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Questions and Comments We've Received

May 27, 2003

To Those Who Read, I don't know if it would solve the problem, but it might help. Eliminating football from Tulane athletics might help the department. i've been a Green Wave fan since i was born. i support Tulane athletics any way i can, and i'm one of the few students who actually attends football games. i'm friends with many athletes and have had classes with several. The football players, mostly, are very disruptive in the class room when they actually attend, which is distracting to the students of Tulane University. It will be hard to get financial support from alumni of Tulane graduates because they weren't fans while they attended college. Most of the students could care less if there was football or not at Tulane. The women's basketball, baseball, m/w tennis, m/w golf, track, and volleyball teams are all very successful on the court and in the class room. They truely represent the type of student that attends Tulane. Marquette University (in our athletic conference--Conference USA) does not have a football team, yet they are successful in the other sports in which they partake, like men's basketball. (Our men's basketball team could use the extra attention if football was eliminated.) The C-USA baseball tournament hosted by Tulane last week was packed--people were rushing to buy tickets to watch good baseball, for Tulane had only lost twice this season on their field prior to the championship game. There is no football field on Tulane's campus. There is no room for football at Tulane University. The rest of the sports and athletes should not be eliminated or brought down a level or two because of one costly, uninteresting sport to the active Tulane student body. Thank you for your time. Roll Wave!

*****

All of the following text was copied directly from the Tulanian in an article about Scott Cowen. All quotes are attributed to Scott Cowen himself. Has he been true to his word in any aspect?

"Just Call Me Scott", Tulanian, Summer 1998 "I believe in openness and trust and candor, and if I feel that in the people I'm working with, I think we can make magic within an organization." "I find a lot of times in higher education that people are very willing to think about ideas required to fulfill a vision, but they sometimes fall short on the execution and action." "There's no greater satisfaction in life than institutional building," he says. "When you feel you've really helped an institution grow and develop, it's the greatest thing you can feel. I always keep focused on that goal." Alumni are what Cowen calls "stakeholders" of the university, along with such groups as faculty, staff, students and donors. When an institution such as a university begins to develop a long-range strategic plan-a process Cowen will be leading Tulane through for the next two years-those stakeholders need to be involved in the process. Part of the early strategic planning process, Cowen says, will be orchestrating ways to ensure that the voices of Tulane University's multiple "stakeholders" are heard, loud and clear.Cowen acknowledges that different stakeholders will have different priorities for Tulane, and that is where leadership plays a role. "One of the responsibilities of the senior leadership of an organization is to begin to meld all the different voices together into a coherent plan for the future, one that has general acceptance by the organization itself." Another thing Tulane will be doing-alongside its new president-is increased community service. Scott Cowen believes a university must be an active part of its community, a lesson he learned the hard way. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the city of Cleveland was on the verge of bankruptcy. Media coverage of the city's plight only served to reinforce negative images of Cleveland not only among its own citizens but across the country. "It really had an impact on Case Western because it was difficult to recruit students and faculty," Cowen says. "It wasn't a source of pride for the people who lived there. And I learned from that experience that if I'm going to be in a community, I'm going to get involved in that community." "And I always believe in leading by example, so if I think it's important I won't just ask someone else to do it. I'll be doing it also."

*****

To the Ad-Hoc Committee and Board of Administrators/Trustees -

Hopefully, in a couple of days, you will set Tulane University back on itās rightful course and give the Athletic Department and Division IA Football Program your full support and backing. To do otherwise would be the death of our University as we know it. I donāt believe I can say anything that already hasnāt been said or show some aspect of a strong Division IA Athletic Department (and how that benefits the University as a whole) that already hasnāt been portrayed. There can be only one decision given the facts and that is a vote for continuation of our Division IA Football Program and full support of all Tulane athletic endeavors.

As a final note, it had to have given you all great satisfaction that as the football bowl games were about to begin this past year, of all the bowl participants, Tulane and Notre Dame were ranked 1 & 2 based on student athletesā graduation rates - do you think that Notre Dame would be where it is today without a strong commitment to Division 1A football and athletics? And what about Tulane? Someone recently said they couldnāt believe Tulane Athletics has had the successes it has given the lack of support from itās own Administration.

