Questions and Comments We've Received April 26, 2003 The few remaining Tulane athletic supporters need to "get a clue". Except perhaps for baseball, in recent years, the faculty, staff, and students at Tulane University DO NOT give any noteworthy support to their athletic teams. It is ironic that the only time a crowd shows up in support of athletics at Tulane is when the program is threatened with elimination. Participating in sports is a privilege and not a right. It is time to "cut and burn the dead wood" and get on with the business of being an excellent academic institution. ***** To Whom It May Concern: Speaking as a fourth generation graduate of Tulane and a life long resident of New Orleans, I am outraged to think that my alma mater would even consider dropping athletics to a lesser NCAA division. Please accept my email in support of keeping Tulane in D1 athletics. Please note that I am also a TAF supporter and season ticket holder in football and baseball. I annually do my part to support athletics, as do many members of my family who have supported the school since the late 1800's. My family has donated millions to Tulane over that past 100 years in the form of property, scholarships and cash. It's time for the board members of this fine university to recognize that any call to action to lessen the scope of athletics will have dire consequences in the community. You will not only lose supporters, but you will lose millions of dollars in annual support. I, for one, will stop supporting the school if this move is made. ***** To Whom It May Concern: I graduated from A&S (now Tulane College) in 1992 with my B.A. in Communication, and have returned to the university, and will graduate in May 2003 with my MBA from the Freeman School. Over the past 10 years, I have donated more than $5,000 to the university support programs ranging from history to communications. In addition, as a season ticket holder to virtually all Tulane athletics sports, I purchased tickets and gave them away to my colleagues, even when I spent 7 years living outside of the United States and being unable to attend Tulane games. I used the internet to follow audio broadcasts of football and basketball games, and when it became possible, also for baseball games - the sport I feel most attached to. When the price of season tickets are added, I have probably donated more than $8,000 to the university since 1992. Although I would have donated some money to the university in any event, it is unlikely my support would have been as strong had I not been monitoring the university's progress in athletics. I think it is safe to say that some of my donations were only made to history because I felt proud of the university's progress in sports. Thus, the athletics department reminded me of my university, and my funding of a non-athletic department had to do with trying to direct money to other areas of excellence at Tulane. As an alum twice-over, and as a contributor to the university, I strongly believe that one of the primary reasons for Tulane's languishing in the rankings is image and perception. This is primarily a communications problem. Since graduating from Tulane, I have also studied at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of London, where I received Master's degrees in Asian studies. I believe our students are capable of standing up with students from either of these fine institutions, or any other programs we would compare with. But being in New Orleans, Tulane is often "forgotten about." The athletics department helps to correct this balance by giving the university some publicity nationally. Playing in the Hawai'i Bowl during the holiday season was one valuable addition to our publicity, as was winning the Liberty Bowl in Memphis some years ago. Baseball's trip to Omaha and its massive draws in playing LSU have helped our image regionally. The success of our women's basketball program has also highlighted opportunities for women, although owing to Newcomb College's legacy the university already draws a high percentage of women. Since I initially left the university in 1992, I have consistently felt that the communications of the university were at an atrocious, perhaps even laughable, state. At that time the University Relations office had been discontinued, there were competing divisions in the Alumni Affairs and the Annual Giving offices, and there was NO coordination of the university's message. I did not feel, in the latter days of the Kelly administration, that there was ANYONE would truly could articulate where the university wanted to position itself. My suggestion is, leave athletics alone and try to determine how the university can use the program, along with a revamped looked at its communications, to better position the university. The Medical School, Law School, and Freeman School all have there own attempts to position their communication, along with the athletics department. Earlier in this academic year, the university announced it was going to return to the use of the old T bisected by a U logo. However, during the same year, I have seen no less than 5 logos on different university programs, including the green block style T, the T with white and blue waves, the T with a curled wave used in the athletics department, and several variants from the 1960s. The university is not consistent in its message - so why should our alumni take us seriously? Certainly there is a financial aspect to our athletics program - we expect a certain return on investment from the program. But how do we expect to reap it? Tulane made the mistake of leaving the SEC just as college athletics became financially very profitable - had we stayed a member of the SEC, would we be discussing this today? ***** To Whom It May Concern: I will be sending a formal letter to Dr. Cowan and the Board, but I want to express my total opposition to any short sighted move as I see being considered. I am not not just some uneducated football fan, who the Board apparantly feels is all the sports program attracts. In addition to my degrees from Tulane, I have a MA in Economics, a law degree and a CPA. For the record, I oppose any move to degrade the sports program as it is apparent you all want to do. I consider your actions comparable to a total disregard to the university, the alumni and the people of New Orleans. The actions already have hurt the program that was just turning the corner, after years of neglect. I really wonder about the quality of the type of people making the decisions for Tulane at this time. I find it to be disgusting to even have to write this e-mail and my future letter, since the information is stuff which educated people should ! already know and should have already considered. I will be back in touch. ***** To whom it may concern: I would like it known that I oppose any move to change any of the Tulane University athletic teams' classification nor any change to the current conference affiliations. I am a season ticket holder for football and attend many home and away basketball and baseball games. Although I am not a graduate of the university, I am a lifelong resident of New Orleans and have been a fan of Green Wave athletics since childhood. As I see it, the failure of football and basketball to produce sufficient revenues to adequately subsidize the expenses of the entire athletic department, as is the case at some fortunate universities, is a failure at marketing and public relations. Over the years Tulane Athletics lost the loyalty of MANY New Orleans-area citizens due to social arrogance, hubris, and professional incompetence. That loyalty can and MUST be rebuilt. An aggressive marketing plan with a major emphasis upon working partnerships with professional sports entities and grass roots marketing campaigns at the high school level would get the ball rolling. I do acknowledge that the avarice of the TV networks and the BCS affiliated conveniences contributes greatly to the problem. I think that the university Presidents of the "have not" conferences need to start playing hard ball and DEMAND a place at the table. It is my sincere hope that those in power at the university will not cave in to those who lack the courage and drive to work to bring back the viability of Tulane athletic programs. ***** I must say that I have a heavy heart tonight. There are a few hundred of us nationwide who are sharing ideas and thought via an email group. We established an email network to keep our thought out of the realm of the public internet because the coaches of our student athletes have told us that recruiting is being damaged by the public internet speculation. The latest is that the committee will vote 6-2 to recommend to the board that all athletics be moved to DIII. These are not yahoos in this network but ladies and gentlemen like me who have a deep love for our school. We're organizing and doing what we can as alums and fans but I want you to see the email I shared with my Tulane brethren. It follows: I don't want to be maudlin but I share the following with you. My young child goes to every baseball game, football game, and basketball game with me. She dreams of going to Tulane when she is of college age. In my disappointment tonight I shared with her that Tulane is likely to discontinue 1A athletics and move to DIII, which would effectively end TU athletics as we know it and would certainly end our personal participation. She actually wept and asked me why they would do such a thing. A good Father always takes the opportunity to teach and reinforce values. So I had to take the opportunity to explain to her that, at this point in time, it's difficult to participate at the 1A level and that the powers that be may have decided that it is too difficult. So instead of committing to excellence and rising to a challenge, they're going to throw in the towel. I never thought I'd ever hear myself utter the words but I told her that I was embarrassed for my school. She knows how much I love Tulane. That I would actually admit being embarrassed because they exhibit a quitters mentality in the face of a challenge only reinforces to her how much being bold in your commitment to excellence really means. I hope the lesson sinks in further for her. Needless to say, she won't be attending Tulane when the time comes. She's too important to trust to a school run by quitters. Their loss. Despite Cowen's limited presentation, this is not just a business decision and is about things way more important than athletics and money. This is a crime against honor, and values like courage and fortitude. It's not just sports. This diminishes Tulane University in immeasurable ways and proclaims forever that the school that educated most of us is ready to admit that they are not strong enough to compete, and are not smart enough to create solutions in the face of challenge. What a perfect statement for New Orleans and Louisiana. ***** What are the current proposals in regards to the athletic program? I have heard rumors of dropping down to Division II or III...and possibly cutting the football program. Is this true? That would be a shame. ***** President Cowen - I am an avid sports fan, and follower of Tulane athletics. However, I would not be upset if Tulane were to drop to Division II, particularly in football. I beleive the Ivy League has done that, certainly with no deliterious effects. In Tulane's case, as a member of a conference, I suppose it woulld have to quit Conference USA completely, and I beleive Tulane, having found its niche, shouldn't do that. That being said, there are plenty Division I schools which manage to maintain high academic standards: Rice, Vanderbilt, and the service academies come to mind, not to mention Notre Dame and Stanford. Also, there are the SMU's and Baylor's, who, while not having the highest academic standards, are still names which should keep the older alumni happy. I think I'd stand pat - and maybe emphasize "minor" sports - swimming, wrestling, cross country, etc. more. ***** I think it is critical for the long-term success of the University to remain in Division I. With a renewed emphasis on getting more top local students to attend Tulane, is there a better way to promote the Tulane name to our youth of all ages? There may be some items in the Athletics area that can be tweaked, but a wholesale shift to a lower Division will have negative implications for years to come. The football, both basketball, and the baseball teams are in better shape now than in the past and can offer hope of renewed interest. Fans want to see a winner. I think Tulane can offer that to its fan base now. ***** To: Scott Cowen and the Board of Trustees As the tennis director at a New Orleans tennis club for the last 6 years, I want you to know how important Tulane Athletics is to the local community. The fact that Tulane has two top 20 tennis teams and is top 30 academically, creates a tremendous amount of Tulane team spirit and generosity from the community. We recently held a charity function for Community in Schools, and thanks in a large part to Rick Dickson and some of the tennis team we were able to raise well over $25,000 for this wonderful organization. We also host a fundraiser for your tennis teams that made over $10,000 last year and we plan to do much better next year, because of the great tennis program Tulane has and because of the great job Rick Dickson, Robert Klein and David Schumacher do in giving back to the community and getting us all involved. We have well over 5oo members and the overwhelming sentiment is one of great support for Tulane and Tulane athletics. Please give Rick Dickson and his team a chance, more time and some reachable goals and I'm sure we'll all get behind you and help those goals become realities. Thank you for taking the time to read this. ***** There were two main reasons that I went to Tulane Law School. And I paid my tuition 100% w/my own money and loans - no grants. The first - and I mean the first, was that Tulane had a Division I sports program. Having gone to UC San Diego as an undergrad, I'd realized that I had missed the whole Division I experience. Almost every law school that I applied to had a D-I history (e.g. Notre Dame, Indiana, Syracuse, etc.). In fact, I received a full scholarship offer from New York Law School - and rejected it to go to Tulane (at about $25k yr) largely because of the fact that I wanted to have a team to cheer for and talk about - win or lose - forever. The second reason was that Tulane was an excellent school; an excellent school among several others that I'd been admitted too. It would be a complete betrayal and calamity for Tulane to abandon the D-1 football program. If that happens, I will not give a red cent to Tulane in the future. I'd hate for that to happen. