Questions and Comments We've Received

May 5, 2003

I'd like to voice my support to keep Tulane as a Div 1 school for athletics. I am an alumni with many family members and extended family as strong supporters for the athletic programs. I think it's important that we remain at this level of athletic competition and stay as a high profile name in the national media. Thank you.

*****

To the Board:

The abdication of Tulane's Division I athletic status would be catastrophic. Tulane's athletic history is littered with monstrously bad and irreversible administrative decisions which have lead to the present thoughts of extermination of the program. Had your predecessors not blinked in the face of prior challenges, and Tulane was battling for the SEC West championships on Willow Street, I hardly think that the current Board would be considering subjecting the University to the national humiliation that quitting and self- destruction would bring.

Moves to deemphasize athletic programs are usually the product of insecurity about academic quality. Not caring about trivialities such as sports, the logic goes, sends a message that the school has a deep academic commitment.The notion that successful sports schools cannot be good academically is akin to the belief the really pretty girls are always stupid. A national announcement that Tulane cannot walk and chew gum at the same time will hardly enhance Tulane's reputation.

Of course, the Board knows this, and has not convinced me that it has any intention of carrying out the current threat. Creating talk of shutting down athletics while at the same time allowing the atheletic director to use this sorry state of affairs as the basis for a ticket sales and fund raising drive is simply shameful.

*****

This is a difficult issue without knowing the financial details. I follow Tulane sports closely, mostly through the web. My principle interest in Tulane is its academic reputation, and if this can be improved by changes to the Athletic Department then I favor the change. Whatever the decision, I think the members of the Athletic Dept (admin, players, coaches) have done excellent work.

It seems that alumni giving/school endowments are more correlated to SATs than athletic success. This may be due to donor's viewing the schools academic reputation as having a part in the individual's personal success. I think Tulane is very close to its objective of being in the top 25 schools in the nation. It seems that the emphasis on sports has distracted from achieving that objective.

*****

I was shocked to learn that Tulane University is considering dropping from Division 1-A athletic status to a lower division. I am providing the following response to President Cowen's message, "The Role of Intercollegiate Athletics at Tulane University", April 21, 2003, to encourage the Tulane Board of Trustees and Administration to maintain Division 1-A status for the benefit of Tulane's students and the University's future.

My first memory of Tulane University is watching a Green Wave vs. Army football game during a field trip to West Point as a 5th-grader in a small town in New York State. Now at 56 years old, this remains a vivid memory to me and is just one example of how a high quality athletics program can increase the visibility of an academic institution far and wide. This memory surfaced recently when discussing with my daughter universities that she might attend. She is an example of how important Division I athletics are to many students, to Tulane and other academic institutions. My daughter's high level of academic abilities gave her many choices of top schools to choose from. She chose Tulane because of the combination of academics, the opportunity to take competitive swimming to the level of NCAA Division I competition, and to enjoy participating as a fan of Tulane's other quality Division I-A athletic teams. While she qualified for academic scholarship at Tulane, it is the combination of academic and athletic scholarships that makes attending the College of her choice financially possible and she will repay this debt with her contributions to Coach Irle's Goal of winning a Conference USA Swimming Championship. With our daughter's enthusiasm for Green Wave Athletics, the family has, naturally, become fans of all Green Wave Sports. We are new members of Tulane Athletic Fund, and hope to attend Green Wave athletic events in the future. As new Green Wave fans, we anxiously awaited the 2002 Hawaii bowl. Anyone who watched this football game knows why many people say this bowl game, while not one of the top ranked bowls, was one of the best they watched ------ another example of the positive visibility Division I athletics provides to an academic institution. We look forward to more national recognition now as Tulane competes in televised NCAA Division I swimming competition, in addition to its other quality Division I athletic programs.

As a professor at a large academic institution, I am painfully aware of budget difficulties, especially during times, such as recent years, of a temporarily depressed national economy. As a lover of sports, I also recognize the valuable role that athletics has played throughout history as a partner to academic learning. The combination of athletics and academics make up the overall college experience not only for student athletes but for all students. NCAA Division I athletics at academically elite institutions provides those students who are both academically and athletically blessed the opportunity to raise both their academic and athletic abilities to the highest attainable levels. Division I athletics provide the entire student body with the opportunity to support their student athlete peers through fan related activities and the pride that is associated with athletic competition.

Our family urges the Tulane trustees and administrators to find methods of meeting budgetary requirements that will allow Tulane to remain NCAA Division I-A and thereby not compromise the important role of athletics to the overall college experience of present and future Tulane students.

*****

I am writing as a concerned Newcomb alumna over the possibility of moving some sports to Division III. I am firmly against such a move.

It is inconceivable that the administration is considering dropping our of Division 1A despite our resurgance. Just down the road at SLU we find a campus who would trade everything for a little bit of our sunshine as they look to rebuild their athletic programs. They are now spending a fortune to bring their athletic program back from the dead. SLU made the critical mistake of downgrading their athletic program and what did they discover: a disappearance of campus pride, vanishing alumni support, and non-existant name recognition outside of Tangipahoa parish. Instead of doing the experiment ourselves - why not save ourselves the anguish and just look over to our neighbor and learn from their mistake?

Tulane does not enjoy the same caliber of reputation of prominent ivy league schools that will allow it to just coast by without a strong athletic presence to attract key students and alumni support. By dropping out of Division 1A, Tulane would miss out on outstanding individuals who are our BIGGEST SHOWPIECES - Patrick Ramsey, Shaun King, Seth Marler and other outstanding Tulane athletes who are featured in the national media and always mentioned as Tulane alumni. Why would we want to throw that all away?

Let's get to the job of fully supporting the athletic department to self-sufficiency. We have been given some wonderful opportunities to build upon - opportunities that other schools are drooling for - so let's move forward not backward.

*****

How can this even still be an issue? The people have spoken both in terms of buying tickets, donating money, and also vocally on this forum. Please realize what the majority wants and don't embarass the name of Tulane University by dropping down to Division 3.

*****

Athletics and Academics are not two different items. A major university, which Tulane is, cannot survive without one of these. A well rounded student consists of many elements, one them being athletics. Schools that have Division III athletics are not MAJOR universities. Even Harvard and Yale compete in Division One.