Just remember, itās not about the money anymore ö fans, supporters, the community and we alums will take care of that, itās about what vision you have for Tulane University. My vision has always included such schools such as Rice, Northwestern, Stanford, Duke, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, USC, Boston College & Wake Forest ö whatās youāre vision??

*****

THREE THOUSAND people will attend a special event. Some will be Alums, renewing old friendships and starting new ones. Some will be coming to Tulane for the first time, bringing their children. At least a dozen times a parent will say, "If you get good grades, you could come here some day." They will see the campus in the lush green of spring, the oaks on Newcomb Quad, Gibson Hall. They will see Tulane at its best. They will be here for a DIVISION I Baseball Game.

Many more people will watch the game on television. They will hear commentators praise the beautiful campus. they will comment on the high academic standards. They will talk about how they have been welcomed. How the people at Tulane are so gracious. they will talk about Tulane's most recent appearance at the College World Series. They will talk about this years propsects for reaching Omaha. That is why there will be THREEE THOUSAND visitors are on campus today. Because there is a chance that they will see one of these two teams on television in a few short weeks. Tulane's fine, intelligent athletes could be standing shoulder to shoulder among players from USC, Texas, Florida State and many others.

THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN IN division III.

I first set foot in Gibson Hall in 1978, when Sheldon Hackney was LEADING us out of the darks days of the Longknecker years. Eamon Kelly continued to LEAD and build on what Sheldon Hackney had accomplsihed. DO NOT TAKE US BACK TO THE DARK DAYS! Support another LEADER! SUPPORT RICK DICKSON! He has the vision to make us better than we have ever been!

P.S. This was written the morning of the game. Actual attendance approached four thousand people.

*****

If one were to believe the publicly available feedback on the subject of athletics, it would not take much deliberation to determine that the Tulane community feels quite strongly that Division 1 A athletics are a key component of the university and is willing to put its money where its mouth is. Many others have done a great job of laying out the benefits of maintaining and strengthening our program and I will not repeat them.

I hope that the board will quickly (this week) come to the same conclusion and end this "process". No matter what happens, the loser here is President Scott Cowen. He's the guy that portrayed himself as the biggest fan, leading cheers with his face painted. All of the sudden, he seemingly has disappeared from sight. His "neutrality" has been perceived as support for downgrading athletics and, even if it is a misperception, has greatly damaged his standing amongst influential alumni and the broader community. True leadership would involve taking a public stand, selling your position and building consensus. All we have seen is noncommittal quotes, mystery and hiding behind some bureaucratic process. If President Cowen wants D-III sports, he should say so and let the chips fall where they may. If he supports D-1A sports, he should come out in favor and do everything that he can to make Tulane a success on that level..

The one individual that will emerge as the winner in this is Rick Dickson. He has shown true leadership and it has not gone unnoticed. I hope that we'll have the opportunity to follow him into an even brighter future for both Tulane Athletics and Tulane University.

*****

This communication is addressed to the members of the ad hoc committee and the full board of administrators on the eve of the climactic votes on Division 1A athletics. You have heard the collective voice of Tulane alumni and supporters, those who comprise the university constituency. They have spoken with their wallets, checkbooks and pledge cards, as well as their communications to you. Their message has been clear and overwhelming-- support Division 1A athletics and make a long-term commitment to this most deserving of programs!

You have also heard loud and clear from the athletic department's most capable and professional leader, Rick Dickson. Thank goodness we are blessed to have him leading our athletic program at this time. He has undoubtedly made a significant difference in many of your viewpoints on this issue. Judge the actual results to date, with only three weeks to work with. It is difficult to see how anyone could still reach a conclusion that the financial issue blamed for this exercise may not be resolved. The response has been unprecedented, it has come from a broad base of grass-roots support, it has been backed by community and business leaders from across the region. Despite what you may hear to the contrary, there is no probability of failure; the success already achieved in just a few weeks far outstrips the pace necessary to meet the goals Mr. Dickson has set. The proof is there, it is irrefutable and absolutely convincing. Ask any party who might challenge this, where is their evidence and their qualifications for making such a challenge? If the issue is purely financial, as has been publicized, then join us, each of you, in supporting the renaissance of this most storied of athletic programs!