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Roll Wave, Roll ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please don't mess this up. ***** Do the people on the "board" realize that Tulane is not like some of the "sports factories"? Tulane actually has student athletes. Look at their grades!!! Look how large the 3.0 Club is and Tulane doesn't offer Golf and underwater basket weaving. I'd like them to take into consideration the commitment to academics that the coaches and players show on a daily basis. Just today Wes Swackhamer left a baseball doubleheader in St. Louis to take a Finance Exam. He hit a home run in the game and then took left to take a test. That is a true student athlete. ***** I am writing this letter concerning what I have been hearing concerning Tulane University Athletics. I began attending Tulane Football games in old Tulane Stadium in the 60"s with my father who was a huge Tulane Fan. I live in Gonzales, La and have grown up Tulane proud. I hope the persons responsible for this task do so with an open mind not only of the future, but also of the past. I know many people who are also Tulane fans and not many were lucky enough to have attended Tulane University. I will continue to support Tulane University in all endeavors, especially sports, and I hope that the group studying this topic will also support Tulane University. Sports is a means of bringing students, faculty, and alumni together with persons such as myself and many others who didn't attend Tulane University but are proud supporters of such a University because of its history, integrity, and intellectual prowess. In closing I will only say that if we take another step backwards with our sports programs as has happened in the past, (de-emphasis), I feel it would be a repeat of the past mistake. I know I never attended Tulane University but I have recommended several people to attend who have, and without the relationship with sports keeping me in touch this may have never occurred. In case you're wondering, my profession is Law Enforcement and I also operate a private business. Thanks for hearing me out on this issue, ***** Dear Board of Directors: I have been a loyal and supportive fan of Tulane Athletics since I was six years old. There is absolutely no way to describe the excitement I felt when my father would tell me at the beginning of the week we were going to a Tulane football game. Since that time I have continued the trek to New Orleans albeit now it is from Montgomery, Alabama instead of Laplace, Louisiana. My children and myself attend as many games as we can attend, and I have purchased an ungodly amount of merchandise through the athletic department in order to support this wonderful school on Willow Street. I have a son who is three years old who walks around the house yelling Roll Wave!!!, whenever he sees a team wearing green on the television, and a daughter who would defend tulane in a complete loss. Moving the status down to a lower division would not only be a dissapointment, it would be the death nell to a storied and proud program. Look across the lake to see what happens to a lower division schools athletic program. I graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University, but my butt was firmly planted in a superdome seat every Saturday for the Tulane games as opposed to wasting my time in Strawberry Stadium. Please do not make this mistake and allow me and my children to continue to support a major college, and to hopefully one day allow my son to participate in one of the best schools in Conference USA or whatever conference you are in at the time he is eligible to participate in college athletics. ***** For the life of me, I can't understand why Tulane Athletic Department for the past several years and not heeded the advise to change the football kickoff back to the the original 7:00PM time. It is my understanding when Tommy Bowden became the head coach of the football team, 1997, he requested and got the kickoff time pushed back to 2:00PM. Three points of reason why
the 7PM time was more condusive to the local public to attend a Tulane
football game is: I'm a football season ticket holder (2) since 1975, I also have baseball season tickets (4) for two seasons, and I can assure you when the football games were started at 7PM there were always a lot more fans in the dome than has been the case for the 2PM kickoffs. One last thing, I will not renew my '03 football season tickets until I receive the outcome of what this ad hoc committee recommends. If the decision is to downgrade, even to Division II, I will not only drop my season tickets for this year, I will not renew the baseball season ticket for '04 and I will most probably never attend another Tulane sports event. I agree with the fact that something has to be done to upgrade the programs, but dropping down in NCAA Division status is not in the best interest at all. As a matter of fact before that would happen, it would behoove the University to save themselves a lot of money, talent, and of course time and just drop all intercollegiate sports. Good luck and regards, ***** A main difference of Tulane from competitor schools such as Emory, Brandeis, Tufts, NYU, etc., is that we can follow our athletic teams for the rest of our lives and have it be a meaningful experience. Big time atheletics helps us become better known and other schools of similar size have managed to develop a winning tradition. heck, we're pretty competitive as it is. Please do not downgrade this program. ***** Please DO NOT down grade T U Athletic's their teams are great Div.1 teams ***** I want Tulane in Division 1 Football and will be sending in my season tickets order. ***** Baseball players are decent students.I have had classes with mens' basketball and football players who are fuctionally illiterate.They have no reason to be at Tulane or any other university.Spend the money attractiing and retaining top notch faculty members. ***** SIR, Q. What type of intercollegiate athletics program is in the best long-term interest of the university???? A. The same DIVISION I athletic program that is inplace now. Don't make the same disastrous mistake that was made years ago when then, the powes to be, pulled Tulane out of the Southeastern Conference. We must learn from the mistakes of the past and move Tulane forward into the FUTURE... ***** Instead of conducting another study..which is all you so called intellectuals seem to do...why don't you try CREATING something...or better yet...go get a real job. All of you, from Cowen on down, turn my stomach. You DO NOTHING....never have. Most people leave school and get a job...why should people who never bothered leaving school, be in a position to ruin Tulane athletics. I wonder how many of these board members are even from New Orleans..or better yet...how many will stay here after ruining Tulane. You all make me sick. ***** Please do not drop out of Division 1A Athletics. I think this would be extremely detrimental to the university as a whole. I am a long-time supporter (over 40 years) of Tulane athletics, especially the football program, where I have had season tickets for a number of years. I realize that attendance has fallen off considerably through the years and that there are rising costs in maintaining a Division 1A athletic program, but dropping to a lower division is not the answer. I wrote a letter last year to Tulane's school newspaper, regarding possible ways to increase attendance at the football games, and I know there are other options to explore to increase attendance. I, as an academic (a teacher of 30 years), realize that the mission of a university is first and foremost to educate its students; however, athletics plays an important role in maintaining school spirit among current students and alumni. Even though this shouldn't happen, the prestige of a university is often judged by its athletic programs. In moving the athletic programs of Tulane to a lower division, I think that Tulane's prestige as a top-notch university would suffer. I am happy to have the opportunity to voice my opinion, but I am also concerned about the effect this public information is having on current and future athletes and coaches at Tulane. Therefore, I hope that a decision will be made as soon as possible. ***** As a Louisiana native, resident, and proud Tulane alumnus, I would hate to see any diminution of the Tulane athletic program. While I believe the primary focus of any university should be academics, athletics play an important and vital role as well. I have been an avid supporter of both the academic and athletic aspects of Tulane in the past, both as a donor and by attending numerous athletic events. I intend to continue my support for the university and will increase the level of my support to the extent possible. Please send me an application to the Tulane Athletics Fund. Because so many Tulane alumni live outside Louisiana, it is important to increase support for the athletic department throughout the south Louisiana community to boost attendance at athletic events. I wish I could offer a simple solution to this problem. Perhaps if Tulane were marketed as the historic "Louisiana" institution that it is, some of the negative stereotypes of Tulane as a school for the "elite" and for the "out-of-state" would be erased and support by the community would increase. Yours truly, ***** To Whom It May Concern: I am writing to "voice" my opinion on the possible move down to Division III in Tulane Athletics. I think you would be doing a horrible injustice to the true fans of the university and to the scholar/athlete who attends Tulane University. Granted, there are not huge crowds at the football games but, given time, I think Chris Selfo will change that situation. Rick Jones has chosen to stay at Tulane when he had chances to move to a different and bigger university - that says something for the Tulane as well as the players on his team. I am 52 years old, have never attended Tulane, but have gone to Tulane football games for as long as I can remember. My dad brought us to games at Tulane Stadium when they played in the SEC. We would not leave the stadium until the final gun went off because "Tulane might score (even though they had no chance of winning the game). I realized that Tulane athletes were more than sports figures, they would become assets to society. Please do not drop down in competition. The players, the university and their fans do not deserve that fate. Tulane will always have scholars, let's keep the athletes at Divion I-A. ***** Dear Dr. Cowen, I am alarmed at the article in the paper today about Tulane Reviewing the athletic department. A drop dowmn to Div. AA as some people have told me Tulane is considering would be suicide. Why is It everytime we seem to be putting thing togethrt there is always someone in the university derailing the Athletic department? The Saints are leaving, (Have you heard Senator Hinkle's more recent comments regarding them?). Please hang on a little longer ... don't screw up a program that is a showcase to all of the NCAA showing how a university with solid coaching, a great Athletic Director and a supportive president can win in division A with real student athletes who go to class and graduate. Isn't taking the lead in doing things right in college athletics part of the mission at Tulane. Shouldn't we be leaders? I think the non BCS members should band together and sue the NCAA to dissolve the BCS, instead of letting them carve out meager slices of the pie for non-BCS members. That's what Tulane's Comittie should be doing. Why should an athletic department doing things right suffer for their wreckless actions? Please do not cripple Tulane Athletics. ***** I and my Family support Tulane Athletics. I see not reason to move from the current Division I-A program. If moving to a lower designation occurs, there will be no athletic program. Be innovative and pursue the programs that were in place during the White years. More fanfare, etc. We vote no against going to a lower level in athletics. Pursue the people in the areas outside of New Orleans. It is all not LSU country! ***** Dear President Cowen- We have been reading the information about the study of Tulane Athletics and the possible move to Division III. Quite frankly, this idea puzzles us. Our son chose Tulane over many top notch football programs because of the future he saw under the leadership of Coach Scelfo and his amazing staff. He has never been disappointed for one minute. The participation in a bowl game in his second year was everything he had hoped for and then some. Although he has been injured and will not return to the playing field, he maintains a daily involvement in the TU football program which he enjoys almost as much as when he was playing. More importantly, he is receiving an excellent education which was the other half of the college student/athlete puzzle for him. He is also personally fulfilled by volunteering in the New Orleans community under the Tulane umbrella. Since our son has been at Tulane, we have become interested in the other athletic teams at Tulane, eagerly watching for them on TV or attending the games if we happen to be in New Orleans and when they come to Tampa. Brandon supports the other student athletes by attending as many of the other games/matches as he can with his schedule. We sincerely hope that the board will decide in favor of maintaining Tulane's Division 1-A athletic status. All of the programs seem to be heading in the right direction - UP! We have a group of wonderfully talented and dedicated coaches and athletes that we can all be proud of. We are extremely proud to be associated with Tulane University in this regard. ***** After the news broke yesterday I was sick when I saw the media blasting this all over the tv,radio,and newspaper. Mr. COWEN I am a third generation tulane fan,and I know the history well. So Im going to give it to you straight. Tulane administrators did a good job of destroying the program back in the sixties when they pulled us out of the sec conference, to emphasize academics. Afterwards at least half of the strong tulane supporters felt betrayed and walked away.Now eight years back in a growing conference you want to pull this stunt.To be blunt Mr. cowen who gives you the right to destroy our proud athletic tradition, that has been handed down from generation to generation.If you and your commitee take that away from the next generation then none of you are worth anything. Some things take time, like the time it took tulane to get back in a conference. Now we are starting to be seen,like the espn contract with the conference. I hope you realize what that does for your university. Its priceless, like the bowl games have been for football, the college world series for baseball.Academics and Athletics go hand and hand, I would even say athletics can teach you more than any text book ever could. And as for as going to division three, take it from me the only people who go to those games are the parents of the young men playing.If you go their than you mite as well not stop and give us the death sentence alltogether. WE AS TULANE FANS AND SUPPORTERS WILL STAND UP TO THESE NEW HURTELS AND WE WILL COME OUT OF THIS BETTER AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE. P.S I urge you to respond! ***** Dr. Cowen, I am a 1988 graduate of the School of Public Health And Tropical Medicine and have been I season ticket holder for football since 1987, baseball since 1993, woman's basketball since 1997, men's basketball since 2001, Green Wave Ath. Assn. since 1992, and to the SPHTM since 1994. I promise you that if our football team is demoted to Division 3 or worse I will never give another penny to my beloved Tulane for fund raising. However, if the board leaves our sports programs alone I will happily increase my support to Tulane by at least 20% ***** As a Tulane University alumnus (B.A. 2001, M.B.A. 2002) I am concerned to hear that Tulane is questioning the benefits of its Division 1-A status. The recognition and status gains that accrue to Division 1-A programs are invaluable assets that Tulane cannot afford to forego. Universities achieve distinction through achievements that capture national recognition. Only by maintaining a Division 1-A status will Tulane maintain its level of name recognition, which carries critical ramifications for the size and quality of admissions pools and the influence of Tulane as an institution. My doctoral-level research on the topic of "reputation" suggests that reputation is an increasingly crucial component of organizational success. Tulane's reputation as a distinguished university is related to the frequency with which Tulane receives national media attention. Eschewing Division 1-A status will compromise Tulane's position as a nationally recognized university and weaken the university's overall reputation. ***** Sir, I have been a longtime supporter of Tulane sports and would hope that we remain in Div. 1. In fact I have been at every Tulane home football since 1956 ( except for a stint in the Army , which caused me to miss a few in 1967 ) and of course I am a season ticket holder and member of the TAF. While I am also disapointed in home attendance, it really is not as shocking as it appears. What we tend to do is compare our attendance to the large state schools, but in reality most schools don't have super crowds at their games. Our average home crowd last year was almost 28,000. Six of the teams on last years schedule have stadiums that hold between 24,000 and 35,000 and this is the normal size for many in Div. 1. Our average attendance would be welcomed at many schools except the powerhouse schools like Texas. Look at the stadiums for some of our yearly opponents - Houston 32,000, Cincy. 