Dropping athletics to Division III would be a grave mistake that would endanger the reputation of the school as a whole, not make it better as some are mislead to believe.

*****

Rick,

I just opened your email re the special committee. We met at the northshore event at Suzy Neal's house a few weeks ago. I came away very proud of the quality of the coaching staff and the direction of the program. Your "one brick at a time" analogy is on target. While I am recovering from the financial setbacks of a career change, I stand behind my statements that I volunteered to you that evening. I volunteer my sweat equity to help the program. While wealthier programs combat drug, felony, and other issues, Tulane produces quality and well educated individuals. I know of no program that does more with less!! Keep up the great work!!

*****

I support keeping Tulane in Div !a. Sports is about the only way alumni have of staying in touch as the years pass and it gives us something to talk about at alumni meetings. Wtih the exception of cancelling games with Clemson and Georgia, atheletics also gets Tulane good press coverage here in South Carolina. The NYT article about how Tulane would have been tops in the post-season bowls if academics and graduation rate were considered was priceless. In fact, if it weren't for sports, Tulane would never be in the news here. If Stanford, Vanderbilt, and Boston College can do it, Tulane can do it. Don't quit now. -

*****

I firmly believe that Tulane must remain a Division 1A institution. In my opinion, the benefit of having Division 1 programs far outweighs any budget related problems that the athletic department faces.

The face of the university would change for the worse if the decision is made to drop down to Division III. I do not believe that Tulane is a strong enough name in national academic circles to survive as a major academic institution without Division 1 athletics.

The school has a national alumni base. I have been told by classmates who do not live in New Orleans or Louisiana that the only contact they have with Tulane comes from following the athletic teams. Those contacts will be lost if the university drops out of Division 1. Those contacts will not be reestablished if Tulane does not have athletics.

I do not think that Tulane will ever be a major athletic force competing year after year for national championships. That is not to say that the athletic department is not worth it or that the Tulane cannot achieve success.

The last several years proves that Tulane can have success and that the fans will actively follow several sports. Now more than ever, Tulane must support the athletic department and ensure continued success. The fan base did not disappear overnight and it will not re-appear overnight either.

I urge the board to consider carefully the decision to drop down to Division III. The short term financial implications may look good on paper but may prove devastating in the long term.

Tulane athletics provides a national face for the university and a source of pride for the alumni. It is worth keeping.

*****

Although you do not know me, an alumni friend, passed me your name concerning a donation to the Tulane Athletic Fund. A little bit about me and why someone living in Indiana and never attending Tulane University would be interested. I am retired from the U.S. Navy and my friend and I were stationed together in New Orleans for 3 years (96-99). He is the one who got me interested in Tulane athletics. I worked with the Athletic Director to have a football personally signed by Shaun King given to my friend for his retirement from the Navy. I attended numerous football, basketball and baseball games while I lived there and even worked security at the Super Dome on the field for their games too. I currently live right across the river from Louisville, KY so the rival of Conference USA is still there. Bruce has emphasized the lower turnout of donations for the athletic department and although I don't have thousands of dollars to donate, I would like to make a donation to a great sports program. Bruce sent me the website to do it online, but he said to contact you first. Let me know what area you want my donation to go to and any other information. I suspect it's the TAF, but let me know.

*****

Mr. Rick Dickson and others I have been rasied a Tulane fan and will die a Tulane fan. My father and I had went to the Tulane ,Navy game and we took the time to make a jambalya, we did not charge no one we enjoyed the time we had there. I met you twice once there and the other time was when we played Cin. in the dome on Coach Sclefos birthday. I really miss the parade between the winners of the L.S.U. and TULANE in Garyville, that was a big event. We need more stuff like that. I would hate to see the change if we drop in Division, I think no one would want to come to Tulane anymore, and i think coach Jones would leave. We are a recongnized team in the nation, and I hope we can stay like that.

Thank You (TULANE FAN 4- LIFE)

*****

As a recent graduate of Tulane University I am deeply upset by the discussion of moving Tulane from NCAA Division I status. I am currently enrolled in graduate school at Baylor University, a similar private school that does not have great athletic programs, but receives great financial benefits from remaining a D-I school in the Big 12 conference. I was a student trainer at Tulane, and would not have been able to attend Tulane and receive a first class education without the financial aid provided to me by the athletic department. When I was a senior in high school my decision on colleges came down to two schools: Tulane and Southwestern University in TX. The main reason that I chose to attend Tulane was because it was a great school with a D-I athletics program, unlike Southwestern, a great school with a D-III athletic program. There are no doubt countless student-athletes who would not be able to attend Tulane and earn a Tulane degree without a D-I athletic program. I feel that much of my success academically can be traced to Tulane having a strong D-I athletic program, a great draw for students deciding on where to attend college. It would be a huge mistake to lower out athletic department's status: one that would hurt the University as a whole and the entire New Orleans community. Roll Wave!!

*****

I hope that you are just doing this as a marketing scheme to get more fans to come to some games and that would be the first good marketing Tulan has done for its sports programs. Moving Tulane out of D-1 would be an outrage. Our program is top-notch, just look at our records in Baseball, Football, Volleyball, Womens Basketball, etc. In adddition, having D-1 sports is the ONLY thing that will really hold Tulane alumni ties together strongly. I want to come back to Tulane in 10, 15, 20, 25 years from now and be able to see D-1 action. Once I graduate, I want to be able to look at box scores each and every day on the Tulane website. Do not make a big mistake by doing this! After all, if Tulane was not D-1, I would not have come to school here. Therefore, keep Tulane sports as D-1, JUST LEARN HOW TO MARKET YOUR SPORTS...I am a student who is going to be a Senior next year and easily feel like I can market sports better than Tulane does. d KEEP D-1!!!!!!!!

*****

I am a student at the Medical School and a former athlete as an undergrad. I wish to let you know that I fully support Tulane as a Division 1 school, and found at Yale that not many schools have both athletics and academics as top priorities. I have found that here also, and have enjoyed being a part of a University that takes pride in both areas. To take one or the other away will not help the other become more important, more likely just make it an unknown school. Name recognition is important in other parts of the country, as in my state of Iowa, I would have never heard or come to Tulane had it not been a D-1 school. I don't base the decision on athletics, but without national recognition as a D-1 school, it wouldnt be on the radar. Thanks for your time,

*****

Dear committee:

When I was growing up in N.O., my parents were Tulane fans. They always felt that they wanted to support the "home town team." I, too, have always been a Tulane fan.