It is an understatement to say the least that our student-athletes and our coaches and athletic administration are most deserving of your commitment to them. They have done everything asked of them, and more. They succeed both on and off the field, representing this university in outstanding fashion. They make all of us proud as Tulanians. Their success academically (80% graduation rate, 3.01 GPA) has received so much national attention, it has to be the single most effective form of advertising for our university's overall academic strength today. Tulane, like Northwestern, Boston College, Miami Fla., Gonzaga and other private Div. 1A institutions, has experienced dramatic increases in undergraduate applications for admission and average incoming SAT scores during the last five years corresponding with national exposure associated with success in athletics. As these other schools openly admit, there is a clear cause and effect relationship. Tulane, with our goals of becoming a top 20 ranked academic institution, has been rising in the ranks each year and achieving dramatic increases in the academic makeup of our student body without nearly as high of an endowment, and without the "incumbency" of having top 20-30 rankings historically. How? By using success in Division 1A athletics as a weapon! Without this, Tulane would lose one of its most valuable differentiators. Reflect on that.

It is natural for people to feel that conducting this study to this degree and extent, with the short-term problem it may have created for the momentum of our athletic program, makes it difficult to reverse course and endorse the program. However, reflect carefully on this. If the reasons were purely financial, then the outpouring of support and commitment, as well as the plan outlined by Mr. Dickson, gives you something positive to rally behind, and re-unify the Tulane community! The athletic leadership at Tulane has worked to exhaustion to eliminate this problem, to take it off the table. There is no longer any reason to take this action purely because of financial concerns at this point. Instead, you have the chance to join ranks with the university community and lead this university into a new athletics "renaissance", where it is self-sufficient and successful. If there are those who attempt to convert this issue into a referendum on future strategic leadership and direction, because of their philosophical oppostion to athletics, that doesn't make it right or appropriate. What reasons would one give to refute the points made above, to ignore the clearly communicated desire of the university community, and vote to de-emphasize athletics despite where we now stand? How would this be explained to the ever-increasing number of alumni, community leaders and other supporters who have contributed and pledged financial support for this program, a campaign that has not been dissuaded or discouraged by the administration and board?

I have faith in human nature. I believe you will do the right thing, the only supportable decision you can make given the incredible results of this fateful month of May.

*****

Hello: As a Tulane Alum., I am getting increasingly frustrated by the lack of info. regarding the future of Div.1 athletics at Tulane. I stand ready(NO JOKE) to become a green team member & commit to a 5 yr. pledge to the TAF. I'm just not really anxious to do so if you are going to pull the plug on Div.1 athletics. I live in Wisc.--lots of small Div.111 programs. Believe me---it is not the way to go unless the endowments are huge. These cute little schools are scrambling to stay afloat. Why?? Because they get ZERO publicity even in their own locales. One other thing, for all the heroic heavy lifting that Rick Dickson is doing, why can't the President of Tulane University show some leadership and help with the fund raising. He could at least go to a ball game or make a positive statement. Quite a lesson that you are teaching our young people!!! Dr. Cowen is making Tulane look like a school of cowardly quitters. The best days could be right around the corner.

*****

I am a second generation fan of Tulane athletics. Neither my father nor I attended Tulane, my father never went to any college. However, I have a nephew who is a Tulane fan and absolutely wants to go to school there. His love for Tulane has begun because of athletics. Remove Tulane from Division 1-A and the school will lose an enormous marketing presence.

Tulane has a model program comprised of true student-athletes. We should do all we can to support this and to hold our school up as an example for other schools to follow. To step down in stature would be a disgrace to the school, the New Orleans community and to the NCAA.