35,000 , Navy 30,000, Southern Miss. 33,000. All of these stadiums would look great with 28,000 per game, however they could not hold the crowds for a Texas, or Alabama game like the Superdome. I do realize that we don't get near the 28,000 for each game and that this is our average attendance. If you check the attendance figures printed each week as I do you will see that many of the name school don' t get good crowds each week. In fact those with NFL teams in their city or close to them usually have sparse crowds. This includes many of the "name" teams . It has often been said that the students don't like to go to the Dome because it is too far. Well since I have been going to the games since 1956 I can tell you that except for a few seasons ( best student attendance was 1998 ) the students have never had good attendance at the football games, even when they were a few feet from the dorms. It would really help if the news media ( especially TV ) would help and push the Tulane games as they do the Saints ( a privately owned business ). Often there is no mention of Tulane playing at home, while we get daily reports on how many tickets remain for the Saints. Please remain in Div. 1, most have no interest in lower divisions. About 35 years ago the Div. 1 football team at Detroit Univ. was disbanded and a few of the players transferred to Tulane. They not only lost their team, for now how many people have even heard of the school ? A Tulane Fan, ***** I live in the Cleveland area, and can assure you that Tulane has very minimal presence in this part of the Midwest. The only thing that has brought any name recognition in recent years were the sucessful athletic teams. To kill the athletic program would be a terrible tactical error. Please reflect on the tremendous loss of friends and financial supporters that occurred when Tulane made the stupid mistake of de- emphasizing in the 50s and 60s and was forced to drop out of the SEC. I grew up near the stadium and recall fondly the great fan loyalty and regional support that Tulane enjoyed before that happened. Duke was still just a regional school at that time, and Tulane's academic reputation was at least as strong. My daughter chose to go to school there, just as many of the best students in this area do, because she felt it was the best school in the country. If you don't think that the success of the basketball team has fueled that, you are crazy. Wouldn't it be grand to have the financial support that the Iron Dukes afford them? ***** As a Tulane Alumni, I would like to voice my strong opposition to Tulane leaving Division 1 athletics. I am sure all the pros and cons have been studied, but the intangible result of less national visibility, I feel, will very much hurt the University. There will be less financial support, less alumni involvement, less recognition nationally and of course less pride in our schools involvement in athletics. It would be a terrible mistake to leave Division 1 athletics. ***** The philosophy of addition by subtraction is rarely a good one. In the case of Tualne University, the subtraction of athletics would subtract from the overall package the university has to offer. While many Tulane students fail to make the trek to the Dome evry week, many never enjoy a basebal game at Turchin and some have never been in Fogelman Arena it is their choice to miss this part of a colege education. The lessons of teamwork, sportsmanship, pride and loyalty can be conveyed to the spectators and supporters of a sports team just as they are conveyed to the players. How many of us have ever included ourselves in saying "WE" won the Hawaii bowl? A student who neglects attending sporting events misses the opportunity for a well rounded education just the same as a student who never attends a symphony, a ballet or an art exhibit. As an alumnus for the past twenty years, it is teh athletuc program that helps keep me connected to the university. Friendships developed years ago are rekindled at homecomings, new relationships are formed - not a lot in common with a graduate of the class of 97, but we can both root for the Wave to win the game and share a high five. A group of twenty or so fraternity brothers get together every other year or so at a balgame to remeber our days at TU. As a former cheerleader, maybe I am biased in myopinions because I enjoyed and learned so much from my experiences with the teams I pulled for. We all know this is not an easy discussion, and there is always a place for self examination in our university, but I believe any answer other than remaining a player in major college athletics would be a huge mistake. Dedication to excellence in all areas makes a university great, deciding not to play because its hard to be excellent makes a university second rate. The Tulane I know and love would never run from a tough battle. Fight on Green Wave! Fight on to victory! ***** Rick - I will try to keep this simple. As long as Tulane remains committed to Division I-A Athletics, I am a supporter who will contribute and I am willing to increase my contributions in coming years. If, however, TU tries to reduce its committment, see you later; in that event I will immediately take my support and my contributions elsewhere. I think you have done an extraordinary job in building such a model Division 1-A program. I emphasize that provided the current committment continues, I am willi ng to increase my contributions over the coming years. It would be an absolute tragedy for TU to try to roll back its committment right at the time when so many things are going well. Please pass on the substance of this e mail to the Admistration and to any other persons considering any deviation from a committement to being a model Division 1-A program. Roll Wave. ***** In response to the ad hoc committee's findings, and the possibility of moving Athletics to a lower division. in·ter·est
(ntrst, -tr-st, -trst) Interest - a simple word with many meanings, but I am interested in only one meaning. I have an interest in Tulane Athletics, and share this interest with many people. How many people? That can be hard to define, but here is one way. I have a website about Green Wave baseball, and here are some web statistics for the past 6 months. Month
# of hits In the last 6 months, that 2.9 million hits, just for Tulane Baseball. To me, that seems like a lot of interest in Division 1 Tulane Baseball. Notice that even in the months that baseball was not being played, the website still had over 350,000 hits. Fall Ball 2002 (baseball practice) had over 700,000 hits. Again, that seems like a lot of interest. So, maybe numbers don't mean anything to you. Let's look at the Global interest in Tulane Baseball. That's right, Global interest. Everyone recognizes that Tulane has graduates all over the country. In fact, we have them all over the world. Some of the countries, in which people reside, that have visited my site include: US Military (might
not be in the U.S.) In conclusion, I would just ask one question - If Tulane's Athletic programs are dropped to a lower division, then how many of these same people would have an interest in Tulane? ***** Dr. Dr Cowen: My class is '45, my late wife, N'46 ,was Homecoming Queen in '45, my elder son Tulane College '73, my brother in '49. For many years I lived in Pointe Coupee Parish where a handful high school students matriculated at Tulane from 1953 1980. I was instrumental in making a break through when our State Representative, knowing of my passion for Tulane, asked me to recommend someone for a Legislative Scholarship. No one wanted his. Two years later I interested the first African-American student, class valedictorian, and proudly sat with his family and friends on graduation day in McAlester Auditorium. Since then the Parish has sent splended young people to receive the benefits of Tulane. I was well known as a lonely voice in an LSU wilderness as we debated the merits of our football teams year after year after year. Football brought the knowledge of Tulane to our young people, then followed our academic reputation. Athletics sell, they bring awareness, excitement and as in the case of my young friend eventually a position as a doctor at Tulane's Medical Center. His wife came to New Orleans with him and is a doctor at Ochsner. Where there is a will, there is a way. I am confident the will exists if alumni and friends are included at every step in finding the way to continue the athletic program, building on the efforts of Mr Dickson, the coaching staffs and above all the many fine student athletes who will not be able to afford Tulane's tuition in a non- scholarship environment Olive Green and Blue , I am Sincerely, ***** For that matter, I will not support a division II or IAA school either. DIVISION IA is THE ONLY HOPE. ***** Please seriously consider your continued membership in Division 1A in Conference USA. As a Southern Miss fan, I can't imagine football or baseball season with Tulane as a worthy opponent. Thank you for your time. ***** Dear Dr. Cowen, It was with a sense of panic and dismay that I received the news of the subcommittee review of the athletics program. Until this situation is resolved in favor of continuing competition at the premier level, I will continue to fret, panic, worry, dread, etc. I am a holder of four football season tickets per game and also attend numerous baseball and basketball (men and women) games. The last two seasons I traveled to Birmingham, Hattiesburg, Monroe, Houston, Baton Rouge, and Fort Worth to support the football team. Since 1893 Tulane University has competed at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics. My grandfather and great-grandfather both graduated from Tulane medical. I have grown up with Tulane athletics. I have remained devoted to the teams and have tried to encourage others to attend events. It seems that in the last five or six years that our program has been on the upswing. For example, since the 1997 season Tulane football has had four winning campaigns out of six and two bowl victories. And who will ever forget the 12-0 dream season. It still seems unbelievable. The baseball team is consistantly a winner, going to the World Series just two years ago. Women's basketball is terrific, and the men's team is on the upswing. It seems as though Mr. Dickson's plan in beginning to bear fruit. If Tulane recommits itself to compete at division one, then I will increase my support even more by joining the Tulane Athletic Fund. If, by some mad descent into the small-time, Tulane decides to erode itself into some pathetic lower division gutter, then it will be the end! What a blow to tradition! What a blow to me, who so loves the Wave! Such an unthinkable turn of events would cause an immediate end to any support that I give to the university. For me Tulane would be placed in the memory hole. As far as I would be concerned, Tulane would no longer exist. I would never refer to the institution again or recommend to my honor students to attend the school. Please, Dr. Cowen, use all of your powers to save our traditions! ROLL WAVE! ***** Dropping down to a lower division in athletics is athletic suicide, and just what the academicians strive for every ten to fifteen years because it is the only way they can kill athletics at Tulane.New Orleans will not support division II or less. Trust me on this; especially with LSU just 81 miles down the road. ***** I am an Alumni chapter Club President and the athletics events are a forum we use to network and champion financial support for Tulane University. It would be a devasting blow to fundraising, name recognition, and alumni morale to drop to Division 3. Athletics, under Rick Dickson, has made tremendous gains and I belive, is on track for much more future success. ***** To Whom It May Concern: I graduated from A&S (now Tulane College) in 1992 with my B.A. in Communication, and have returned to the university, and will graduate in May 2003 with my MBA from the Freeman School. Over the past 10 years, I have donated more than $5,000 to the university support programs ranging from history to communications. In addition, as a season ticket holder to virtually all Tulane athletics sports, I purchased tickets and gave them away to my colleagues, even when I spent 7 years living outside of the United States and being unable to attend Tulane games. I used the internet to follow audio broadcasts of football and basketball games, and when it became possible, also for baseball games - the sport I feel most attached to. When the price of season tickets are added, I have probably donated more than $8,000 to the university since 1992. Although I would have donated some money to the university in any event, it is unlikely my support would have been as strong had I not been monitoring the university's progress in athletics. I think it is safe to say that some of my donations were only made to history because I felt proud of the university's progress in sports. Thus, the athletics department reminded me of my university, and my funding of a non-athletic department had to do with trying to direct money to other areas of excellence at Tulane. As an alum twice-over, and as a contributor to the university, I strongly believe that one of the primary reasons for Tulane's languishing in the rankings is image and perception. This is primarily a communications problem. Since graduating from Tulane, I have also studied at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of London, where I received Master's degrees in Asian studies. I believe our students are capable of standing up with students from either of these fine institutions, or any other programs we would compare with. But being in New Orleans, Tulane is often "forgotten about." The athletics department helps to correct this balance by giving the university some publicity nationally. Playing in the Hawai'i Bowl during the holiday season was one valuable addition to our publicity, as was winning the Liberty Bowl in Memphis some years ago. Baseball's trip to Omaha and its massive draws in playing LSU have helped our image regionally. The success of our women's basketball program has also highlighted opportunities for women, although owing to Newcomb College's legacy the university already draws a high percentage of women. Since I initially left the university in 1992, I have consistently felt that the communications of the university were at an atrocious, perhaps even laughable, state. At that time the University Relations office had been discontinued, there were competing divisions in the Alumni Affairs and the Annual Giving offices, and there was NO coordination of the university's message. I did not feel, in the latter days of the Kelly administration, that there was ANYONE would truly could articulate where the university wanted to position itself. My suggestion is, leave athletics alone and try to determine how the university can use the program, along with a revamped looked at its communications, to better position the university. The Medical School, Law School, and Freeman School all have there own attempts to position their communication, along with the athletics department. Earlier in this academic year, the university announced it was going to return to the use of the old T bisected by a U logo. However, during the same year, I have seen no less than 5 logos on different university programs, including the