely embodied in the one college. Tulane offered the education of an IB league without the snotty student attitude, and the fun activities, including the athletics, of a home town college. Worried about student attendance at games? Then produce better teams, cause no one wants to see a team loose. We hold our own in both athletic and academics, and for once I wish that you and your adviser's would see this. Open your eyes and you will see the greatness that Tulane Posses. Stop taking away all that make Tulane University the unique school that it is. Stop punishing the future student of Tulane University and the Alumni. In a month I will receive my diploma. I hope to be able to display it with pride and not hide it with shame. To address another issue, you may wonder why the student body seems so apathetic. We are not apathetic, we just feel we are not going to be heard, so why should we bother. When we asked that the drinking policy not be changed, you did not listen. Will you listen to us now? DO NOT TAKE AWAY OUR DIVISION 1 STATUS! I assure you, if you do, you will have at least one less alumni donate. ***** in the best interest of the University and the entire athletic program I hope y'all make the right decision and drop football. The money saved can go a long way to helping baseball and basketball achieve new levels. thank you ***** I wish to add my voice to those urging for strong administration support for staying within Division I-A. I contend that the payoff for having strong football and basketball programs and being completely committed to them is not something that can be measured merely in dollar terms. Especially in rough times, the school needs the uplift to its morale that such programs can provide. Tulane needs to have its school pride and school spirit bolstered, as well as its ties to the New Orleans community. On more than one occasion previous school presidents and other parties including students, faculty, administrators and outside experts who've thoroughly studied the matter have reached the same conclusion. On the other hand, by lending credence to the widely-held perception in the community that Tulane is just not serious about being committed to competing in athletics at the highest level, Tulane can only hurt itself in the community and hurt its relationship with numerous alumni as well as students about to become alumni. ***** My son will graduate this year. He was a 4-year walk on with the football team. These four years were the best of his life, even though both he and I now have some nice size loans to pay back. Neither of us would change a thing. The respect that he and the team received when the traveled outside of New Orleans was nothing more than spectacular. What a plus for the University. People saw the quality student athletes we have and were very impressed. This is why remaining as a D-1 school is so important. He is living proof, the confidence and pride in being a member of a D-1 team, along with the quality education he has received will serve this community well. He INTENDS to stay in N.O. and give back to the community. This is the kind of person that Tulane needs in N.O. to help the school achieve its mission statement and financial goals. Please don't allow these graduates to be "turned off" by infighting University politics. Tulane's academic and athletic traditions are bigger than all of us and must be preserved. Thank you. ***** I am a graduate of Tulane (BSM '96), and have learned about the subcommittee that has been formed to investigate the possibility of dropping Tulane to a Division 3 program. While I understand the reasons why the University would consider such a move (most of them financial, obviously), the cost of dropping athletics will hurt considerably more than the money Tulane will save. Although I currently live in the Detroit area, I still follow Tulane athletics whenever I get the opportunity, and even made the Liberty Bowl trek a few years back (when I was living in New York). My college friends and I use Tulane sports as our main topics of conversation, even though we're all seven years removed from the school. For your information, I wrote
for the Hullabaloo sports department for my four years at Tulane, and
even did some writing for the Crest (formerly the Athletic Department's
donor newspaper). So, I have seen the inner workings of the department.