My husband and I attended Tulane football games when we were students at Loyola and while he attended Tulane law school.

After we married, we bought football season tickets and kept them until we had to move out of town. For the 15 years that we lived away, we continued to follow Tulane, make donations, and attend games whenever we could.

When we moved back to N.O. in 1997, we got season tickets for football again. In 1998, we joined a booster club. There, we heard coaches of the other sports talk about their programs. We worked a women's basketball tournament and loved it! Soon, we had season tickets to women's basketball, volleyball, and baseball as well as football. We also have attended soccer, men's basketball, and tennis. We are looking forward to watching the swimming and diving team.

Whenever a coach talks to our booster club, he or she stresses how well their kids are doing in school. Unlike many universities, we know that the professors at Tulane are not giving the student atheletes an easy ride in the classroom. Tulane's atheletes are the best example in the country of what college atheletics should be.

I think it would be a great disservice to those students, the fans who support them, the city of N.O., and the university itself to reduce Tulane's participation from the highest level of college atheletics.

I believe that the university benefits from the atheletics programs. Look how much recognition the school got on Christmas Day when the only football game on TV was the Hawaii Bowl and Tulane, the underdog, won the game! Coach Rick Jones told our booster club that as he walked through the Atlanta airport that night, every TV was tuned to the Tulane game. That has to be valuable advertising for the whole university.

I realize that attendance at events, especially football, is low. I believe the Saints and now the Hornets have had some effect, as well as the continued erosion of the N.O. economy. However, we could be supporting the Museum of Art, the LA Symphony, or PBS, but we have chosen to support Tulane with our limited resources, because we believe that Tulane atheletics is doing the right thing.

These unsettled times are not the right time to consider making such a drastic change. Surely you realize that for several years now we have been attracting top coaches and atheletes. And since Rick Dickson has arrived, we have also begun to assemble a premier atheletic administration. Please give them a chance to do for us what they have done elsewhere. If you make this drastic change, it will dismantle all that has been accomplished. The coaches and players will leave. Then in a year or two, when you realize what a mistake you have made, Tulane will have to start from scratch all over again.

Please keep our Tulane Atheletics in Division I. We will give what we can, and encourage others to, also. We intend to purchase 2 Ultimate Fan Packs this year for season tickets to football, volleyball, soccer, men's basketball, women's basketball, and baseball. Please give us something to cheer for! ROLL WAVE!!!

*****

Moving to Division 3 to compete against our peer academic institutions is a great idea. Tulane should stick to its academic mission set out by Paul Tulane.

Tulane should not give out any Athletic scholarships.

*****

Dear Tulane Board Members,

I attended Tulane University in the late '60's and early '70's and graduated from the School of Engineering in 1971. I was a National Merit finalist and ranked in the top 10% of my high school class, yet Tulane athletes of the 1960's like Tommy Mason, Bobby Duhon and Jim Kerwin had more to do with my decision to go to Tulane than did the university's excellent academic reputation.

I grew up in New Orleans, the son of a die-hard Tulane fan. My father was orphaned when he was seven. He and his five brothers and sisters were raised by a maiden aunt with a grade school education, working at a menial job. Welcome to the Irish Channel during the Great Depression. My father turned 18 on October 31, 1941. In December of that year came the day that would "live in infamy." My father spent the war years in the Navy. When he returned to civilian life, he got a full-time job, married, and became a father, all in short order. He also enrolled in University College, Tulane University, night school, using the education benefits of the GI Bill. His grades were barely adequate. The strain of working a full-time job and having a newborn baby keeping him awake half the night left little time for study. He gave up his college career after two semesters. Yet he never gave up his attachment to the university. That attachment manifested itself primarily by devotion to the Tulane athletic teams.

My brother and I were imbued with his spirit. By the time I entered high school, my goal was to go to Tulane. I worked diligently throughout my high school years to make sure that my grades were good enough to get in. I applied to Tulane under the early admissions program in the fall of my senior year in high school, and I was accepted. I never applied anywhere else.

I will be the first to argue that what goes on in the math department and the English department is more important than what takes place on the athletic field. Yet what takes place on the athletic field is more accessible to the community at large than what occurs in the academic arena. In many cases, the athletic teams provide the only interaction between the university and members of the surrounding community. Athletics is the billboard which calls attention to the university and all the positive impacts it has on the larger community. I can also attest from personal experience that the attachments one makes in his youth to the school's athletic teams are real, long lasting, and beneficial to the whole university. Had Tulane not had athletics when I was growing up, I would have gone to college somewhere else.

Athletics also provide other intangible benefits to the university. The student athletes at Tulane represent an economically, culturally and ethnically diverse mix. If these students are properly integrated into the university community, everyone's perspective is broadened. I personally believe that people of diverse backgrounds have much to teach each another. College isn't just about math and English. It is about learning that we are alike in more ways than we are different.

Tulane has long been an example of how to emphasize the "student" in student-athlete. Graduation rates among Tulane athletes are consistently among the highest in the nation. While some schools use and discard their athletes with no thought toward graduation, especially among African American male athletes, Tulane's African American male athletes graduate on a par with the student population at large, achieve academic honors and become articulate spokesmen for the quality of a Tulane education. It would be a shame if Tulane voluntarily relinquished its role in demonstrating how high academic standards and athletic success can exist in harmony.

Of course, I do not have access to the financial data and cannot comment on the task before the board to find a way for the university and the athletic department to live within a reasonable budget. Being an eternal optimist, I am hopeful that Tulane will find a way to successfully continue its more than one hundred year tradition of academics and athletics.