green block style T, the T with white and blue waves, the T with a curled wave used in the athletics department, and several variants from the 1960s. The university is not consistent in its message - so why should our alumni take us seriously? Certainly there is a financial aspect to our athletics program - we expect a certain return on investment from the program. But how do we expect to reap it? Tulane made the mistake of leaving the SEC just as college athletics became financially very profitable - had we stayed a member of the SEC, would we be discussing this today? ***** I think the school needs to maintain Division I-A athletics. Our tuition is very close to that of Duke University and they manage to have very successful Division I-A athletics. So why can't we? Athletics are very important to students. They are a source of pride for students. I attended several basketball games and football games to see my team play some of the best college teams in the country. I root for Tulane tennis, even though I don't understand the game. I send my parents Tulane athletics T-Shirts, accounts receivable of course, just to show my pride in Tulane. But no one is proud to be number one in a Division III tournament. To put it bluntly the games would suck. Who wants to see Tulane play Hick College? I understand the priority of academics over athletics. But athletics play an important academic role also. When you get bored of studying, you can always go watch an exciting Tulane game. I definitely do. And what about our alumni? Would they be as proud if Tulane was dropped to Division II or III? I really think this school needs to stay Division I. Perhaps the administration could better budget the phenomenal amounts of money they receive from students attending Tulane. Duke and other Ivy league universities manage to do so, while having top notch Division I sports programs. Budget your money better, and quit trying to take away athletics from the students!!! ***** Dr. Cowen, As a 1978 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Tulane, I read with trepidation about the potential to de-emphasize the university's athletic competition status. During my days at Tulane, I devoted much time and effort to my academic studies, but also delighted in the other aspects of a Tulane's stature as a national university. NCAA Division 1A athletics are a vital part of the Tulane experience, and are part of the core of the university's continuing appeal to prospective, current and former affiliates. Through my travels far and wide, Tulane sports was the continuing thread to keep far-flung alumni tied to the university. Recent successes on the field in Div. 1A football, baseball, women's basketball, tennis, and golf have only raised the profile of Tulane in a positive light. The types of student-athletes Tulane recruits and graduates are unsurpassed, and their are no better emissaries for university. As a national university, Tulane must do everything it can to maintain a national profile. Div. 1A athletics is a vital part of that profile. Nothing binds dispersed alumni more. Recent successes on the field, combined with an all-time high in prospective Tulane student SAT scores in the mid-1300s indicates we are doing a lot of things right. Now is not the time to re-trench. Rather, now is the opportune time to reaffirm a commitment to make Tulane a top twenty-five national university in all fields of endeavor. Redouble efforts to increase both academic and athletic endowments. The model to emulate should be a university such as Stanford--not a university such as Emory. The university is on the cusp of many great things under your tutelage. Do not squander the opportunity to drive Tulane into the very top tier of national universities in all aspects. Though I came to Tulane for the academics, the ties that continue to bind my interests and continuing support are athletics. ***** Dear President Cowen and the Board of Administrators, I am once again compelled to write a letter in support of Tulane University remaining in Division 1A athletics. I have written several times in the past week defending athletics and the benefits it provides to a major national university such as Tulane. These beliefs are shared by the majority of Green Wave fans across the nation and world. I wanted to write this letter to give the Board and President Cowen a more personal insight. Back in 1997 I was a senior at Paul Tulane College, ready to graduate when I suddenly lost my father to complications from diabetes. It was and continues to be the most difficult experience I have gone through. I managed to get myself together and was able to graduate on time in the Spring of 1998. Following graduation, I really had no place to go afterwards...I was sorting out my own personal life and was unsure of what I wanted to do with my career. Basically, it was a TOUGH time and there wasn't a whole lot to smile about. Then, something wonderful began to take form that Fall...the Tulane Green Wave, led by quarterback Shaun King, was setting the college football world on fire, setting records left and right and totally destroying its competition. For a person that had nothing to cheer about, who was still mourning the loss of his father, this turn of events could not have come at a better time. My alma mater was kicking some serious tail. Tulane was being counted among the major college football elite. I had something fun to do on Saturday afternoons to get my mind off of things, if even for three hours. In short, it gave me a reason to shout, cheer, root and have fun again, something I was not able to do since my father passed. When the undefeated season was in jeopardy against Louisville, I turned and hugged a complete stranger once Chris Redman's pass fell incomplete in the endzone and the Wave escaped with victory. Later, I traveled to Memphis and revelled with 25,000+ of my closest friends on New Year's Eve. I was able to connect with my alma mater in a way I had no idea could. Tulane Athletics brought a measure of joy to my life when I needed it most, and to this day I consider following Tulane athletics one of the passions in my life. Even though the football team has seen some tough times since that undefeated season in 1998, I am optimistic that with a true commitment from the university, it will be a consistent success both on the field and in the pocket books. Outside of the friends that I made while at Tulane, major college athletics are the only connections I have left to the University, and they are special and meaningful ones at that. Tulane belongs in Division 1A in all sports. Please ensure that this continues to be the case. I pledge to fully support and promote Tulane Athletics in D-1A as long as the Administration does the same. ***** Wasn't a $600 million dollar university fund raising campaign started back in 1999? Whatever happened to that? It seems to me like whoever has boxed that up is really the person responsible for any financial shortcomings today. Tulane certainly needs to augment it's endowment and take care of facility and infrastructure needs for all departments across the entire spectrum of the university. Whichever employee of the board who has failed in this great matter should get the chop. ***** I am an alum who is a native of New Orleans, but now lives away. So I am not able to support athletics by attending many events, but I do plan to attend events in other cities, such as a football game in Annapolis this year. I feel that dropping to Div. III is a big mistake. i would certainly be unlikely to donate to the university without Div. 1 athletics as it improves spirit and a desire to be the best. ***** Dear Board, I'm a 31 year old Tulane fan. I know Tulane don't have many fans my age, but over the past few year with football & baseball doing so well more people are coiming aboard. Tulane has a great baseball and basketball history and some great times in football also. Asfor football I realy believe the best days are ahead. With people like W. More and Roydell Williams as great roll models for up coming players we can only get better. Rick Jones has done everything and more for Tulane. He did not go on to Georgia he had faith in Tulane so Tulane should have Faith in him to bring a Div-1 World Series Champion back home to Tulane. The Football team has made it to 2 bowl game in the past couple of years. It's moving in the right way. The players are passing in football not like most colleges that are in the BCS running year in and out. Rick Dickson is getting more money every year he has been here. In a city that ! has a avg salary well below the nation avg.. Maybe Tulane should be playing at City Park if the DOme cost to much? I love the game last year in City Park. I belong to a local Green Wave Club I pay my $25 a year dues. We make one bus trip a year for Football, and baseball. Besides always beside attending the USM games in Miss.. We rented the tents for the football games. We are trying to help you ,please let us don't cut us off by knocking us down. ***** As an East Carolina fan and a Conference USA fan as well, I have to say that this movement to get Tulane into Division III is one of the worst ideas I have ever heard. Especially after coming off a Bowl Championship year in football, where in 1998 Tulane completed a fantastic 12-0 season capped with a C-USA title and a Liberty Bowl victory. And in Basketball, Tulane has enough post-season appearances to prove its value. And in baseball, Tulane is continually one of the top programs in the nation. As for women's sports, I cannot really speak, because to be honest, I'm not too sure. But I ask as a fellow conference member and fan of C-USA, I ask you to reconsider this and remain a Division I program. A move to Division III would be debilitating for Tulane and C-USA. ***** Hi, I am a UNO graduate, but longtime admirer and fan of Tulane University and their Athletic program. I beleive the graduation rates of the Tulane student athletes is something all athletic programs need to strive for. The sporting events bring people together, and help them identify with the university whether an alum or not. As a resident of the city of New Orleans, I am proud to hear talk of a graet young man such as Patrick Ramsey on national television. I beleive things are going in the right direction for Tulane Athletics, and with time attendance levels will rise and financial goals achieved. Please let the public know what financial goals need to be achieved, and give us a chance to reach those goals. Please do not make any drastic decisions that will only distance Tulane from its alumni base and the residents of metro New Orleans. ***** Dear Sirs: t is my sincere hope that the current and future projected financial losses by our Athletic Department do not result in the decsion to change the current status of our programs with the NCAA nor that the current projections result in the discontinuation of the foofball program. The slogan, "we are learners, we are leaders, we are Tulane" touches me as I am sure it touches other alumi. Make it true by having the best learners possible, the best leaders possible and the best Tulane possible. That is the sense of duty that I hope rallies our Board and Administration to the best decision for Tulane regarding our Athletic Programs. The continuing execution of the cousre set by the current leadership will pay dividends in making us the best Tulane possible. The current loses will not conitue nor will they improve in any pattern resulting from a logical projection of the current situation over a number of future years in a "pro forma." Our current course will cross unforseen "tipping points" which will change the financial fortune of the Athletic Department. In the mean time Athletics will provide a growing beacon for Tulane that extents beyond professional journals, rising admission standards or advances that will continue to occur on the leading edge of acdemic endeavor. Our society is plagued with the clash of self interest and the higher values we need now more than ever to lead on the world stage. The University has been so important in advancing the best in us. Many practices of "big time" atheltics threatens to deminish the role and idea of University. Prehaps Tulane should not run from the struggle by dropping football or moving to a lower division without making a leader's stance. We saw this in the way Tulane leadership handled the basketball problems of years ago and the actions that followed. We know our leadership exisit in our graduation rate among athletes. This story is so "under told." The statistic is fine but the human value of it is a story not being told. In so many cases young people are truly being lifted. Not being dropped by the realization of the false promise of riches held out by professional sports. If the Athletic Deparments role of changing the lives of so many of its athletes were realized in the School of Social Work it would warrant a rash of goverment grants. The professional leauges should drop their Unitied Way grandstanding and provide grants to Universities based on graduation rates. During my high school football career I had the privilage of being recruited by a number of "Division One" schools. When Tulane called the only doubt was if they would offer me a scholarship. During a campus visit the head coach offered me a full scholarship. I could not hide my excitement. I accepted his offer even though it was only September. The passage of time has made my four years at Tulane seem as only a flash in my life. The rigor of my experience at Tulane developed a curosity and a first hand understanding of excellence which continues to provide direction and hope in my life. In those moments of self reflection inwhich I allow comparision of myself to the other college graduates I attended high school with and as well as my brothers I know that having taken a path which lead through Tulane has made so much of the difference in my life. I know that my fondness and appreciation of Tulane does not make me special but only part of a "special family." I love Tulane. My love of Tulane grew from my early experiences with my father and brothers at Tulane football games in the early sixties. We were able to attend the games on a family plan which made it possible for my father to purchase tickets for my brothers and I for $1 apiece with his full price ticket. We always sat in the North End Zone with many other families. My earliest memories include the Green Wave playing Pittsburg, Ga. Tech, Miami of Florida, Ole Miss, Duke among others. Later, I recall attending the S.E.C. Track and Field Championship held on campus. My oldest brother was competing for another S.E.C. school. My family cheered for the Green Wave competitors except in the one event in which my brother took part. As fate would have it he finished second that day to a Greenie. To this day he is a "tiger" and I am a "greenie." Despite the fact that my opportunity to attend and graduate from Tulane was created by "Division One" football, "Division One" football it is not the major part of my idenity with Tulane. Tulane's atheltics has provided me with points of contact with what I do value in most in my assciation with Tulane. I urge all concerned not lay to rest this most visable of tools to lead. Use the good work of the ad hoc committee to learn. Continue to invest in the Athelitc Department. Demand that they lead in their field true to the values of the Universtiy. As they fill this mission their place at the table should be secure. ***** Dr. Cowen, I am a life long Wake Forest fan and I have no previous affiliation with Tulane, however, I think it would be a tragedy for the university to downgrade its athletic program. I have always enjoyed watching Tulane and have cheered for them because they remind me a lot of Wake. Both are very good academic schools, which have at times suffered from being viewed as the little fish in a much bigger pond. But that phenomenon never stopped me from