*****

Do you have any idea what tradition means to a University? Apparently to you the only thing that matters to you are dollars and cents, millions of which you have blown in managing the endowment, but that's beside the point. Higher education is about a lot more than money, it's about tradition, history, and taking pride in one's alma mater. You obviously do not understand this. First you want to throw away 110 years of tradition in an athletics program that is a model program for how college athletics should be at the D1 level. Now comes word that you want to do away with Newcomb, The School of Engineering, and The School of Architecture. You do this and Tulane becomes a run of the mill private liberal arts school. We become Loyola. This is not a plan that will make the school money, half of Tulane undergrad alumni are in those three schools, and I guarantee not one of them would donate a dime if you eliminate their schools. Also, you'd see our national perception drop from a highly esteemed university to an after thought. Dr. Cowen, I hope you realize your mistakes quickly, or else it will not be Rick Dickson looking for a job, but rather yourself.

*****

As we close in on the fateful May 29 meeting, I see one of the rare times in the last 20 years that alumni, students, boosters, and the people of the City of New Orleans have joined together to support a common cause--the continuation of Division I-A athletics at Tulane University. Tulane athletics is an important uniting force for alumni from around the country, like myself, to the university. As an alumnus, I want to see Tulane continue as a Division I-A school, because it emphasizes that Tulane is a first class institution in the classroom and in the community.

Frankly, I cannot believe that this debate continues despite the fantastic five year plan outlined by Athletic Director Rick Dickson, and the overwhelming support from alumni, students and supporters of the school to continue Division I-A athletics. It is clear that deemphasizing athletics will send a signal to those who love this institution, that Tulane wishes to become a third rate institution, which wishes to build a wall between it and its alumni and the City of New Orleans. Failing to continue Division I-A athletics will be a signal that those who run the university do not care about the feelings and concerns of the alumni, students, and the surrounding community, therefore, causing the evaporation of donations to the school, and greatly increased apathy.

Tulane athletics is at a crossroad, where excellence in the classroom and excellence on the playing field are at an all time high. The reshuffling of the conference deck will have a great effect on future success, but the handcuffs of this "review" must removed, and A.D. Dickson must have the freedom to move this program forward. All who love and support this institution, including the President and the Board of Administrators, must come forward now, and emphatically express their support for the continuation of Division I-A athletics. The failure to support remaining in Division I-A athletics will render Tulane into a shell of the great institution that it is today.

*****

Greetings:

I am a former student and graduate of Tulane University (MS Biomedical Engineering, 1978). Ken Langeland whose daughter, Nellie, will be swimming for Tulane this fall has kept me informed of the athletic situation there over the past few weeks. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage Tulane University to remain in Division 1.

My daughter, who is a rising junior in high school, is a team mate of Nellie's on the local YMCA swim team. They both compete at a National level. One of Carlyn's goals is to use her swimming and excellent academic standing to attend a university with outstanding academic and athletic programs. She is interested in engineering and/or architecture, and I personally can vouch for the quality of Tulane's engineering programs to her. With a Division 1 swimming program it is likely that Tulane would be high on her list of universities that would satisfy her goals. If it were in a lower division I doubt that she would be nearly as interested. Swimmers in general typically maintain high academic standards. Maintaining a strong Division 1 swimming program will be a excellent way for Tulane to attract outstanding students like Nellie and Carlyn.

I hope Tulane will decide to remain a competive entity in Division 1 college athletics. Good luck to all involved in your future endeavors.

*****

A note for the committee presenting to Tulane's Board of Trustees regarding the future of Tulane athletics:

As a youngster growing up in Lake Charles, I was treated by my family to a few Saturday afternoon football games (in the late 1940's) at the old Tulane Stadium. I can well remember the tone and inflection of the public address announcer (the same gentlemen for many years with a most distinctive voice) at that time as he described action on the field....involving Eddie Price, Shorty McWilliams (Mississippi State), etc. These were great afternoons with tremendous fan interest and support despite the fact that Tulane's ball club was average at best.

Little by little, the Saturday afternoon games were moved to Friday night, played outside of SEC membership, etc. Where did the wonderful Saturday afternoon games disappear to?