*****

I am double graduate of Tulane University - BBA in 1965 and JD in 1968. I have supported Tulane financially since I graduated through today. Should Tulane review the status of all departments every 5 years? Absolutely! Should Tulane review the possibility of dropping out of Division 1-A publicly? Absolutely not. We should be determining what is needed to keep is in Division 1-A. We should be determining what is needed from the Athletics Department and supportive Tulane Alums over the next five years and into the future to keep us in Division 1-A. This has been handled poorly and I am embarrassed by the way Tulane has done this "investigation". I give to Tulane Athletics well beyond my financial capabilities but I do so because it is my opinion that not only can we compete in Division 1-A we can win championships - yes even on the national level. We can do so and be a model for a scholar athlete University - even more so than Stanford. Do we need to bring in more money - yes - but we need to do a much better job of marketing and promoting our products. Rick Dickson and the coaching staffs have done superb work but Tulane Athletics must be treated better by the University than it has, President Cowen's face painting aside. It seems to me Tulane Athletics are treated liked second class citizens by two very important groups - the media in New Orleans and unfortunately by Tulane University. Shame on Tulane! Please keep Tulane in Division 1-A with a commitment to make us the absolute best!

One other embarrassing note about my university. The stepdaughter of a friend of mine who is a Tulane Graduate and a very active alum in Kansas City, applied to and was accepted by Tulane. She was also accepted by at least 4 other major universities - Texas, Kansas and Miami University (Ohio). Once accepted she was dropped like a hot potato by Tulane while all of the other Universities continued to woo and pursue her. Her stepfather called the admissions office 5 times to discuss the situation and was never able to get through and never had a single call returned. She is now going to attend another university. Shame on Tulane!

*****

I graduated from Newcomb College in 1995, cannot speak highly enough of my experiences in New Orleans. If Tulane University had not been a Division I school, I most definitely would never have applied. Even though I did not play sports at the collegiate level, being part of an organization enhanced by the pride and unity an emphasis on competitive sports establishes was central to my decision to attend Tulane. I hope that Division I Athletics remains a priority of Tulane.

*****

Hi,I understand you want some opinions,.I am a football season ticket holder for maybe 25 years[not consececutive] I know I could get football tickets cheaper should I wait till game day but I want to do my small part to help your program.I am not a even close to being wealthy or I would donate some extra money.I attend many tulane baseball games and mens and womens basketball also.I beleive I am one of the types of fans you need to atract.

I have an issue that maybe has been addressed?I was at the homecomming game and it was great to play outdoors.I hear you are planning to do this twice this year.Good move I feal.What I beleive you are not doing though is atracting your own students who will one day be your new alumnie.I say new because it seems you pay special attention to the old fundraisers and don't do things for the young people.How many students and young people would have come to the homecoming game had you included in the ticket price a concert with some young hip band instead of a country western impersination band?Maybe spend 10 grand on a really hot band,get your students to come[they would]and at the same time maybe 2000 more young people would come to that game.Once they have a good time,many would come back.Now,I beleive you cant do this just once.Keep it up and build your fan base.

Another issue comes to mind.Sure the baseball team is doing great,you may expand,etc.But why do people stop doing the things that help get them where they got?You need to keep doing some special things at turchin.I remember the coolest thing you guys used to do and stopped years ago.Put a scaffle up in the outfeild with a soffa on it.One fan and a guest get the seat with some food and drinks.Have the drawing at fridays game for the seat on saturday.

This is a 46 year old mans coment about how to market your program.The institutions,weather it be tulane or lsu or allways asking for more,Well,why not throw us a bone,not just every now and then though.

*****

Tulane should stay in Division I because it is successful in all sports except football. If the problem is lack of money, then drop football. It costs the most and is not a winner. The football players also decrease the graduation rate.

If the testosterone-laden board members can't bear to do this, then drop down a division in football only. Or rejoin the SEC. The football team will remain a loser, but Tulane will receive enough funds to stay Division I.

Tulane has an outstanding business program. Use good business principles when making this decision, not emotions. In business, one jettisons the losers, not the winners.

Also, when is Tulane going to do some first class marketing of its athletic program? There are many things that could be done to increase attendance such as having local private schools teams play games at Tulane before Tulane's games. Get junior cheerleaders from local private schools. Get local private schools to "adopt" Tulane players. Get the players into the schools by offering them as guest speakers in geography classes to describe their state or country. Offer them as guest speakers to talk about why they chose Tulane, what a student-athlete's life is like. Tulane athletes may not be able to go the high schools, but they could go to elementary schools.

Sponsor kids' contests in all sports and showcase the finals before Tulane games. Have Tulane "junior players(boy and girl)" for each game. Require them to to be honor roll athletes. Put on exhibitions at the schools.

The Zephyrs do a great job attracting fans. Copy their methods.

The key to building a fan base is to let the public meet the players. Get the kids to the games and the parents must come.

*****

It strikes me that the timing of the Board's decision to consider dropping to a Division III athletics program is at best disingenuous, and at worst perhaps highly unethical. The Board is seemingly attempting to cause conflict among its constituents for the support of athletics at Tulane. The timing I refer to is in having the Board moot the question of dropping to a Division III level program, while positing the commencement of a swimming program at the Reily Student Recreation Center.

Students, alumni, and faculty are likely to be highly critical of - and resistant to - the notion of a varsity athletics team using the Reily Center. At the same time, they are likely to be highly critical of - and resistant to - the downgrading of our athletics program. By forcing the students, alumni and faculty of Tulane to take contrary positions - both in support of and against the athletic program - at the very least the Board is guilty of poor timing. I question whether the Board has intentionally taken this stance to push through a decision it has already determined, without asking the Tulane community its opinion.

I was an undergraduate at Tulane from 1988-1992, at which Time the original controversy over the Reily Center erupted. I was well-versed in the different facets of this controversy.

In 1988, the only facility available for students to engage in sports and take physical education classes was the now-defunct Favrot Field House, which was demolished to make way for the Reily Center. At the same time, varsity athletes worked out in the Monk Simons Jr. building, as the Wilson Center was not yet complete. During 1989-90, students were charged a "Reily Student Recreation" fee on their bills, although the building was not yet open for student use. The Favrot Field House had already been removed, leaving students with no area to work out. However, they were forced to pay a fee for the usage of a building that they could not actually use. Student-athletes, of course, remained in the Monk Simons building.

This again occurred in 1990-91, much to the dismay of then-Tulane ASB president Alan Weintraub. Mr. Weintraub argued - very convincingly - that the university's actions were tantamount to "bait and switch" tactics, and that the university would seriously risk alienating future donations when current students became alums, as they would recall this episode.