loving and supporting Wake with all my heart and I am sure Green Wave fans feel the same way. Fortunately Wake has made huge commitments recently to both its basketball and football programs, and in turn the entire feeling about the athletic department is probably at an all time high. Fan support from non-alumni is increasing as well as season ticket purchases and donations; while we haven't quite turned the corner, we're well on our way. From what I've been reading I think the same thing can happen at Tulane. There was football sucess not long ago on a national level, baseball is always good and basketball also had its moments during the 90s. These are accomplishments that can be built upon. It won't be easy, but the step by step process will be much more rewarding than the alternative. I would love to see Tulane reaffirm its commitment to athletics and take that next step which will improve the image of the athletic dept, as well as the entire university. So from one small school to another...big time athletic sucess is possible, you've just got to want it and make it happen. Here's hoping we see you in the ACC one day. ***** Dear Sirs: I have three degrees from Tulane and my wife has two. I support studying athletics every 4 or 5 years as a prudent idea. The past decision to leave the SEC was made for many reasons. A comparison of the budget of Vandelbilt today shows that decision was a bad decision. Of course, hindsight is 20-20. Athletics does not make Tulane what it is. The professors and students make Tulane what it is. That said, athletics is the public face of the University and over the last several years Tulane athletics have represented the University in a way that no other students could. Athletics are an important part of Tulane, the intramural softball games were good when I was at Tulane in the late 1960's. Intercollegiate athletics were not that good back then. Today intercollegiate athletics are outstanding at Tulane and I assume intramural games are still outstanding. Both are part of the Tulane experience. More students need to attend games. More of us graduates need to do so as well. It is good to review all options every 4 or 5 years. Before any significant change is made the University should ask for the opinions of many of the Tulane greater community, whether to downgrade the athletics or to put more emphasis on athletics, both or either decision should be made after the entire greater Tulane community has been heard. ***** I AM A PHARMACY GRAGUATE OF NORTHEAST LA UNIVERSITY ( 1977 ). MY BROTHER IS A GRAGUATE OF NICHOLLS STATE ( 1972 ). HE WAS A BASEBALL ALL AMERICAN AND PLAYED WITH FRANK MONICA WHO COACHED AT TULANE UNDER LARRY SMITH AND VINCE GIBSON. MY DAD MADE US FANS UF TULANE IN THE MID 60'S. WE HAVE FOLLOWING SINCE THEN. WE BY 4 SEASON TICKETS ON A YEARLY BASIS AND ARE DIE HARE FANS. TO DROP DOWN TO A LOWER DIVISION WOULD BE INSANE AND WOULD UPSET US TO NO END. WE HAVE SUPPORTED THIS TEAM FOR 40 YEARS. MY DAD DID NOT ATTEND TULANE, DID NOT GO TO TULANE, DIED IN 1980 AND WOULD TURN OVER IN HIS GRAVE. PLEASE DO EVERY IN YOUR POWER TO REMEDY THIS SITUATION THANK YOU: ***** Dear President Cowen and Board: After hearing a few of the many rumors concerning the future of Tulane's athletic program, I pointed my web browser to ESPN.com and searched its archives for "Tulane," hoping to find an article outlining the discussion and resulting controversy. It should be instructive that the first article about Tulane on this sports news website was entitled "Study: Tulane Scores High Marks in the Classroom." I need not repeat here our university's many successes on the playing field in recent years, but I do feel it is important to examine the impact these successes have had on the university beyond athletics. College athletics are an important part of the collegiate experience, and whether profitable from a fiscal standpoint or not, the level and success of a university's program does have an impact on attracting prospective students and encouraging enrollment. I, for one, chose to attend Tulane over some of our so-called "peer" institutions like Emory at least in part because it offered a complete college experience. Sure, Emory is an excellent academic institution. But so is Tulane, and at Emory, I could never have painted my face (or a new President's white Perlis suit) on the way to a football game at the Superdome. Moreover, articles like the one posted on ESPN's website not only provide a level of positive publicity for our institution that money cannot buy, but actually reinforce our image as an academic institution. The study referred to in the article is the very one that ranked Tulane second among all Division I football bowl game attendees in terms of player graduation rates. The message Tulane athletics sends to the world is that we can and will continue to offer both academic excellence and an exciting, complete collegiate life, including the thrill of painting one's face at a Division I football game. ***** Attached is copy of a letter I sent earlier today to President Scott Cowen on the athletic situation: I was distressed to read in the Times-Picayune that the Tulane board, at your direction, is seriously considering downgrading the Tulane athletic program to Division III or some other very minor classification. The manner in which this is being handled is almost as disturbing. There has been no opportunity for comment from the broader community, and indeed one feels like the decision might already be almost a fait accompli. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to write to state my feelings for your consideration and the record. Admittedly, my perspective is not completely objective. I am a Tulane graduate (A&S '69, Law '72) who grew up one house away from the old stadium on Willow Street. I have followed and loved Tulane's teams through fat years and lean (despite the fact that it always seemed like there were more lean years). Nonetheless, I have tried to keep my eye on the big picture, and to avoid the kind of emotional attachment to the program that is impractical and, in any event, probably could not be completely understood by those who came to the Tulane community much more recently. With this in mind, there are several objective factors that argue in favor of retaining a Division I program, which I hope will be carefully taken considered by you and other decision makers at Tulane. First, the athletic program is an integral part of Tulane's national image. Tulane is one of a small handful of universities (like Stanford, Notre Dame, Duke and a few others) which successfully blend academic excellence and major college athletics. Tulane athletes meet high standards, graduate in large numbers, and win more than their share on the field. The Athletic Department has a team in place that has learned how to get it right. This national exposure is invaluable. Second, there is no way to replace the luster given to the entire university by this unusual mix of academics and athletics. Tulane will find it hard to compete with universities with much larger endowments, and well entrenched, excellent graduate and professional programs that have been in place for years and are very well funded. Third, inevitably, therefore, Tulane will lose much of its national prominence and exposure if it eliminates major college athletics. I believe that this could start an irreversible decline, with Tulane ending up a much less significant regional or local institution. Fourth, the athletic program is certainly a major force for energizing the community of alumni and friends of the university, and of fund raising. I know active participants in the Tulane community who are extremely upset by the way this is being handled, and whose considerable talents, energy and resources might well be lost to Tulane. Fifth, the Tulane athletic programs are important to New Orleans and Louisiana generally. From the start of the program in the nineteenth century through the Rose and Sugar Bowl teams and down to the very recent, exciting Tulane-LSU baseball NCAA supperregional at Zephyr Field, and with many other stops along the way, Tulane athletics are an integral part of the local scene. The local psyche has taken a lot of hits in recent years, from economic woes through the closing of iconic institutions such as Maison Blanche, K&B and D.H. Holmes. The loss of Tulane athletics would be a blow of similar magnitude. I am certain that there are many challenges in maintaining Tulane athletics at their present level. But please don't allow a decision of this magnitude to be made by stealth or without a full airing of all options. If informed and involved, the community might well rise to the occasion and save this small island of excellence. And please don't let the process go forward in a way that is corrosive and destructive (for example, a slow death by uncertainty, eroding fan support and recruitment). I for one am hoping that you and the board will show the kind of leadership that will not only keep the program at its current level, but allow it to thrive and expand. ***** I hold two degrees from Tulane and love my alma mater. I hold season tickets in baseball, football and men's basketball and contribute to TAF. I have recently doubled my contribution. Tulane athletics keep me part of the Tulane family. Despite my degrees, I contribute only to athletics, because athletics give me my only connection to the Tulane community. I pray that somehow the current level of commitment can be maintained and that reasonable financial solvency can be attained. I only hope I have the opportunity in the future to contribute more to Tulane athletics. ***** WE NOW HAVE A COACH WHO LOVES TULANE, DO NOT CHANGE OUR CLASS TO DIV. 3, WE NEED TO STAY WRIGHT WERE WE ARE. I HAVE BEEN A FAN FOR OVER 55 YRS. MY DAD PASSED AWAY THE YEAR WE HAD 12 WINS, I WISH HE COULD HAVE BEEN HERE TO SEE THE GREAT TULANE TEAM. ***** Your consideration to do away with Tulane D-1 football is wrong. I really love to beat the Green Wave and hate to lose to them, but with that being said, there is alot of tradition concerning Tulane football and it will be an injustice to make this move. Good luck, true Green Wave fans, you do not deserve this. ***** i really thinks it's foolish to continue to talk about dropping or lowering the level of athlethic's at tulane . the reason that we have struggled in football for such along time is because of this type of thing it started with leaving the sec. this type of public talk can not be very good for recruiting. your football team appear to be on the verge of really doing something long term the basketball team is starting to regain some of it's luster and the baseball team should speak for it's self it's one of the best programs in the nation . instead of giving in someone should take on the bcs that is a joke to let a few conferences and abc run college football is a joke ***** Ladies and Gentlemen: This e-mail is sent to express my strong support for Tulane's current DIVISION I athletics programs, including (but not limited to) football, men's and women's basketball, and baseball, which have made us proud by being competitive on the playing field while not ignoring the importance of academics. I strongly believe that it is essential for Tulane to remain in Division I athletics, both for current students and alums and for the recruitment of quality, well-rounded future students. From a personal perspective, some of my fondest memories from Tulane revolved around the sports teams. As a freshman, I recall watching QB Terrance "Louisiana" Jones' exciting Heisman trophy campaign. My senior year (1990) when the basketball team came back, it provided a tremendous boost of energy to the school. In between, I recall 50 cent draft beers at the baseball games! On December 31, 1998, I saw at least twenty of my Tulane friends from around the country in Memphis for the Liberty Bowl to watch the Green Wave complete a PERFECT SEASON! Who could forget President Cowen's face painting! Just a few months ago, I proudly e-mailed to all my friends (whether from Tulane or not) the article in the Orlando newspaper proclaiming that Tulane and Notre Dame had the highest graduation rates among bowl-bound football teams. Also, what a tremendous amount of spirit I felt on Christmas Eve (along with my mother-in-law, a Newcomb grad) watching the Green Wave pull out a football bowl victory on national TV! The equation is simple: positive NATIONAL EXPOSURE leads to SCHOOL PRIDE which leads to DONATION$!!! On the other hand, competing in Division III where you're lucky to get a one sentence blurb in the Sports Section of the paper for winning a National Championship just does not cut it. With respect to prospective students, I can say with certitude that it makes a huge difference whether a school has Division I programs (including football) or not. Tulane, Vanderbilt, Rice, Northwestern, Duke - those are private schools with strong academics, but are considered "big time" schools with national recognition in no small part to their athletics programs. One cannot put a price on advertisements like the one Tulane aired on Christmas Eve live from Hawaii, or from the College World Series a couple of years ago! In contrast, I live down the street from Emory University - it is a fine school (due to plenty of money from Coca-Cola), but the school spirit is virtually non-existent. From everything I have seen, it seems that President Cowen has done a tremendous job, and I only hope that he continues to show great leadership by putting this lower division talk to rest and by ensuring that Tulane athletics only gets stronger for the future well-being of our great University. Sincerely, ***** Dr. Cowen and The Tulane Board, I'm a long time out of town supporter of Tulane athletics. I, for one, would be absolutely shocked if Tulane regressed to Division III athletics. It would be a very long time before I would return to being a supporter of Tulane at any capacity. I would feel I had wasted my money by being a supporter in the past. Of course the number one job at Tulane is to educate, but it is also to build leaders. Division I athletics builds leaders. Tulane can win in the classroom and on the field. Division I athletics showcases the university to the community and the country. It gives opportunities to people, who otherwise could not attend universities such as Tulane, Miami, Georgia Tech, and other fine universities. Tulane has made many poor decisions in the past regarding athletics. We are reaping what we sowed. We are also reaping the benefits of the new foundation we set in place just recently. This foundation was set in place by supporters of Tulane, and Tulane making good decisions. Tulane has to continue to make the right decisions. In the past four decades I have watched Tulane lose generations of supporters in athletics, and quite frankly, isolate itself to a large degree from the local community. Of course Tulane is still a large part of the Louisiana community, but as athletics have suffered due to poor decisions, Tulane as a whole, has become a lesser element in the community and in the national arena. This is an example of how important Division I athletics are to thriving Universities. Northwestern had a short run of success in football in the 1990s and are still reaping the benefits of the large amounts of national exposer it received from football in that time frame. If Northwestern had won the national championship in Division III the last 30 years, few people around the country would have noticed, or would it have been a factor in getting the entire university overwhelming exposer and new support. In closing, Dr. Cowan, Tulane needs to stay in Division I athletics and make a permanent commitment. Tulane needs to stop paving building blocks towards success and having them removed by not being able to stay the course. The talk of Tulane regressing to Division III athletics in the past two weeks will begin to take its toll on the bright