I have attended every Tempe, AZ, Fiesta Bowl BCS game, including the national championship game of four years ago. At that game, a fan commented on the Tulane hat I was wearing. He said "good season." I guess so since that was Tulane's undefeated year.

I was proud of my Tulane hat, and the gentleman's comment regarding Tulane's good year. I was proud of Tulane athletics.

For my sake, and on behalf of many other graduates and friends who perhaps have not taken the time to send you a few words, I would ask that you put forward the best effort possible toward returning Tulane to its "elite" Division I status. If you have already done this, then I would respect your "financially related" decision to step away from an all-Division I program. If you have not done everything possible to save Tulane's Division I NCAA status, please don't quit now.

*****

I spent my freshman year at Emory. While I consider it an excellent school, it did not offer the true college atmosphere that the students across town at Ga. Tech enjoyed. When my mother decided to move to New Orleans from St. Petersburg in order to be near family, I applied for and was accepted to Tulane. While Tulane did not accept my credits from Emory and I started my freshman year over, I have been ever so grateful for the opportunity to do so. My college experience went from "existing" to "living" and the main reason was being able to look forward to and attending football games on the weekends, as well as basketball, and baseball. As a result of my experiences, I have remained a staunch supporter of athletics at Tulane as it gives me a way to feel connected while far away. I can only imagine the emptiness that will be felt if that is removed.

When I traveled to New Orleans last season for homecoming, I brought my two sons. When I saw Dr. Cowen with his face painted and witnessed the fun everyone was having, in spite of the weather, I felt that Tulane was on the right track and headed back to greatness. I feel that there are many alumni nationwide that feel as stongly attached to Tulane through athletics, as I. In my opinion, diminishing our status to Division III would be a dangerous financial experiment and unnecessary. Tulane alumni have been put on notice that there is a problem and they need to step up. They will. Please allow Rick Dixon's plan an opportunity to succeed. With what is at stake, not doing so would make it appear that there never was any intention of preserving athletics at Tulane and would alienate huge numbers of alumni. Tulane and athletics will survive together in Div. I, if given the opportunity. The nation and many potential students and student athletes are watching. Make the right choice. Let Tulane remain Division I in athletics.

Prayers for you from St. Petersburg, FL

*****

I am concerned by the lack of visibility of our President, Dr. Cowen, on the issue of the future of Tulane Athletics. Exactly, where is the President?

Newspapers and representatives from other schools report Dr. Cowen is "neutral" on the subject, but concerned about the money. If true, where was he a couple weeks back when a large fund-raising effort was staged less than a block from his house? If he is concerned about the money, he should be supporting fund raisers. Where is the President?

A week ago, Tulane hosted and won the CUSA championship in Tennis before solid crowds and a lot of school spirit. Our student athletes could have used his support but Dr. Cowen was not there. Where is the President?

This past weekend, Tulane hosted the CUSA championship in baseball before all-time record crowds. We finished second, but everyone associated with Tulane athletics was there. Dr. Cowen was not. Where is the President?

Last week, Rick Dickson made a strong pitch to the Board of Trustees' Ad Hoc Committee regarding plans to eliminate the financial hardship that athletics purportedly places on the University. Several members of the board commented publicly on the excellent progress being made by our Athletic Director. Dr. Cowen said nothing, but evidently returned his "numbers crunchers" to the "back room" to refute Mr. Dickson's information. Where is the President?

If letters to the feedback line are to be believed, the alumni are strongly in favor of retaining 1-A athletics across the board and they are digging into their pockets to support their cause. And with the lack of adequate response from Dr. Cowen, the alumni are getting very "restless." Where is the President?

Yes, a number of professors are against athletics for either or both financial or "other" reasons. In most cases, they also represent elements of the university that "lose" money. And now the "rumor" is that Dr. Cowen is looking to eliminate the Schools of Social Work, Architecture, and possibly Engineering, because "they lose money." I am sure that students who have no interest in athletics and happen to be in schools other than Social Work, Architecture, or Engineering, would be more than happy to have their expenses reduced by eliminating those elements of the school. Putting one Tulanian against each other, however, is not the way to go.