Dr. Eamon M. Kelly agreed with Mr. Weintraub's conclusions, and attempted to convey his concerns to the board and faculty. It was put to vote whether seniors graduating in the year 1991 should receive a full refund for the fees that they had been paying over the past two years. This proposal was voted down. Instead, it was determined that 50% of the fees - amounting to $75 - would be redeemable in the form of a "Reily Refund Card," which would permit students and alums to use the $75 to purchase services such as locker rentals or classes at the Reily Center over the next 18 months. Since many students were graduating and leaving the New Orleans area, the refund cards were of no value to them. Indeed, as Mr. Weintraub had predicted, numerous alums graduated with mixed feelings at the administration and the university they had supported for the past four or five years.

The situation became volatile in 1992 when it was posited that varsity student athletes should have priority to use the building at certain times. It was then discovered that no students athletes had been required to pay for the Reily Center fee during the same period that ordinary students did pay it. This led to an immediate backlash, as students were furious to consider that they had paid full fees for a facility they did not have access to, while student-athletes paid no fees, and yet retained workout facilities in the Monk Simons building before the transition to the Wilson Center.

At the same time, the existing swimming facility - located in the University Center and now the site of Barnes and Noble - was being discontinued. Discussion on whether to use the Reily Center swimming facilities were hampered by an NCAA investigation into the Tulane University swimming program, which uncovered major violations and ended with the program's termination. Coming so near to the time in which men's basketball had returned to campus, following the John "Hot Rod" Williams scandal of the 1980s, it was believed that termination was better than attempting a further controversy over use of the Reily Center. Women's golf was added to make up for the dropped sport.

Students and alums, meanwhile, were outraged over the disclosure of non-payment by student-athletes. As a result, there was a threat of lawsuits and other actions against the Tulane administration. This all did blow over in time, but the will of the student body and alums was clear: the Reily Center was built for and should be used solely for students, not for varsity athletes. This has remained strongly ingrained in the minds of students even a decade after the original controversy was over.

By threatening to downgrade its athletics program, the Tulane administration is tacitly blackmailing the admittedly small Tulane fanbase, demanding increased support, or de facto abolishment of the program. The most cogent argument has been one of cost: the program simply costs too much. I reverse this argument: the history department costs simply too much, in terms of professor salaries, grants to Ph.D. candidates and undergraduate students, and in terms of the additional revenue that might be derived from the use of the Hebert building if they were evicted. It might then be counter-argued that the history department plays an integral role in helping to inculcate student values. I would counter-argue that athletics does much the same thing. The next argument against retaining the history department might be that it provides strong support for the university's mission by producing high-quality representatives of Tulane, and that the exposure given to articles, books, and publications from the department's faculty brings interest and value to the Tulane brand name. I would counter-argue that the athletics' programs appearances on national television do more to bring brand-name awareness and marketing power than any publication by any Tulane professor in any department in the last two years. If the purpose of the athletics department is to provide revenue, it may not be very successful.

If the purpose of the athletics department is to provide a boost to awareness and the Tulane brand name, it is doing a better job than the underlying faculty of the university. Yet there is no call to fire recalcitrant, non-value adding faculty, and replace them with individuals that are capable of motivating students and producing high-quality, thought-provoking research. What is more detrimental to the university in the long run - a 5-6 football season with two games on television, or the tenured faculty member who has taught one class per semester the past 10 years, and has not published a book or article in the past 8 years? I would argue it is the faculty who are not adding value to the university that is the real source of low Return on Invested Capital at the institution, and if the Board is serious about cost control, it should re-examine how it is best making use of the resources available to it.

Finally, I have no real anger at the history department - I have donated more than $5,000 to the department and feel it is doing a fine job. It is my great hope in the coming year to help sponsor a project which will bring the department even more national recognition on the lines of the "Perseus Project". I should hope that it will not be seen as not adding value because it does not have positive cash flows. The athletics department is doing its best to fulfill multiple missions for the university with perhaps amongst the least support. The Board's attempts to divide loyalty for the department by forcing the issue of Reily Center usage along with increased patronage from its alumni strikes me in the same way that the music industry is blaming its patrons for using Kazaa or Napster to download files. Attacking your constituents won't change anything except that you will have fewer constituents. Fixing the underlying problems will require more thought and determination to discover the real sources of value at the university.

*****

I have been a Tulane fan and going to Tulane football games with my father since I was seven years old. I am now thitry five,and to even think that you are discussing taking that away would be totally ridiculous. There is no reason in the world that could justify that action and for all of us FANS we ask that you leave Tulane athletics the way that it is.Thank You

*****

I am 22 years old, and have been a Tulane fan since my birth. I am named after 2 Tulane greats because I was born on the day the Vince Manali kicked a game-winning field goal against Kentucky, with the Tulane Head Football Coack being Vince Gibson. I was born on that great day, November 1, 1980. My Dad went to the game that day, after my birth, and left my Mom in the Hospital with me in her arms. After the game was over, my Dad barged into the Hospital room screaming that my name was going to be Vincent!

Ever since that day, I have been an avid Tulane Green Wave fan in Football, in which I have season tickets, Baseball, in which we go to as many home games as possible, and Basketball, in which we attend 4 to 5 games a year.

My Dad and myself are Greenbackers, and are devoted Tulane Athletic Fans. Please keep Tulane Athletics an important part in my life, and the future of my family, and kids.

*****

Mr. Dickson,

Thank you for posting your letter and creating clarity regarding this important university topic.

I truly hope that Tulane decides in favor of keeping its successful athletic program at the Division I level. As an individual with a professional background in financial management, I do understand that operating Tulane's athletic department and fielding competitive Division I teams can be a challenge for smaller private institutions. State universities and well-endowed private schools (i.e. Stanford, Notre Dame) will continue to have advantages.

In terms of cultivating the student-athlete, however, Tulane University has done a stellar job. We are doing this right and better than a majority of other Division I programs. As you mentioned, our graduation rates are among the best in Division I and our competitiveness within Conference USA is noteworthy and growing. Moreover, the success of Tulane athletic teams and individuals functions as its most powerful marketing tool. For example, the size of our applicant pool hit an all-time high after the the 12-0 football season in the late '90s. Good news or bad news, college athletics creates medium of exposure that cannot be surpassed. Let's not squander the positive exposure Tulane has spend years developing.