foundation that is beginning to unfold for Tulane athletics.Tulane must let it's supporters, and the community know, it is on a permanent course of success in Division I athletics. Thank You For Your Time. ***** I am a current student (BSM '03) and soon to be alumni. I cannot fathom that you would even CONSIDER dropping athletics to Division III. I have been looking forward to purchasing season tickets, joining alumni associations, and transferring my love of Tulane athletics to my children. If you drop to Division III, this would never happen. I strongly urge you to reconsider what you are doing, as you are ruining the university and your alumni connections. Thank you for your time. ***** I must say that I have a heavy heart tonight. There are a few hundred of us nationwide who are sharing ideas and thought via an email group. We established an email network to keep our thought out of the realm of the public internet because the coaches of our student athletes have told us that recruiting is being damaged by the public internet speculation. The latest is that the committee will vote 6-2 to recommend to the board that all athletics be moved to DIII. These are not yahoos in this network but ladies and gentlemen like me who have a deep love for our school. We're organizing and doing what we can as alums and fans but I want you to see the email I shared with my Tulane brethren. It follows: I don't want to be maudlin but I share the following with you. My young child goes to every baseball game, football game, and basketball game with me. She dreams of going to Tulane when she is of college age. In my disappointment tonight I shared with her that Tulane is likely to discontinue 1A athletics and move to DIII, which would effectively end TU athletics as we know it and would certainly end our personal participation. She actually wept and asked me why they would do such a thing. A good Father always takes the opportunity to teach and reinforce values. So I had to take the opportunity to explain to her that, at this point in time, it's difficult to participate at the 1A level and that the powers that be may have decided that it is too difficult. So instead of committing to excellence and rising to a challenge, they're going to throw in the towel. I never thought I'd ever hear myself utter the words but I told her that I was embarrassed for my school. She knows how much I love Tulane. That I would actually admit being embarrassed because they exhibit a quitters mentality in the face of a challenge only reinforces to her how much being bold in your commitment to excellence really means. I hope the lesson sinks in further for her. Needless to say, she won't be attending Tulane when the time comes. She's too important to trust to a school run by quitters. Their loss. Despite Cowen's limited presentation, this is not just a business decision and is about things way more important than athletics and money. This is a crime against honor, and values like courage and fortitude. It's not just sports. This diminishes Tulane University in immeasurable ways and proclaims forever that the school that educated most of us is ready to admit that they are not strong enough to compete, and are not smart enough to create solutions in the face of challenge. What a perfect statement for New Orleans and Louisiana. ***** I am the coach and father of one of Tulane's top tennis recruits this year. We chose LSU because of things like this. The thought of degrading sports is something that will not happen at LSU. My son has signed with LSU. I told Coach Klein that this is the reason. I guess I just knew in advance. ***** I felt 30 years younger when we played our Homecoming game at Tad Gormley last year. It brought back memories of Tulane Stadium & High School football games. Also, it was great to see a crowded stadium with lots of support, instead of 8,000 people in an empty Superdome. We tailgated and had a blast! Next year we are going to tailgate before and after the game(weather permitting). Please get us out of the Superdome forever! I don't care if it means going to a new Division, so what, we'll win that championship every year. Go Green Wave!!! ***** If someone thinks bringing tulane athletics down to division III, or any other level will solve attendance or money issues, they are wrong. Our administration hurt us once, I dont think even our most diehard fans would stick around to see tulane athletics destroyed. I have been a diehard fan for 28 years now , and I have seen more improvement in the last 8 years than I believe has occured ever at the university in intercollegiate athletics. I cant stress enough what a huge tragedy it would be to lose our program. It would be a tremendous loss for me personally, I am a third generation tulane fan and very much look forward to passing it along to my kids oneday. I would hope they would receive the same enjoyment it has brought me, my father and his father. There are some things in life that are precious,and priceless and college sports in america are one of those events that make up the fabric of who we are. There may be some pin head who doesnt believe that, but he probably never knew what it was like to be a true fan.Bear bryant said '' when american kids lose the desire to hit and be hit america will fall apart at it's greatest natural seems'' . I think that quote is important and relavant to this situation. Tulane football and all athletics are part of the fabric and history of our community. To lose it would be a tragedy of an unimaginable scale. I ask please take into consideration all the untangibles your data could not possibly show. ALWAYS A GREENIE!! ***** Moving out of DI will be the equivalent of the death penalty for Tulane athletics. We are just now getting a respectable fan base (still no where near where we were when Tulane Stadium was around), and baseball is a national leader in attendance. Moving out of DI will give people no reason to attend any athletic events (no one wants to see lower tier college sports, look at the data) and will send the clear message that the university is NOT DEDICATED to the "entire" college experience. Instead of having ridiculous "boards" and "action committee's" the money could be well spent actively recruiting the community to attend football and basketball games. ***** Dear President Cowen: I love Tulane. I graduated from A&S in 1990 and actually was Gumby the mascot my sophomore year when we played the Washington Huskies in the Ind. Bowl. I am so proud to tell people I graduated from Tulane University. I believe the image that we portray is a great academic school that is very competitive in major Div. I sports. My older brother graduated from Tulane in 1982 and I began following Tulane Athletics back then. I love our Athletic program. I currently give at the $500.00 a year level to the TAF, and I'm planning on buying 2 season football tickets to give to charity as I live in South Carolina. I am very upset and concerned about this issue. Tulane athletics has been a major part of my life for a very long time. If I was to lose this part of my life, I will be distraught. I can't imagine not having a Div. I athletic program to follow. The reason I chose to attend Tulane was the combination of major athletics and academics. I truly feel that if Tulane does make a substantial change to our athletic program, then I will feel betrayed by the school I love so dearly. Thank you for taking the time to hear my thoughts. Please save our dignity, reputation, and respect. Thank you ***** Tulane fundraisers do not even attempt to contact their own alumni. Hey--I graduated & played baseball for Tulane in the mid-60's. Until I got a home computer last year, I was not even on a contributor's list. There are so many millions of dollars out there it is insane not to establish a full-time sports marketing & fund-raising dept. It has to be relentless & staffed with dedicated Tulane people. We must have a very under utilized data base. Talk to people at Duke, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, etc. about how Div.1A affects their schools name recognition. Are you for real in wanting to be like Emory or Brandeis-----only cowards back away from a challenge. If we step down & throw away over 100 years of athletic history the funds will be even harder to raise. Like Rick Dickson says.....our athletes actually have a higher graduation rate than the general student population. Get off your asses & support these kids. The fundraising at Tulane right now is 3rd world in it's approach. You have alumni all over the USA who want to support Div.1A programs--are you really trying to reach them??Without this computer, I would not have even known there was this May 29th meeting. Sell the Program with a vengeance. We are having a very solid sports year, & all sports are recruiting well----so I must ask this question-----WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE??? Thankyou, ***** I am the only graduate of Tulane with a BS in Engineering from 1971 on the New Orleans campus and a MSPH in Industrial Hygiene in 2000 on the Richland, WA campus. I attended the graduation ceremony in the Superdome in 2000. When stationed at Keesler AFB in 1977, I proposed to the woman who became my wife outside Tulane Stadium. Tulane was playing in the Superdome, but it did not have the memories that Tulane Stadium had. I also remember sitting at my desk in Monroe Hall and watching the dome be built. I am an avid supporter of Tulane athletics (primarily football). I would be hurt if Tulane decided anything in the end of May meeting besides increasing support for the current program. I would say that if Tulane decided to go to Division IAA or lower that they should stop the comparison with Duke, Rice, and Stanford and start seeking one with Washington and Lee, Emory, and Hardin-Simmons. I thoroughly believe that the entire reputation of the university would be lowered due to the less name recognition. I can remember a similar push was undertaken in the late 60's to drop either football or all sports. At that time, Tulane had poor records in nearly every sport. For my first three years, Tulane won a total of 8 games if my memory serves me correctly. However, we went to the Liberty Bowl in my fourth year. Last year, I listened to all but one game on the computer. I was thrilled to finally be able to participate in Tulane athletics even if by listening to the computer. Whenever Tulane plays near me, I try to attend, regardless of the sport. I traveled from North Carolina to Maryland to see the Green Wave play the Terrapins in football. When assigned to Keesler AFB, I atttended every home football game. I went to Tulane's second Liberty Bowl appearance from Abilene, TX. I attended the Green Wave's appearance in the NCAA basketball playoffs in Atlanta while stationed in Charleston, SC. Presently, Tulane does not play many games near the state of Washington. I would attempt to go if they played nearby. I believe that Tulane is on the verge of getting into the black. People go to see winners. Tulane has had an impressive year. Our teams included the win at the Hawaii Bowl, women's basketball in the NCAA playoffs, men's and women's tennis winning the conference, women's golf winning the conference, men's basketball having a winning season, and a very strong performance by the baseball team. I think the football team has a decent change of two to four TV appearances this coming year (TCU, Texas, USM, and a bowl). This is assuming the committee doesn't submarine the fine work of the athletic department. In the Pacific Northwest, almost noone has heard of Tulane. The sports programs have helped me in gettng some name recognition for Tulane in this area. Many of my co-workers commented on Tulane's undefeated season in football. Several also watched Tulane play in the Hawaii Bowl. I cannot say that I would decrease my support for Tulane if the sports program was downgraded, but I definitely wouldn't be inclined to increase my support as a result of any downgrade. My view is that if the committee decides to downgrade the program that the downgrade should be to intramurals, not Division III. Anything besides Division IA at this time would be a total waste of money. I also feel that a downgrading decision would be tantamount to lying to current athletes, especially the ones recently recruited. If the committee decides to retain the current level of sports competion, I hope this process has not hurt recruiting. My views probably won't sway your decision or the committee's vote. However, my vote is firmly for supporting the team at the current level. I would appreciate hearing from you. ***** I have written several letters to President Cowen and to David Meeks, sports editor of the Times-Picayune. I will send copies to you from my other computer site on Monday. The whole idea of going down from Division 1 A is absurd and counterproductive, especially in view of the fact that our football star is in its ascendancy and Rick Dickson is doing a magnificent job turning things around. Tulane will start making money soon, especially when the BCS breaks up. ***** Please don't make the same mistake we made about 30 or 40 years ago when we decided to de-emphasize athletics. Rick Dickson has done an excellent job and I do believe we are on the right track. The positive name recognition our athletic department has provided by going to the college world series, bowl games and the NCCA tournaments is priceless. As the president of our great university, Scott S. Cowen, said when he was hired "I came from a small university with no sports and very few in the country new anything about us." Please don't let this happen to our Tulane. PS: I've been a Tulane fan all my life and all of my 5 children, their spouses and my ten grand children are Tulane fans and attend many of the games. ***** To Whom It May Concern, NCAA Division One is the only way to go. Please don't give up the tradition. We will have to look elsewhere to give our support. Thank you, ***** Wow, I think it is an absolute insult to even be considering such nonsense to expell or demote our Athletics. I will follow with a long letter of Why it is such a grave mistake. Sincearley, ***** As a 1970 graduate of Tulane and a follower of athletics since I was to young to remember. I attended my first Tulane football game at the early age of four and held season tickets until I left Louisiana. So with that in mind I suggest that in football we drop down from our present classification to the next level. If we don't do this then we should move all games to City Park. I hated to see us move from old Tulane Stadium to the Doom, all school spirit and support was gone. I never remember attending a game at the old stadium with less then 35,000 in attendence. The doom has never produced these results. As much as I would hate to see us leave Div. 1-A we must be realistic about the future. Yes, last year and the 12-0 season were great but look at what has been accomplished in the past. We get a great coach and in two years he is gone. Economics becomes a very important part of thi! s process. All other sports have been more competive and should remain. Yes, I agree we have great coaches in all sports but to put such pressure on the football staff is not fair. Even with good teams we fail have great crowds and barely meet NCAA requirements. I would rather see us play local schools in a lower division at City Park and have decent crowds. Thank you for letting me voice my views. ***** If this so called "board" decides to drop us to Division III what happens to the athletes? Are they just thrown out onto the street? Thats real classy and snobby but I guess thats what the people in command really want! What about all of the athletic contracts we have to play other schools? Won't Tulane be out millions of dollars in buying out of contracts? Has anyone thought of this? Might it hurt more to drop based on this fact? Personally if Tulane votes to drop to Division III I expect a