The athletic "review" was intended to be "secret" so it is hard to confirm or deny such "rumors" about "secret" future plans for individual schools who do not "make ends meet." I certainly don't know if these "rumors" have any basis in fact, and I hope they are not true. I simply ask again, "where is the President?"

Leaders "lead." They support traditions, grow institutions, consider their "stake-holders," and stand out front when the "fire gets hottest." They are open in their views and inclusive in their discussions. If President Cowen is against 1-A athletics or football, in particular, because he believes it harms the academic reputation of the school (as some "professors" have opined), then so be it. I completely disagree, but he should state that position.

If, as he has indicated, the issue is "solely" about money, then he should come out in favor of Division 1-A athletics and support the fundraising necessary to adequately close the financial gap. And he should be upfront about the financial benefits the athletic department brings in the form of publicity, national recognition, and grants to the School of Sports Medicine.

Sadly, he has not stated the former and not supported the latter. Where is the President?

*****

For your information, there are a lot of people with tons of contempt and disgust concerning the shortsightedness of this move to destroy a New Orleans tradition and legend. Not just a few nuts. If you want to believe you don't need these people and fans, think again. I went to the city council meeting two weeks ago regarding this issue. I didn't see the president of the school there, and I don't know if any of the Board members were there. I do know at the city council meeting, some of the council members seemed shocked and sickened about this whole thing, as the other moves in the past against athletics. Don't alienate the city and local support from Tulane. Tulane needs local support for grants, donations, local governmental help and general goodwill. Don't underestimate the backlash of alumni and fans in the local community. Come out strong in support of the sports program. Give Dickson your full support and tell him to win championships.

*****

sirs,

i know that you are addressing a very important issue. please consider the entire subject, not only the monetary issues. what follows are the ideas and thoughts of 3 generations of Tulane fans.

* my father, (age 72) myself, (46) and my son, (21), have never attended Tulane as students., nor did we have any family members attend, until just recently, (my brother in law).

* in the mid 60's, my father would round up the neighborhood kids and bring us to the Tulane football games regularly. His freinds, 4 close ones, all local New Orleans men, did the same with their children, none of whom attended Tulane as students.

* my wife and her family have very similar accounts of Tulane games, and family's freinds, with only one of their close freinds actually attending Tulane as a student athlete, in the 40's.

*our social events have always included Tulane games, especially in the fall, as we dated, married, and had children of our own. our children, especially our son, has been raised a Tulane fan. we still regularly attend football, basketball, baseball, women's basketball, and occasionally volleyball games. our girls, (17 & 11) are involved in sports and have attended summer camps on campus.

* one of the main points I'm trying to convey is that Tulane athletics can and should be marketed strongly to the families of new orleans. LSU and the Saints have turned into adult social events, young adults as students and adult men as they age. I think that many families in the city can be persuaded to follow all Tulane athletics and attend games as we are all involved in raising our children.

* instead of downgrading sports at Tulane and sending the message to the city that athletics are not that important to education, why not vigorously marketing them to the young families. most families that include children, participate in various sports programs around the city, start with this market and you will slowly rebuild a connection to Tulane with many fans that want to be able to attend functions together.

*Tulane needs to send the message that you are welcoming new fans and will back the teams and programs by making the funds available to the student athletes. i realize that there are fewer quality, educated athletes to recruit now, but tulane can become a clear choice for these young men and women who do have both the IQ and the talent to represent the university properly. it can be these same graduates who will support the programs in the future, too.

thank you for your interest in the common fans' opinion.

*****

Good luck with your decision. As a brand new member of the Tulane community I wanted to let you know why our daughter chose to attend Tulane. Tulane's academic reputation, research opportunities and outstanding faculty were big draws, but the nine other schools to which she was accepted also had these qualities. It was Tulane's generous academic merit scholarship that persuaded her. Many of the other schools only gave athletic merit scholarships. Even though our daughter is a talented runner, she did not want to attend college to run.

Our other daughters attend much smaller successful Division 1 schools. Those schools do not have football or track. Even though they are very successful in soccer and basketball, one of the schools is going through the same evaluation process.