As a relatively recent graduate of Tulane, I have already seen improvements made by your athletic administration over the past few years (i.e. improved facilities, quality of coaching staff). Let's not kill the momentum of this growing success. Hopefully, more alumni will step up and provide additional financial support so that your administration can continue Tulane's proud tradition. Additionally, let's use similar-sized institutions as models. How has Gonzaga or Marquette created success in its basketball program? Syracuse in football? Rice in baseball? We can have the same type of success.

Tulane is nationally recognized in the classroom. Let's keep it nationally recognized on the playing field ... Division I is the answer.

*****

To the Board:

Finally, Tulane athletics is hitting a stride on the football field, the basketball team is more competitive each year, the baseball team continues to be one of the top programs in the nation and on and on, but once again, in typical TU form, we shoot ourselves in the foot...again...but this time, with a really big bullet.

Tulane University is a model academic/athletic institution that could become AGAIN the envy of every Division 1A school. Unfortunately, recruiting could have been dealt a major blow by this issue. I am certainly not an insider nor do I pretend to have the answers for fiscal shortfalls, but New Orleans is a city that will support the Wave once again. One of the things that is essential is to make TU a New Orleans school once again. Why not make the price of admission into the university for Louisianians much less expensive? More local and State alums make for more fans in the seats. With all due respect, young men and women that come from the North to get a degree from TU will not be those who will be supporting your athletics programs. They will be back home in NY or PA, etc.

We have a great AD that is turning things around and will continue to do so. Quite possibly, Chris Scelfo, after a rocky couple of years, may prove to be the man that will win AND stay. Do not mess this up with short sighted accounting concerns. There are answers and all concerned should do all they can to retain 1-A status. The same goes for Coaches Finney and Jones.

My family and I have been multiple season ticket holders since before I was born. You think attendance is bad at football games now, there is no way that I would continue season tickets if we go to AAA.

Also, please, after you decide to NOT reduce TU's status from 1-A, get out of the Superdome. I know Gormley may not be the final answer, but the Superdome is HORRIBLE! At least at Gormley there is a college atmosphere. The Dome is DEAD. Is there any way to build with the cooperation of the city (or some private entity) a 35K seat stadium overlooking the river at the Butterfly? May sound crazy in a time when money is the issue, but if there is anyone on the Board with any vision of what TU football and athletics could be, this would be seen as a wise investment. Students could walk, easily shuttle, ride their bikes, parade, whatever. Real tailgating could happen and a college atmosphere would once again find its way into the Saturday afternoons of New Orleans TU and sports fans.

I have more to say but will close by asking you respectfully to totally remove any and all consideration of lowering any of the TU athletic program to lower than Div 1-A.

*****

While athletics is not the primary issue of why student's attend tulane or the mission of Tulane, it has a positive impact in attracting top students and focuses on Tulane University during the season. Whether Tulane wins or loses does not impact the general student population. However the alumni net-working and student functions that sports events attract would not happen to the degree that they do if Tulane was playing at a lower level. The national reporting of scores and sporting events are only awarded to Division i schools. Would Tulane want a smaller pool of applicants?

Most students choose Tulane (or any other school)for a number of reasons other than athletics. Tulane is an internationally known school with many distinguished alumni. If academic competition would attract better students than we should focus on having the best algebra club. But division i athletics in union with the school year give an institute 9 months to promote itself with the news the sports teams generate. Compare the applicant pools from Tulane's 98 undefeated football team and the CWS baseball team with the applicant pool of a division ii or division iii school. Louisiana College returned to College Football after 26 years because of the lost attention the school had received in the fall months. If Tulane is to be a top academic school(division I of private schools) it must field a team of the same caliber.

I was at the 73 Tu/lsu (14-0)game/I'll always remember Doug Bynum up the middle and the catch of Darwin Willie

*****

Dear Mr. Cowen,

I earned an undergraduate degree at the AB Freeman School of Business in 1993. Since then, I have visited New Orleans periodically and kept in touch with old friends. Tulane's participation in Division I football and basketball keep me interested and engaged in my alma mater's affairs. Throughout the year I avidly watch from afar. The memories of attending two NCAA basketball tournaments during my undergraduate years and attending 5 football games in the years since including the Liberty Bowl game a few years back forever keep Tulane in my mind. I eagerly await the recruiting process as it gives me and many of my friends throughout the U.S. an excuse to catch up with each other and reminisce.

Although I did not choose to attend Tulane because of Division I athletics it was a factor between my 2 finalists, Emory & Tulane. I hope that you and the Tulane community realize that Tulane Athletics are important to the Alumni, give us pride, and keep us engaged and interested from afar.

*****

I am a freshman at Tulane in strong support of keeping D1 athletics, and today I realized one of the problems with Tulane's student attendance, especially for the baseball team.

No one has any idea there are games going on

The only reason I realized we had a baseball game today was because I was working university service in Diboll Parking Complex, and I saw a temporary sign up that said "baseball parking." It was the first I heard of a game. I wouldn't have had any clue about it unless I went out of my way to find out. I went into the game, and sure enough, it seemed that no other student had a clue about it either, as they were not there.

Please, before you give up on D-1 sports, realize that nothing has been done to increase student support. Pass out fliers, put up banners at the U.C and the dorms, do something so people who don't think to go out of their way to look up when Tulane has games can know when and where the games are, and that they are free.

Apathy is not the biggest problem; student awareness is. Apathy would be difficult to overcome, but informing the students on upcoming athletic events is not. Please keep this in mind before writing off Tulane D1 sports as a something which cannot be saved.

*****

Is it possible to join the SEC again?...surely that would help...I see where Miami (a school of similar status in some ways) is joining the ACC? Just curious...though it may be a long shot

*****

I'm a Tulane alum and I would like to express my concern with Tulane's consideration to move its athletic program to Division III. It has been my experienced after working in California for that past three years that Tulane's Athletic Program is an integral part of Tulane's awareness outside of Louisiana. I feel downgrading to Division III would adversely affect our reputation. Sports may not be why we're an excellent university, but it keeps us well-rounded and recognizable.