full refund on my season tickets and to be reimbursed for every penny I donated to the school. And lastly if this happens I think it would be fitting if every school that we break an athletic contract with does what the University of Georgia did and sues Tulane and the schoool ends up bankrupt anyway. ***** I am a 1951 graduate of the college of arts and sciences. I have followed, pulled for and attended Tulane sporting events for over 55 years. I have experienced the highs and the lows of TU athletics;from the deemphasis days of Rufus Carlton Harris in the 50's to the present day prowess of our athletic teams. In these 55 years Tulane has never ;I repeat never been as close to being what a university is supposed to be all about as she is today. We are competitive athletically across the board, we are graduating our athletes at a higher rate than ever and we have coaching staffs and are recriuting young men and women that represent the university well. The problem we're having is the same as we've always had- putting fannies in the seats.This is only a guess, but I believe there has been at least 5 other times in the past 55 years that a committee has studied or the Board of Trustees has asked ab! out the money drain on the university by athletics.Everytime we get new blood on the Board, this issue is raised.The answer always comes up the same---a high level of participation in athletics is an integral and necessary part of a university's life and educational goals. If TU was on the odd end of the totem pole here, it may be a different story, but a large majority of private universities are in the same boat and have come to the same conclusion that TU has in past studies.Now that we have our athletic programs performing at a competitive level, let's start pushing hard to get a fan base established in the N.O. area. I have 2 suggestions: 1) start recruiting local students to attend Tulane. Make it a city university once again. and I mean make it a strong emphasis, not some half-hearted effort as has been done in the past; 2) start inviting playground teams,boy scout troops,girlscout troops and varsity kid teams to TU athletic events-FREE. Get the kids pulling fo! r Tulane again. In closing, let me congrstulate Rick Dickson and his s taff on their efforts in raising TU athletics to where they are today. I haven't always agreed with the way that he has handled season ticket holders, but you can't argue with results. LETS KEEP TULANE IN 1A ATHLETICS. Thanks for listening ***** As of April 25th, the people have clearly spoken as it is 195-20 in favor of staying in Division I-A. Do you realize how many people you will ostracize by dropping down? Alumni, Students, locals who only have Tulane sports as a link to the University? You think people in New Orleans have a negative attitude towards Tulane? Think what will happen without sports to interest them? Are they going to show up to watch a student conduct a science experiement? Or defend a thesis or dissertation? I don't think so, and I dare anyone on this "board" to disagree with me. Lastly who decided who was on this board? I want to be on the board and I vote to stay!!! ***** I am a supporter of Tulane Athletics. I have purchased the Ultimate Fan Package as of April 22, 2003 and I will not support Tulane if they drop down to Div. 1AA or lower. ***** As an alumnus (92) and four year letterman of the Tulane Baseball team, I would like to voice my opinion in support of Tulane Athletics REMAINING active in Division 1-A for intercollegiate athletics. There are not many days that go by in my life that I don't think about my experience at Tulane and how proud I am to be an alumnus and former Division 1-A baseball player. I think it would be a travesty to see the University make any move to play down a division. Since my graduation from Tulane I have watched the Athletic program moving in the right direction. Great coaches and players have been part of past programs and there are currently many great players and coaches part of the 2003 program. I cannot explain the PRIDE I feel watching ANY Tulane Team compete and gain National recognition. I am proud to be a Tulane Fan and a Baseball Season Ticket Holder. Please do everything in your power to keep the athletic program moving in the right direction in Division 1-A. ***** As graduates of Tulane University , parents of a current Newcomb junior and current season ticket holders for baseball and many years for football, we strongly oppose any and all proposals which would result in the change of all teams to Division III. Athletics serves as rallying point for graduates, especially local alums whose monetary contributations are vitally important to the University. With "16 Division I sports, 15 conference titles, two bowls, 47 NCAA Tournament Appearances, record setting attendance for baseball," and much more, such a successful and historic program should not be altered. As a compromise, downgrade the football program to a lower division but keep sports such as baseball, tennis,basketball and volleyball in Division I. It is difficult for Tulane to compete with state universities on the football field due to our high academic requirements however, Tulane already competes very successfully in these other sports with no compromise to our academic standards. Tulane would fail to be recognized as a highly favorable chioce for potential applicants, because athletics do play an important role in the college decision-making process. ***** To whom it may concern I have been a fan of Green Wave athletics since childhood. My father took me to my first football game when I was 4... Tulane vs. Memphis St. at old Tulane Stadium. I am a baseball family pack season ticket holder and I attend other athletic events when I am able. I am not rich but I do what I can for TU (just ask Russel Dean). Believe me when I say that I love the Green Wave! This idea to move TU down from Division I is horrible! I'd say it ranks up there with the idea of making Tulane University a 2 year junior college. Here's why: The football team is now easily good enough to make yearly bowl appearances thanks to C-USA's numerous bowl tie ins and each one means $. Not to mention the pay outs when the Wave plays an away game. Working it out right may take a mathmatical genious, but it is a profitable venture. Other sports can't really be considered. The baseball team and coach Jones are top notch! The women's basketball team is just below the top tier in the country. The men's basketball team is progressing slowly but surely as coach Finney works his magic. The point is that Division I is the top tier. Who really wants to see Division II ball? What really good coach would want to stay at the Division II level? Try other things first. I work weekends so I can't make most of the early football starts. Maybe move them later. Heck at least then I could go! The baseball team already beats most programs in the country in attendance. I am not an insider but I can't believe things are SO bad that one could even THINK of moving down. Building a successful Division I program may difficult, but building the attendance at the glorified high school level will be much more difficult! Take my vote, and that of my wife and 2 kids as AGAINST. I am sure you knew that already, but I wanted it in print :o) I thank you for your time. Have a great day and ROLL WAVE! PS If it means anything at all, I am planning to upgrade my Family Pack tickets to true Season Tickets next year. Please feel free to check if there is any doubt. ***** I have been a Tulane season ticket holder (football) for over 30 years. I can count on one hand the home games I have missed during that time. I also try to make at least one road game yearly. But I want to tell the powers that be, if Tulane plays in a category less than 1A, my days of going to Tulane games are over. What Tulane has to do is upgrade their schedule and most of the monetary problems will be solved. As an example, Texas drew around 40,000 fans. You say we can't compete with such teams. I call that rubbish. The loss was closer than the score indicated. I would hate to have to drive to Baton Rouge on Saturday nights, but that is what I would do if Tulane dropped down in classification. ***** Please keep Tulane athletics at Division I. I don't think anyone including myself would support a lower division football, basketball or baseball team. I know the current coaches and many of the players would not stick around and can you blame them. I would love to know who's bright idea this is. Some idiot with nothing better to do probably. I do not have Tulane season tickets but I do support football, basketball and baseball by attending some of the games and I always listen and watch on tv. But a lower division I am not so sure I will be too excited about watching and WILL NOT spend money to go and see that. ***** To whom it may concern, I would just like to add my voice into the debate about the future of Tulane Athletics and its financial viability at its current status as a Division I program. As a lifelong Tulane Green Wave fan, I've spent most of my 26 years looking towards the next football season always hopeful that such a great university in an equally great city as New Orleans could somehow rise again to a level of athletic prominence which was once enjoyed several generations earlier. While the success may have been sporadic and fleeting, it was tempered by the fact that all Tulane fans could rest assured knowing that the guys on Willow Street were doing it the right way -- graduating players and producing productive members of society. With this being said, it concerns me that the Board of Trustees would now contemplate a dramatic step down the athletic totem pole towards a position of competitive irrelevance. At this time in Tulane sports, the future seems brighter than it's been in a number of decades. There is a football coach in place who is determined to guide the program into a position where it will be able to stand on its own both academically and competitively for years to come. Unprecedented success has also been achieved in women's basketball, baseball, and several other less publicized sports. As far as the Wave's ability to compete across the board goes, no time has been as fruitful as the present. It also must be noted that the plan in place by Rick Dickson has only recently been put in place in the past few years and is already beginning to pay dividends for the University's athletic program. If this were five to ten years down the road from where we begin now and no significant gains were made, there would be very little room for arguing the downgrading of the program. It would be premature, however, to pull the plug on the program's Division I status at this time. I hope that the Athletic Department will be given sufficient time to work towards improving the viability of Green Wave sports. Of course with all the work in front of them, negative press such as this study won't do anything but make the job that lay ahead more difficult. I am confident that Wave Athletics will persevere and succeed regardless. Here's hoping that the Board will think of the fans out there and preserve the current status of Green Wave athletics. Roll Wave! ***** I am an alumnus (1981 BS Engineering, 1987 MBA) living in Baton Rouge and a football season ticket holder. I cannot imagine Tulane without a full-fledged Div 1-A athletics program. Given the long history of the program and its recent success, it would be a tragedy for changes of the type being considered to be made. I think that living in Baton Rouge gives me an idea of what the prominent athletics program has done for the university's exposure on a regional and perhaps national sense. I can say that despite the dominance of LSU in this city, even the folks here recognize the success of the Tulane program and are certainly made more aware of the fine academics of Tulane through the exposure Tulane receives through the athletics program and stories such as the high graduation rate the program maintains. Believe it or not, there was even a front page editorial a couple of days ago in the sports section of the Baton Rouge newspaper lauding the high caliber and strong reputation of the Tulane athletics program, essentially making the case that the program remain at its curent high level. For the over 100 years of history it has and its future potential, I urge you to maintain the highest levels of support of the Tulane athletics program. ***** And just to add my two cents, a strong athletic program is such a critical piece of the overall "college experience" to the types of well-rounded kids we want to attract. If a kid wants an "M.I.T." type of experience, then he ought to go to an M.I.T.--- that's really not what we want our alma mater to be, though, and if alums lose the connection to the school, the school risks losing the alums. Again, just my two cents... but implore of the Board, PLEASE think this carefully through! ***** Rather than stepping down, step up, and give your students a real game-day atmosphere. Invest in a new on-campus stadium, however modest, and more fully promote a holistic college experience. ***** I cannot believe that at a time when athletics is the most successful it has been in recent memory the BOD is discussing eliminating athletics at Tulane. Our student athletes are ambassadors for our university. I hope and pray that the BOD will realize that athletics is a major contributor to the college experience. Instead of trying to destroy athletics, Dr. Cowen and the BOD should be attempting to take advantage of the on field success and try to support our students at the Division I level. We can compete and we could do better with a little support from the BOD. Please support athletics in Div. I. If the BOD does otherwise I would definitely severe all interaction with Tulane University. ***** I just wanted to voice my concern about the possibility of Tulane University no longer competing at the Division One level of Athletics. I think it would be a real detriment to the University as a whole to move down to Division III. Staying at the Division I level would allow many athletes (who normally wouldn't have the opportunity) to experience a great University, a wonderful city, and exceptional coaches and teams. Division I athletics was a dream and a privilege for me to be a part of and I turned down many opportunities at Division III schools just for that reason. It enabled me to spend 4 great years with a broad range of people from many different backgrounds and many different countries, not to mention compete in collegiate athletics at the highest level. I know I am just one voice, but I know all of my ex-teammates feel the same and I would be more than happy to speak to anyone about my experiences if need be. I hope the Division I tradition continues at Tulane. ***** Dear Scott, I am disheartened to learn that Tulane University is considering discontinuing it's Division 1-A football program. I feel that Tulane football is a wonderful tradition and part of the great history of a great university. For alumni, we will always have Tulane in our hearts, and we will always be big Green Wave fans. If this wonderful tradition dies, so too will an opportunity for future students to be enriched by the "Green Wave" spirit. Division I sports are a big draw for prospective students, are great PR for the university, and are a unifying force for students and alumni. Being an elite university that can also compete in Division I football also sets us apart and makes us a unique institution. Dropping football to Division III is a defeatist move. This is particularly surprising to me when the '98 undefeated football season and Shuan King and Patrick Ramsey's high profile NFL careers have contributed to the renewed athletic and academic prestige the university is currently enjoying. An increased commitment to alumni affairs and fundraising that goes hand in hand with a commitment to excellence in athletics