What I do know is the following: However, despite all of those issues, the power of college athletics supersedes those issues. The Hawaii Bowl win did considerably more than just add a victory to this season's total. It gave visibility to the school, gave the alumni something to cheer about and gave the football program a recruiting boost. It probably also did wonders for those considering applying/attending the university. Tulane's big athletic department problem (at least since I attended starting in 1992) has been poor marketing. Clearly, winning brings fans, as evidenced by years of sold out basketball games at Fogelman in the early 1990's. However, it speaks poorly on the athletics marketing department when a 3,600-seat arena is half-empty for a C-USA game. Bottom line is that winning brings fan support, which brings donors, which brings a higher-caliber student body, which is good for everyone. I urge you to think longer-term about the benefits of a Division I athletic program, rather than the short-term financial implications. Thank you for your time. ***** As a former Tulane University student (1972) I'd like to weigh in favor of keeping a commitment (in fact enhancing the university's commitment) to a Div. 1 sports program. I'm sure I don't have to remind you of how student applications increased because of the prominence of our athletic teams on television and in the national press following the 1998 football season. Sports teams at Tulane are one way the university maintains contact with the New Orleans community it calls home. Doing away with sports or reducing football to non-scholarship status would be a form of isolationism that would reduce the visibility of Tulane U. and its connection to the community around it. Tulane sports is a positive force ... and its athletes bring credit to the school often through their academic and social achievements (even when they occasionally fall short on the playing field.) So, please act quickly. Reaffirm a commitment to Div. 1 athletics and aid your Athletic Director wherever possible in closing corporate deals to enhance the sports department's infrastructure and facilities. ***** Dr. Cowen, I believe that you are one of the greatest assets in the history of this institution. I truly believe that you will revive this University back to the level it once held...as the GREATEST institution in the south and one of the absolute very best in the world. I know we are already one of the best in the world; however, there is no excuse Tulane cannot be on the tip of every tongue when you mention the greatest US universities. With programs such as the Murphy Institute of Political Economy and the Stone Center for Latin American Studies, we have the academic ammunition; we just need some fine-tuning. As a Tucsonan, the University of Arizona holds a strong athletic grip over the city and I realize its importance; however, when the arch-rivalry of our school won't play us due to strength of schedule issues, we seriously must reconsider our standings. We are not the SEC Tulane of old. We are not the athletic powerhouse in the south, and we need not be part of C-USA at all. We have developed no true inter-conference rivalry nor any true current university fan base. We are holding on to a fading memory that can be closed as a chapter of the Tulane of old. Send us to Division 3 and we can have true rivalries like Emory and Wash U. These schools are so similar to us, they are bound to be exciting and fulfill any football fan's desires to see good sport. ***** I am reading with great dismay re: the current considerations about the potential "down-sizing" of Tulane Athletics. I can understand the pressures you are facing(my thoughts are with you). I attended Tulane & graduated from Tulane in the mid-60's. I did play baseball for them & the memories of that experience stay with me to this day. The elimination or down-sizing of our athletic programs will not really help Tulane financially(out of sight-out of mind). I am old enough to know that successful athletic programs are a form of advertising for the University as a whole. Look at Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, Rice, etc. All private schools who see the vision of how Div.1A programs benefit past, current & future students & therefore help in fund raising efforts. I know for a fact that Tulane Univ. is not using their own database of ex-students in fund raising efforts. We need a semi-full time core of telemarketers, etc. to contact ALL potential donors. There are Millions of dollars out there that no one is even trying to obtain. You have to ask & ask every year. I took an early retirement from a successful sales career. I now work p.t. in mktg. research/telesales in Milwaukee. I hereby offer myself as a volunteer to work in some fund raising capacity for Tulane's athletic dept. I will even move to New Orleans to help. It can be done!! You just don't call people or try hard enough in this arena. You have my best regards, & if you want someone who can help bring in the money & help save Tulane Athletics, please call me. It needs to be a 100% full-court press marketing effort. Thank you for your time. ***** I know many people are apathetic
about sports, but i think it is unfair that the student body is not being
fully informed and being able to participate in this decision process.