*****

all we are saying is give sports a chance!

*****

I am Tulane School of Engineering graduate (BSME 1980) and feel strongly that Tulane's athletic program needs to stay in NCAA Division I. I believe we have a model program that is competitive, graduates a high percentage of student-athletes and plays by the rules. I believe that solely allowing economics to drive the downgrading of Tulane Athletics, when everything else going on is so positive, sends the wrong message about our values.

I am extremely proud of Tulane's athletic heritage. I believe that competing at Division I provides national and international exposure for our university that greatly aids in attracting the broad cross-section of students we need to continue having a talented and diverse student body.

Thanks you for the opportunity to express my strong feelings on this issue.

*****

Dear Sirs

When I was making a decision on colleges back in 1980, I looked at Rice, Emory and Tulane. I choose Tulane first for the academics and then for the college "experience." Part of that experience was going to the games in the Super Dome and watching Vegas Vince beat LSU. When they only do it once a decade it is a memory. I recently lost a dinner bet to one of my partners during Tulane's loss to Stanford in the college world series two years ago. Being in California I don't get much exposure but being Division I allowed me to watch them on ESPN in football and basketball. I almost drove to Fullerton for the recent Tournament, especially since my wife went to UCLA. My point, it provides national exposure for potential new greenies as well as allowing me to cheer my alma mater on.

MY expectations for the athletic teams are to be competitive and continue the excellent graduation rate you have obtained. Thanks for listening.

*****

I have been a fan of Tulane sports all of my life. I was not fortunate enough to be able to attend Tulane but have dreams of my kids being able to attend. I am not a season ticket holder but I do attend all of the games that I can when I am not working. I come from the old school Tulane when the wheelbarrow parade in Garyville was a big deal. I do not want to see Tulane leave division I and I would like to see Tulane keep playing teams such as Texas and Mississippi State and such. We are winning now and the fans and support will come. It takes time and I believe that Tulane is headed in the right direction. The stands will once again have the people that were there when my dad took the family to the games when I was a little boy. I am proud to be a Tulane fan and I want us to be part of the elite in athletics. I am one who believes that it is coming and if we keep on winning the fans will come. DO NOT GET OUT OF DIVISION I. Leaving division I will be like the death penalty to our athletics program.

*****

Dear President

You need to come out and say that Tulane University will not be moving away from division 1-A. The longer you wait on this issue, the harder it gets to recruit the better athletes that Tulane has been recruiting and getting to come to Tulane.

I am a season ticket holder for baseball and have been going to Tulane baseball games since 1973. I also attend some games away from Tulane every year. Which I take a betting from abusive fans when I attend LSU games in Baton Rouge. I been to out of state regionals and had to go to other schools to get regional tickets so I could go to the games.

I do attend football and basketball games but not as a season ticket holder.

*****

As a devoted alum of Tulane (A&S 71), I am deeply troubled by talk of dropping Division 1 athletics. I met my wife at Tulane, and have three daughters who have attended school there. I have given my fair share of time and money to alumni affairs and have followed Tulane athletics religiously for over 30 years.

Athletics is an intangible asset for both students and alumni. Athletics is really the best advertising the university can have. It keeps the name in the consciousness of the general public and is the single biggest reason most alumni have with following the fortunes of the school. Before dropping athletics I urge the University to complete a study that assesses reasons the average alumni male contributes to Tulane after graduation and surveys if dropping athletics will affect their future giving. I think the results will surprise you. As for this alum, I will cease all contributions in the future if athletics are dropped. Thank you for your time and consideration.

*****

I am 48 and have go to Tulane games since I was eight. My Dad died wearing a Tulane cap. Tulane is what college athletics should be about. Student athletes graduating at a 80% rate. Tulane is an example for the whole nation. Give up and you set a bad example for others to follow. I firmly believe Tulane can and will survive if managed right. Tulane must renew the yearly football match up with LSU. Many of those games set college attendence records for the south. For the state of La. a Tulane/LSU rivalry must and should exist. The old wheel barrel races on TV were a kick. If Tulane can schedule LSU and say a Texas or Alabama every year its attendence would jump. The biggest mistake Tulane made was de-emphasing Athletics and getting out the SEC. If Tulane was still in the SEC we would not be having this discussion. Vanderbilt and Kentucky are sharing in the huge payoffs of the SEC and the BCS. Vanderbilt is similar as Tulane as a University. Because of the SEC Ole Miss and Mississippi State are good programs and exposure helps a school like Southern Miss survive and make money. Please bring back Tulane/LSU in football and count the money brought in. Then La. can be like Miss. and Alabama with more than one strong college program. Don't let the Academic narrow minded Professors bring Tulane down again. It would kill the University.

*****

Dear Tulane:

I am a former scholarship athelete who loves the University. I am fully supportive of Tulane athletics becoming Division III programs across the board. I believe strongly that Division III is better matched to Tulane's academic mission and resources. Emphasis could be placed on wider participation by student/atheletes by broadening the number of sports programs and clubs after eliminating the cost of athletic scholarships.

In today's world, there is no way Tulane can honestly compete against big time Div. I teams. Given the enormous athletic budgets at the well known Football/Basketball factories, it is a losing proposition to continually try to catch up.

I would much rather see Tulane compete in athletics against school with our academic credentials (Georgetown, not Southern Fla.) Tulane has a chance to lead by changing to Division III. To often, the University has held on to the past for way to long. I hope we make this very positive step forward.

*****

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 currently a University Head Women's Swim Coach. During the past several years I was privileged to coach against Fresno State. I was recently made aware of some difficult questions facing University of Tulane and the Athletic Department. I think I as well as thousands of coaches around the country love to do our job because of an enormous impact we can have on young people. I think that in today's reality University often forget why we all started athletics in a first place. Swimming is just on in many examples of where athletics and education is still at its purest form. I understand that the reality of college athletics has somewhat changed but it is not the reason to eliminate any of it. I think we need to put more emphasis on sports that are still true to the original idea behind college athletics. The idea that by supporting physical activities at institutions of higher education we are in fact supporting better students that will grow up to be better citizens. I do understand that it is not the direction athletics is going but it is not the reason to get rid of it. We should reward the teams that are teaching proper values through athletics while helping them achieve their academic goals. It is my belief that Universities without athletics will be contributing to the problems of today society rather than being the solution.