will pay off in the long run. Just because these areas may have been neglected in the past does not mean that we should just give up and retreat. Many great private universities around the country like Duke, Stanford, Northwestern, and Vanderbilt balance elite academics with a commitment to successful athletic programs. Isn't our university (Tulane) also about offering our students the best of both worlds? ***** I want Tulane to stay in Division I status for athletics. I know some sports may not be as competitive but sports such as tennis and baseball the Div I forum for sports has allowed Tulane to excel and have a national stage to compete. This is good exposure for the school and also allow Tulane to attract world class scolar athletes. ***** Dr. Cowen, I am a Tulane alum (A&S '92) and so is my wife (Newcomb, '92). I donate annually to the Tulane Annual Fund and Tulane Athletic Fund. Tulane was a great experience for me and, as a member of a fraternity on campus, I attended almost every Tulane football game. Those games bring back great memories. I still remember Terrence "Louisiana" Jones leading Tulane to a huge win over Ole Miss in my freshman year. I was also present for Perry Clark's first big win at Tulane. Michael Christian sank a huge three pointer with time expiring to beat Anfernee Hardaway's Memphis team. The excitement that year when Tulane made the NCAA tournament and then beat St. Johns in the first round was exhilarating. Since graduation, my wife and I annually return to campus for football games. We also regularly attend local Tulane alumni functions in the Atlanta area, especially parties thrown for Tulane sporting events. Basically, our connection with Tulane University is now through Tulane athletics. This is the primary reason why I come to you today to ask you to stop this evaluation process and firmly support Tulane athletics. I have set forth additional reasons below as to why Tulane should remain at the Division 1A level. Division 1A Athletics Serves as the University's Marketing Arm The athletic department is the primary marketing arm of a university and oftentimes its sole connection with alumni and friends of the school. Tulane is fortunate to have a Division 1A program that gets national visibility on ESPN and regional sports networks, through the broadcasting of games, highlights and even on the ever popular sports "tickers." Tulane has also seen significant advertising from the success of former Tulane stars Shaun King and Patrick Ramsey. Indirect advertising as a result of Division 1A status is also important. For instance, during the Final Four this year on CBS, it was stated ad nauseum that Marquette's Tom Crean took his team to the Superdome, the home of the Final Four, when playing a league game against Tulane. Tulane paid nothing to have its name repeated constantly on national television. This type of indirect advertising presents our school name to the public. Through direct and indirect sports advertising Tulane has built a powerful brand name. Dropping out of Division 1A would put a screeching halt to this advertising, and over time, would seriously diminish Tulane's brand name. Division IA is a Differentiator I know many of my friends and peers who differentiate between Tulane and similarly situated universities without Division 1A sports, like Emory or Davidson. There is a certain cache that comes with Division 1A sports that is missing from such non-Division 1A private schools. I believe that gives Tulane a distinct advantage with many students applying to both Tulane and non-Division 1A private schools. If Tulane drops down from Division 1A, it is almost certain that our application pool would shrink, our average SAT score would decrease and, as a result, our ranking in the US World and News Report would fall. Success at Division 1A Tulane has a long, proud history of competing at the Division 1A level that can not be ignored. Tulane beat Temple in the first Sugar Bowl and has three SEC football championships and its basketball and baseball teams have regularly played in the post-season NCAA tournaments. Tulane's recent success has been astounding. Tulane won the 2002 Hawaii Bowl, has 9 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances in women's basketball, a 2002 national championship in women's doubles tennis and a 2001 College World Series berth. Although Tulane has had its ups and downs, I believe Tulane is entering a very successful period in our sports history. We have great coaches in virtually ever sport and have signed some of the most qualified student-athletes in the world. Dropping from Division 1 would likely mean losing all of our current coaches and no longer being able to sign the top student-athletes, as none of these coaches or student-athletes would coach or play sports for a non-Division 1A school. Tulane's Attendance and Financial Problems Despite this success, Tulane does appear to have attendance and financial problems. Low ticket sales have resulted in lower operating cash flow for the athletic department, resulting in budget deficits. However, our attendance and financial woes are no different than what you see at other Conference USA universities or at similarly situated private universities in non-BCS conferences, like Rice, SMU and TCU. For instance, Tulane's average football attendance (27,901) was sixth highest out of eleven CUSA schools and Tulane had a higher average attendance than TCU (27,813), the 2002 CUSA champion that finished ranked 22nd in the nation. Yet, all of the schools have figured out a way to finance their athletic budgets and some, including SMU, have recently completed extensive facilities upgrades. The question is how can we increase attendance? It does not appear to me that the University has really tried to market the games on campus or to the greater New Orleans community. I have heard from current students that sports events are generally not advertised on campus. I think that with improved marketing campaigns, Tulane's attendance will improve. This was proven at last year's homecoming event at Tad Gormley stadium. That event was heavily marketed to students and alumni and attendance was very good, considering the inclement weather. It should also be noted that CUSA is a relatively new conference with young rivalries. As these rivalries grow, attendance will grow. All CUSA schools will also benefit from the success of schools like Louisville (which held a #1 ranking in basketball during part of the season) and Marquette (a Final Four team). Students will be excited to see Tulane play the best teams in the country, especially when those teams are in our conference. Furthermore, CUSA is knocking on the BCS door as the most deserving conference to obtain admission to the BCS. Virtually every conference ranking system ranks CUSA 6th in football as a conference and sometimes 5th ahead of the ACC. If CUSA obtains BCS membership, which seems inevitable at some point if the current trends continue, millions of dollars will be made available to CUSA member schools. Tulane would be foolish to give this opportunity away. How can Tulane increase donations for athletics? I think that aggressively asking for donations is the key. Tulane has thousands upon thousands of wealthy alumni. If all alums were aware of this issue, I am certain that, upon request, more alums would be willing to give large donations to the athletic endowment so that it could become self-sufficient. Evaluation and its Impact One thing is certain. To improve attendance and increase donations to Tulane athletics, the administration needs to stop "evaluating" the athletic department every 5 years and start firmly and unequivocally supporting it. Evaluating Tulane's commitment to Division 1A Athletics is, in my opinion, absurd. This evaluation makes it more difficult to recruit and makes the students and alumni doubt the leadership of the administration. Additionally, the media gets confused by the signals being sent as if something is wrong, either financially or otherwise, with Tulane's athletic program when in fact, it is no different than similarly situated schools. Finally, loyal alumni and fans who have supported Tulane athletics become fed up with those in charge. I personally feel betrayed that Tulane would even consider making drastic changes without properly informing the TAF donors and letting us have a vote on the issue. Authority of Board Another issue of tremendous concern to me is how the current board has been granted the power to be the arbiters of such a fundamental change at Tulane. They are serving temporary terms which will expire and some are not Tulane alums. Additionally, the administration and faculty are all here on a temporary basis. Neither the board, administration nor the faculty should be able to have their short-term, financial concerns supercede the long-term interests of the alumni, fans and students, when we represent the permanent Tulane community. We should have the loudest voice on this matter. Obviously, you have received hundreds of protest letters to this evaluation by now and upset large and small donors as well as current students and student-athletes. Isn't this type of feedback enough to tell you that Division 1A status is sacred and should not be touched? Disturbing Tulane's 100 year plus history at the Division 1A level should not even be considered. I do not believe that the committee, the board or you should have the authority to make this decision, especially without our input and approval. * * * * * * In conclusion, at this time, I fully support Tulane athletics. I will continue to come to Tulane sporting events, attend local alumni athletic functions and contribute to the TAF annually. In fact, when I recently learned about this evaluation, I doubled my TAF donation and purchased football season tickets (despite living in Atlanta). However, if the Tulane athletics program or the sacred cow of football is dropped from Division 1A to a lower division, I do not envision myself continuing to support Tulane University (athletics or otherwise) in the future. ***** Okay, so Tulane has money for an Office of Multicultural Affairs to represent the interests of "Pacific Islanders" and other groups of sutdents. And it has money to offer courses such as "Feminist Theories," but it can't afford a quality athletics program? And that is just scratching the surface of some questionable programs. What is going on here? Talk about misplaced priorities. This president talks so much about "Diversity." What about athletes. Don't they provide diversity? It's time to call for some resignations! ***** Dr. Cowen et al: After reading this week's Times-Picayune article and opinion column, the strategy is quite simple: escalate our commitment to Div. 1A athletics. Simply doing the opposite of John Deshazier's advice is sound administration. He is truly an idiot across all subjects. Most people have no knowledge of the dreadful errors made in the past regarding athletics, the alienation it caused, and the apathy that had been instilled in the student body. We are just now back to point where success is a fruit of skillful labor, and more time and extra effort is needed needed to get us where we can potentially be. As a double alum, I can tell you that interest has among my peers and former classmates has made a remarkable birth in recent years, and it's mainly because of football. Do not withraw our university community from a great competition. Instead, let's compete and be champions on the highest level with our peer institutions!!!!!! The inequity created by the BCS cartel will be solved for Tulane one way or another in the next few years. We should be actively campaigning for inclusion either through our present conference or another. So, have faith that best of times are ahead us for growth in our fanbase and quality in our athletics department. Tell us how many tickets we need to buy for a season ticket base. Tell us how much money is needed in a perpetual athletics endowment to make this thing work. Study the costs of building an on campus 50,000 seat stadium attached to the Reily center. Field a band for crying out loud! There is so much more that could be done that would create awareness and atmosphere and attract expoentially more people to events. Football, baseball, and basketball all will have had winning seasons this year. The future is bright and it's not because of luck. ***** If Tulane athletics are downgraded to division 3 the resulting loss of the football team and the reputation of the school. This move would make me seriously rethink my tenure at Tulane University and strongly consider a transfer to another school. This move would seriously hurt the admissions office for Tulane University and destroy a piece of Tulane tradition. On the case of it impeding the academic goals of the university any idea of this is absolutely false. The entering SAT score and GPA for the University of Texas, a major division 1 school, were both higher than that of Tulane University and Northwestern a school of higher academic prestige than Tulane has maintained a successful Division 1 sports program while improving its academic tradition. Such a move by Tulane would be irresponsible to the students as well as the university itself. ***** I am currently a first-year student in Tulane College. The recent news about the Tulane athletics program has deeply concerned me. Part of the reason why I chose Tulane over the likes of Emory, Wash U and others, was because of the Division 1 sports program that we have here. Since I've been here, the football, basketball and baseball games have been an integral part of my college experience. I'm worried that lowering ourselves to Division I-AA or !! or whatever, will lower the overall desire of prospective students to come here. I personally know kids who saw Tulane beat Hawaii in football on Christmas, and decided at that moment that they wanted to come to New Orleans. There is Hawaii bowl in Division III and your team is very lucky if they make it to the championship game so that ESPN Plus will show their game. There is a well-documented problem at Tulane, about getting students to come here. Whether it's the academics, the location or the cost, there are students who don't think seriously about coming here. It is all about getting kids in the door, and then they're going to love this school, but we have to get them in the door first. An excellent division 1 athletics program can be the difference which gets kids to stop thinking about the big state universities, so that they will come to Tulane. If we lower our standards, not only will prospective students not come, but current students may leave, or more importantly, not donate as much money to the university as they would have previously. Excellent academics obviously brings great fame to your school, but, an excellent athletics program puts a face on that academic institution. Outstanding academics and athletics can co-exist in a university and they must at Tulane. I urge those making the decision to ask for feedback from the students, because if the students are not happy with the end result, that will lead to great problems for this university. Obviously, the students care because everyone is talking about this situation and the Hullabaloo put it on the better portion of the front page. This feedback system is a good way to see what the diehards think, but a referendum from the students would give better credence to their actual beliefs. Please think long and hard before making any extreme decisions. I can't remember the last time I heard of a school moving down in class ranking. It always seems that everyone wants to move up to division 1 for the scholarships and prestige. I urge you to include students on this decision, because we are ones who it will affect the most. Thanks for hearing what I think. ***** AS A SEASON TICKET HOLDER AND A MEMBER OF TAF,I strongly urge the continuation and additional emphasis on Division 1A athletics. |