The board is being unfair because how are we going to be able to rally
support against becoming a Division three school when they are conviening
during our finals period? ***** I just want to put in my opinion regarding the proposed change of Tulane athletics from a division I to a division III school. I am decidingly against any such change! Tulane athletics is important to the students at the university, as well as the community at large. It would be a travesty to reward loyal Tulane alumni with a demotion of their beloved school. Moreover, it is also upseting that the student body has not been able to participate in the decision making process on this issue. The student body does have something to say and the administration should be leading the way in both the fight against apathy and the desire for student involvement. Thank you for your time. ***** As a student here at tulane I think that being Division three will kill all hopes at being scool spirited school. And it will be an embaressment ot the school. ***** To Whom it May Concern: I am a freshman at Tulane University and I have nothing but respect and admiration for our athletic teams. They have worked incredibly hard to achieve the status they have and it would be a disgrace to see them fall to division three. I would love nothing more than to see our teams participate in the division one events- I know they can compete against the other teams and win!! Please consider keeping Tulane a division one school. I know that the majority of our student body would love to see Tulane at the top!!! ***** Hello, Even though some may not realize it, it unites us as one. If we become a division 3 school, there will be even less "school spirit" than there is already. We are an amazing school, and I don't think we at all deserve to be a division-3 school in sports. Is there anything at all that we can do as students to prevent that from happening? Thank you so much for your time. ***** President Cowen - WE MUST MAINTAIN OUR DIVISION I STATUS!!! 1. If we drop down to Division
II or Division III, admissions will suffer. I've noticed that Tulane has
been working very hard over the past few years to attract students from
the South. I'm assuming that this is to promote alumni support. However,
money aside, the reason that MANY Southerners do not come to 2. We have a responsibility to all of our amazing, successful athletic teams to continue supporting these teams' and their members' athletic and academic pursuits. These athletes are holding on to the last shred of school spirit at Tulane. 3. We need to SUPER-SIZE, not downsize the athletic program. If you want more students at the football games, STOP PLAYING FOOTBALL GAMES IN THE SUPERDOME. There is nothing fun about sitting in a climate-controlled, indoor stadium to watch a college football game. If it promoted school spirit or effective playing strategies, then I'm sure that LSU and all of the other SEC schools would be playing in indoor stadiums too. 4. What's up with springing all of this on the students right as classes are ending and exams are beginning? This move has further isolated the students from the administration. It seems like it is a very calculated, political move intended to silence those who are most affected by the decision: the students and the athletes. If I really thought that this board meeting was in the best interests of the students and all of academia, I wouldn't be typing this e-mail. Has Tulane truly made a concerted effort to emphasize academics over everything else? No, definitely not. The main theme of the admissions campaigns is promoting Tulane's location in New Orleans, not academic resources. If Tulane is going to ride on the appeal of New Orleans, then Tulane has to remember that strong athletic programs are a big deal in this area of the country. Please let me know when a forum has been set up for students to voice their opinions. ***** President Cowen, I am emailing you regarding a recent proposal to have our athletic programs moved to a division 3 level. In my college decision making process, finding a school that was well rounded topped my priorities- an academically strong school AND a school with competitive sports teams that I could support. Going to football games on Saturdays, watching the games on TV with your parents on Christmas break, baseball games on a sunny afternoon...all of these things contribute to what I consider to be a fuller "college" experience. I believe changing the division of the athletic teams would not only decrease national exposure (which would lead to lower number of applicants), but would damage the school spirit that we do have. Moving the athletic teams to division 3 would be unfair, unfair to the athletes and unfair to the student body, who is not well informed on the issue and has no part in the decision making process. Division 3 is a bad decision. ***** President Cowen, The email regarding the future of athletics at Tulane was a bit confusing. It didn't say anything about what might be happening to our athletics programs. Then I received emails about how the committee is deciding if we should drop down to Division III! This is unbelievable to me. If this is true, how could you fail to mention something so big to the students? Well, I shouldn't jump to any conclusions yet, but please inform the student body as to exactly what is going on. Also I, along with everyone I have spoken to about this issue, feel very strongly that Tulane should remain a Division I school. It is important for universities to be well rounded, excelling in academics and athletics. As a high school senior, I only considered