*****

I did not attend Tulane because of its athletic program nor would I consider my degree in any way diminished if the university felt constrained to give it up. I think TU should do what is necessary given budgetary limits and the needs of its academic area. If that involves giving up big time athletics, so be it.

*****

I am an up coming freshman that will be entering Tulane University this fall. Upon making my decision, I researched a lot of different schools to see which ones would best meet my needs academically and athletically, and Tulane seems to have won. I am not quite sure what this is all about but I still feel Tulane is best for me. I was awarded an athletic scholarship under a division 1A school and I look forward to it remaining one for the next thirty years. I hope that who ever is making the decisions will allow it to remain that way not only for the athletic aspect but for the academics as well.

*****

I graduated from Tulane College last week. During my four years, I was the president of more than one campus organization as I developed a good feel for certain large segments of the student body. Tulane students like watching winners. That is why no one goes to the football games yet the baseball team receives a porportionally better following. Other than the 1998-99 season, our football team is a perenial loser. People in Louisiana get their college football from LSU. Tulane, however, is the superior academic institution on the local and certainly the national level. While it is likely that Tulane will never gain the football prestige of SEC state-schools, we will hopefully be able to continue distancing ourselves academically. $30,000+ a year should not be for football, but for the classroom. Also, if Miami goes to the ACC, "good night" to Conference USA. Clearly, it is time to cut off the dead weight. The Tulane football program of the last few years is a sunk cost. Tulane ought to make its decision at the margin and realize that another dollar into a struggling football program is another dollar lost towards a better faculty member.

*****

To All Concerned Parties:

I concede that there is to much of a dog-eat-dog world in the realm of college athletics. I can't pick up a paper anymore without seeing some "jock" in hot water, over one thing or another. However, Tulane has one of the cleanest well run programs around, and has always managed to keep in perspective the roll of athletics at the University. The mighty Green Wave are for the students first, alums second, and the community of New Orleans third.

The baseball program is first class, the football program is showing great improvement, and I have confidence that the men's and women's basketball programs will show gains in the coming years.

Having said all of that, let me request that the committee, who I'm sure is dedicated to education first and foremost, use this moment in time to educate other universities on how to complete athletically w/ class and dignity. Show the entire college world that we not only turn out kids who are bright but also competitive in any arena. Teach other universities the way to turn out not only superior students but also people of superior character as well. Let us not run from the field of competition, but toward it. Let's not contract, but expand. Let's be more then mere books and intellect, (which is unquestioned I might add) but give our kids a wider stage on which to shine.

Keep athletics at Tulane, but also let's make it an institution, of which our great academic community will be proud.

Thank You, and go Green Wave

*****

I think you will be making a big mistake if Tulane moves to D-3. It will lower our status among the other universities we compete with--or those we try to/used to compete with (i.e. Vanderbilt, Emory and Duke). Tulane's academic qualities are hardly in contention with these schools and the only reason we take good students is because of a defunct reputation. So, if we move to D-3 then we will have to make up for our lack of sports with a far superior academic program, which will take at least 10-20 years to accomplish. I understand that our endowment is low and we are not as rich as these other schools. But rather than ask how to save money, we should be asking why our graduates to not contribute to our endowment. Is it where they are from (not New Orleans or Louisiana) or our LSU grads just better off than Tulane grads? That is a long term solution....find out why we have a poor endowment, not how to save a few bucks. If we lower to D-3 it will ruin our reputation and any alumni support. Do you think I would give money to a school with second rate sports? I am from the south and love college football....D-1 college football. I did not go to a D-3 school. I have a state D-1 team...several of them to choose from. Why would I give to a D-3 school? Do you think men like Senator John Hienkle will support such a team? You will scare off all the rich old men who live in the south and love Tulane football and baseball and basketball and golf and tennis.

In short, we need school spirit and alumni activity. Remember when Tulane Stadium packed out 60,000 plus? It can again. How, I do not claim to know. But I do know that it is not by going to D-3. You will kill the University in the process. Think about it.

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