*****

I am a fourth generation Tulanian and a contributor to the University. I also serve on the Engineering School Dean's Board of Advisors. I write to express my serious concern to the question of downgrading athletics.

I fully understand the recent accounting changes at the University. I also believe while athletics was affected, Arts & Sciences was also negatively impacted by this change. That should send up an immediate red flag signaling a deeper problem at the university than simply the funding of football and Title XI sports.

I believe that in the last 15+ years, there has been continual cost-cutting in the Development and Alumni Affairs Offices, not only reducing staff, but additionally staffing those offices with unskilled and underpaid personnel. I don't think it is the fault of the personnel, most of whom are very cordial. It is the simple fact that a short term goal was put before the long term interests of the University.

The result of these "cuts" has been the loss of precious contact with alumni. Compared to other institutions, we are Division III when it comes to maintaining a substancial alumni donor base, much less an alumni record base.

Recently, my mother gave a $20,000 contribution to the School of Engineering. It was the completion of a pledge she and my late uncle had made to the Univesity a few years ago. She did this on her own. There was no request from the Annual Giving office in several years.

This past year also marked my 25th Reunion year as I graduated from Tulane in 1977. Was I contacted to make a reunion function? Was there even a function for the class or the School? No. Furthermore, I was not contacted to make a reunion gift, nor was anyone else I spoke to from my class, both Engineers and A&S graduates alike.

No, the problem is not athletics. That is, in reality, the only venue being utilized to effectively advertise Tulane. To deemphasize that would be a tragic mistake. There is an old saying that it takes money to make money. What we need is to spend some additional monies bringing alumni back into the fold. Once they are there and re-invested in Tulane, they will support our athletics in greater numbers.

I urge you to reconsider any actions that will down-grade the institution that many of us cherish.

*****

My son is an alum of Tulane. I've personally attended 15 football games in NO and on the road in the last 5 years. Division 1 athletics rounds out the college experience. My son was accepted at Emory but chose TU instead and the athletics and the atmosphere it brought was a factor. Exposure is key to attracting the right pool of students from the entire US. The 98 season is when the Wave started to roll academically as well as athletically. College World Series, Hawaii Bowl, it all helps. You're nieve if you think dropping to division 3 won't have a huge detrimental impact. You face the same challenges as SMU, TCU, Rice, Wake Forest. I think a smaller uptown stadium similar to SMU would help but don't throw the baby out the window by dropping to Div 3.

*****

To whom it may concern:

Athletics is a primary concern on any college campus. Not only does it tie the student body to the community surrounding it, but it also gives national exposure to the school on many levels. Athletics is, perhaps, the most important marketing tool a school can have. I understand that Tulane wants to 'boost' its national rankings, in order to draw more students, but moving to D-III is not the answer. In no way will this help national exposure to the population of perspective students that Tulane has historically drawn upon. In addition, a move to D-III will alienate not only current students and alumni, but also perspective students around the country. I feel that a move of any kind in this direction will do nothing but hurt an institution that has an opportunity to cultivate athletics along with academics. Tulane has one of the highest graduation rates in the country. This tells me that not only are the athletes performing on the field, but they are also performing in the classroom. I, as insightful as I may be, am not the only one to notice these things. It may not be noticed by all high-school seniors, but it will most definitely be noticed by those seniors' parents. To me, what it boils down to is does Tulane and the Board want to take positive steps to improve Tulane and make it a better place, or does Tulane and the Board want to take a negative step that may take years to combat. Overall, I in no way support any move to D-III athletics, under no circumstances.

*****

I feel that Tulane University should remain a Division I school. ALl of the athletic programs appear to be on the rise and their baseball program is one of the best in the nation and may have enough talent this year to go back to Omaha. It is absurd and stupid to even ponder dropping out of division I. The school needs to draw back their fan base and this will not help. They need to stop playing football in the superdome and play at Tad Gormely to bring back the fans and make it more attractive to tailgaiters. The Basketball team is on the rise and should stay in Fogleman arena where they can easily sell out games and attract fans, if at all possible, they should expand Fogleman. And the baseball program is excellent and the facilities are great. We dropped out of the SEC in the 1940s to win football games and that did not work. Now we should not drop out of Diviosion I to win or attract fans. How will playing citadel attract fans. The school has already lost a great deal of tradition and fan base since they dropped out of the sec, then later tore down Tulane stadium. They should not destroy the entire fan base, but rebuild it and make the university a mirror image of what it used to be. Make Tad Gormely out Tulane Stadium and bring back the fans.

*****

I am a 1949 graduate of Tulane College of business. I love and follow Tulane athletics and appreciate their achievements and grieve their losses. However, I received on the intermet information that the athletic program was costing the University $5M to 7M per year. I believe that this is an unacceptable loss to the University and its academic program. If there is no way to decrease the present cost of student athletics, then I think the University should explore other means of decreasing the loss either by reducing the student athletic program or exploring means of increasing athletic revenue. If neither of these is practical, then the University should reduce the athletic program to a break even or acceptable loss level. The fundamental issue is the financial stability of Tulane University.

*****

As an active alumna of Tulane, I attend numerous recruiting receptions, and one question that always arises is "what is the athletic scene on campus?" I always wish I could say it is stronger than it is at Tulane, because this is an obvious consideration of both young men and women who have already been admitted to Tulane. To cut these programs would undermine the recruiting possibilities of Tulane, and result in a very different public perception of the University.

*****

Six years ago, when I was choosing the school I was going to attend for graduate studies, I chose Tulane over University of Texas -Austin and University of Michigan -Ann Arbor. What made my decision simple was the fact that Tulane had, and has, such a strong academic reputation (which I can attest has been well earned).

I believe high school graduates do not choose Tulane University for its athletic reputation and I have voiced my opinion about keeping Tulane academically strong in a previous occassion in the Tulanian's Letter to the Editor section. I will say it again, lets keep Tulane academically strong. If possible, lets keep beisball in Division I and everything else in a lesser division.

I am sure it will not be a popular decision, but the fact that Tulane football games have and attendance of less than 20,000 students per game says a lot about the interests of the student body.

More Comments We've Received