Division I schools because I wanted a "whole college experience". It would be a terrible decision to drop down. Please, please consider the students' feelings about this issue. Among all the changes made at Tulane since I have been here, including increases in tuition, no UC next year and completely changing the housing policy, this is the one issue that I really felt compelled to write to you about. It is very important to the students, and I know that you will listen to our opinions in making your decision. ***** Dr. Cowen, It has come to my attention that you and the Tulane Board of Directors are seriously considering dropping Tulane Athletics to Div-III. As Tulane alum (Architecture Class of 1990) I am shocked, appalled and angry at this news. Tulane Athletics is important to the University. The exposure the school gets is - as they say in the MasterCard Commercials - Priceless. There are a great many benefits the University gets from playing in Div-I. I will not go into detail on what they are for you should know by now and I'm certain my fellow alums will remind you. I am angry that things have come to this. That you would even allow this to come about. I'm sure the school is feeling a financial pinch given the economy and the relatively small endowment Tulane has in comparison to like-minded, similar schools.Dropping athletics is not the answer to what ails Tulane though. Sure we lost money in the economyâ€|.Who didn't? We'll survive. Tulane will not be closing its door anytime soon. Athletics, though, means a lot to alums like me. I take pride in seeing the name TULANE referenced in sports. I take pride in seeing our accomplishments and hearing about how we do things right while keeping our academic integrity. It is a source of pride to see that we're graduating athletes at a higher rate than most schools in Div-1 and at a rate equal or better to our peers who also have high academic standards. Tulane athletics is the one tangible connection I have as alumni to the school. It means a lot to go to Tulane games that are played in my part of the country. To have the shared sense on bonding in the Tulane community, the pride, the attachment to the school that lasts over time even after graduation. It has helped facilitate my support from the school - be it financial in donations to simply purchasing a piece of school merchandise. Your current students may be telling you in surveys that athletics doesn't mean much in attending Tulane. Well, maybe it doesn't for most, but it will mean something when they graduate. It can mean something while they matriculate. It means a hell of a lot to alums like me and we will do what we can to keep our Athletic program where it has historically been. Do not take us out of Division -I Athletics. To do so would be a mistake you and the Board will live with forever. Tulane is currently having great success - by our terms at least, Athletically in Sports. The Football team's Bowl win, the trip to the NCAA's by the Baseball and Women's Basketball teams the Conference USA championships. These have been prosperous times for our school teams. To pull the rug out from under this period of success will make you the most hated man in Tulane history. Rest assured, to remove or reduce Tulane from Division-I status will be the end of you at Tulane. You will have fractured the support of alumni who will lead a revolt for your ousting of office. Many Alumni will not support the school anymore. Expect donations to the school to drop drastically. You will always be on the defensive at the school as Alumni and other new enemies will seek to bring you down. Your tenure will be marked by constant questions over why Tulane had to drop from Div-I, when will we return, and other more hateful, angry responses which will ultimately undermined your authority at the school. I for one will be on the bandwagon to see you removed from office. Take Tulane out of Division -I athletics and I will no longer support the school in any endeavor until we are returned to Division-I playing status. Although I love Tulane, I have no problem withholding my support to the school over this very issue. That is how strong I feel about things. Dr. Cowen I hope you read this letter and appreciate my strong feelings on this matter. Let my sentiment be considered in your decision process. You have postured since taking over at Tulane, as a Pro-Athletics President. Right now, you are looking more like a hypocrite. The right thing to do for the long term health and welfare of the university is to keep us in Division-I and find a way to make it work of all of us. ***** President Cowen, My name is Katie Merritt and I am a sophomore Biomedical Engineering major. During my years at Tulane, I have never viewed division 1 athletics as anything but a waste of money. Students do NOT attend games and have no school spirit whatsoever. Therefore, I do not understand the use of significant amounts of valuable money being wasted on division 1 athletics. This money could be better spent on academic facilities and many other events on campus that would benefit the entire academic student body. I feel, as do many of my peers, that the reduction of the importance of Tulane athletics has been dwindling, and the need for the "division 1" title has lost all meaning. I can tell you of countless occassions during my freshman year when my entire floor, and building (!), chose not to attend a football game or athletic event. That attitude still rests with my peers this year. During my two years at Tulane, I have attended one football game... and I am not in the minority. There are many students who have never been to an athletic event! So, President Cown, I support any actions to move Tulane athletics to Division 3... this could only help the student body academically. Look at Emory! This move would be the best thing to happen to Tulane academically, and you and your board have my full support to move Tulane athletics to Division 3. Thank you for your time. ***** Dear Dr. Cowen: I greatly disappointed in the mass email that was sent out to the student body. The whole emai was very vague, and seemed to just hide what we are dealing with here. One of the reasons why I think Tulane is such a great school is the involvment of the student body in the campus's decisions. I don't think that this discussion of what division the Tulane athletics should be in is fair for two reasons. First, the student body has not been properly informed, and secondly, the committee is conveiening during finals. So even if the students knew what was going on many wouldn't be able to do anything about it. It is very important for our school to stay in the division that it is in, because if it were to drop there would be a huge void and lack of school spirit, but if the school in its entirety (not just 8 people) are informed and make the decision to move down, then who am I to argue. Let's just make this a fair decision. Thanks for your time. ***** Hello, If you are trying to kill the school spirit at Tulane even more, than this is the perfect way to accomplish it. There is not an overwhelming support for our athletics now and if the school loses its D-1 status there will be little or no support. I don't understand how this can be done to a school that is just starting to get some school spirit back with our baseball team always in the top 25 and our football team just winning a bowl game. I have heard that this move would be to save the school money and I believe that unless it will save the students money who will be the ones hurt by this then there is no justification in it. I hope the school comes to the correct decision on this matter and keeps Tulane as a D-1 school. ***** Dr. Mr President, I am one of many Tulane students who disagrees with your plan to denote us to Division 3 sports. This is a terrible idea that would hurt school spirit and morale. Just wanted to let you know. Thanks for your time. ***** Dear President Cowen, I feel very strongly about maintaining our current division for the sake of our athletes, and student body as a whole, here at Tulane. In the past year, I have only seen school spirit growing stronger, from the Homecoming festivities to the new Green Machine Club. I hope we do not become a Division 3 school, as I know many of my fellow students feel as well. ***** I honestly believe Mr. Cowen that dropping to DIVISION3 is NOT in the best interests of the school in the long run. We will lose the little school spirit that we have and we will lose the competiveness we have against the C-USA teams especially in base ball and women's basketball. so as a student at Tulane, I do nto support the move down to division 3. ***** To whom it may concern: I believe the answer regarding Tulane Athletics future is to broaden recruiting, increase the amount of focus put on athletics teams by the university itself, and to increase funding toward Athletics. The University will only become more apathetic toward Tulane athletics if we are dropped to division 3. ***** Dear President Cowen, As a student, i would be very dissapointed to see our athletics program drop downa division. I am very proud of our Status as a competitive athletic College, i think it would hurt us tremendously as a school, and would drop a lot of media attention from us in hte long run. Students will not be interested in coming here. ***** It will be a sad day when our sports program is down graded. Tulane was once known for everything, sports and academic... the community was behind Tulane and rallied it on. The students and community desparately cry the football team that once was, as you can see by the turn out last year at the homecoming game... college is more than academic it is the whole picture... we could put up a small stadium like TCU over on broadway by UPtwon square for the students to walk to their games... Spirit is the mean to success and that is what Tulane lacks. ***** Dr. Cowen, I fully understand your reasoning behind this discussion of Tulane's athletics department (mainly financial), however, I feel that to drop Tulane in division size or quality would be in vain. Eliminating some sports is always an option, or downsizing one sport could also be one, however, as a student who does go to sporting events and one who realizes their importance regarding prospective students and above all alumni donations, the ramifications seem exponentially less glamourous than a few million dollars. I think that by looking at our peer institutions, mainly the one most comparable in size (Vanderbilt), we can see that though they have weaker programs sometimes, they have maintained Division 1 standing. Please take this into consideration. Let future classes at Tulane have the same experiences that I and my peers have had while enrolled these past years. ***** We are a D-1 school and should remain so. So far, no reason has been made known to us students as to why we should drop down to D-3. If there are compelling reasons, let us know. Though, I am sure, whatever the reasons may be, the student body will want to remain a D-1 school!! Don't destroy the foundation of our school spirit!!!! ***** Cowen, -I went to every single home
and away football game last semester except for East Carolina & Hawaii.
I only saw you at one. ***** Pres. Cowen- Why would you make any decisions without the serious consideration from the student body. Throughout my tenure at this university it seems that you have slowly turned the presidential job into a dictatorship over the students, with this sports debacle being the latest incidient. Why would you DEMOTE us to div. 3 athletics. Do you even understand what this means?? - There won't be ANY school spirit, all revenues from tv and conference, etc., will be LOST, and all the current scholarship athletes are screwed over. Why would u do this....it only hurts Tulane's reputation as a leading university. If you notice the other leading universities in the country (i.e. ivy leagues, etc.) one of the main reasons they are leading is because they have DIVISION 1 athletics to counterbalance their academic reputations. So, if you do get rid of sports, oh, I mean make us Division 3, you are destroying half of our identity and reputation. Too bad the students don't get to vote on presidents, I'm sure you would be gone already. ***** Dear President Cowen, I am writing this letter to you to inform you of the absurdity of dropping Tulane althletics to a Divison 3 school. I don't know how you think this will help our school ever, because it will just do the opposite. Just to save money, you are going to destroy the althetic program here at Tulane which is the basis for the majority of college students. We strive and live on college sports, and if we play Division 3 there is no point in participating or watching. We compete competitively now, we won a Bowl gamein football, and our baseball team is in the top 20 in the NATION. Our fans support our team, and it would be rediculous to ruin our players careers, eliminate their scholarships, just so the University can save money. This will not benefit the school. Many students choose a school based on their althetic program, school spriti and success. Who would want to go to a Division 3 school to be a fan? Not me. I would not be here if we were Divion 3 a couple of years ago. Please make the right decision. ***** Dr. Cowen- I am responding because I feel that this email was rather uninformative. My questions (like many other students') are as follows: ~Are students going to have
a voice in this? If so, how On behalf of many other students like myself, when issues such as this come up, we'd like to be better informed - not simply because rumors have been circulating - but because we deserve the right to make an educated decision on the matter. The last email left us with nothing to ponder. I guess you were simply looking for students like myself to contact you or request more info as opposed to sending out a lengthy email to all students, but I can assure you than the majority of students at Tulane are interested in this matter and would seek to educate themselves. I hope I do not sound like an enraged student. I'm more confused than anything else. Please enlighten me if you can. ***** Dr President Cowen (or the person actually reading this email for that matter), I am deeply, deeply concerned that there is serious consideration to drop Tulane Athletics from Division 1A to Division 3. There are so many things wrong with this I cannot even begin to consider listing them for you, that would take all day. Tulane students, parents, and alumni are the lifeblood of this school and we are the ones who pay your salary. If a decision were to be made on this matter without first consulting all of those mentioned above it would be a tragedy. As a tour guide, one of the main selling points is telling prospective students and parents what a strong athletic program we have in the top division in college athletics. Our football team won a bowl game against a very good Hawaii team, our women's basketball team made the NCAA tournament, our baseball team has been ranked in the top 25 the majority of the season. Please do not take the small amount of school spirit we have left away from us, its just not fair. I am also involved in orientation and one of the MAJOR things we are going to try to do at orientation in the fall is promote school spirit like never before. No one will ever get excited over athletic competition in Division 3 Mr Cowen. I hope you and the others making this decision will atleast take what I said into consideration and consult others first. Thank you for your time. ***** Dr. Cowen: I am an alumnus of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Freeman School of Business. Either changing divisions or dropping athletics, I believe, would be detrimental to both fundraising and the ongoing effort of rebuilding local support. The evaluators should take into account the fact that the "gain" from removing athletic scholarships will not necessarily result in those spaces being filled with full tuition paying students, i.e. the cost per student will increase. In addition, the evaluators need to review the number of scholarships and grants that are given for academics and other categories (nearly every foreign citizen, except for an Australian, in my M.B.A. class received some type of assistance) with respect to the financial stability of the University. Perhaps the Board should review every program that enables a student to attend either with a reduced tuition or no tuition. In short, if the financial argument prevails, consider the loss of local alumni support, the financial effect from the resulting disparity in athletic and non-athletic scholarships, and the message that Tulane is sending to the nation. ***** Professor Cowan, As a memeber of Tulane's Shockwave Dance Team, I have been a close observer and supporter at each home football and basketball game this year. I have seen how hard these students worked and experienced with them some exciting victories! The fact that Tulane actually had Division I sports was one of the major factors in my decision to come here. I feel that athletic support is absolutely necessary for the cohesiveness of a college campus and that reducing our athletic program to Division III (this is what I am assuming is being considered) would take away the little school spirit that Tulane students already have. I understand that Tulane's priority is academics, but I strongly feel that this decision would stop MANY well- rounded, intelligent students from applying in the future. To me, an ideal campus atmosphere contains students who care about academics but also care about other aspects of their school, including athletics. I feel that cutting the athletic program will attract more students who are almost solely interested in the city of New Orleans and less interested in Tulane by itself. I also feel that this decision would cause a good number of students, including myself, to consider transferring to another college. If anything, I think that more effort should be made in encouraging students to support our hard-working Division I teams. My number one complaints about Tulane: the lack of school spirit that the students have and the lack of an on-campus football stadium. I can't stress enough the importance of our teams! I hope that you take my thoughts into consideration. Thank you for your time. |