Aberdeen American News Editorial

[Grizzled_Jack]

Re: Aberdeen American News Editorial

I'm 62, and the last game I saw (other than their national championship in 1985) was a year after I graduated in 1967. I paid absolutely no attention to SDSU sports for well over 35 years. I'm now interested and have made two small donations. My total charitable giving approaches ten thousand a year and I'll probably give a larger percentage of it to State than I ever would have done had they not gone DI.

All four of the major Dakotas programs should have done this in the early eighties. Most of the competition that I remember from the sixties made the move quite some time ago.

[propar80]

Re: Aberdeen American News Editorial

I myself have stated on this site in the past that I and my wife are not SDSU grads, in fact my wife has her undergrad and MBA from USD.
We have both become die-hard SDSU fans during the past  4 years and donate $$$$$ to SDSU Athletics every year and are season ticket holders.  You just cannot beat the atmosphere at Coughlin-Alumni on a fall afternoon!

I can ABSOLUTELY guarantee you, that if SDSU were still D-II, I would have limited interest at in SDSU athletics, but Zero $$$ would be coming out of our pockets and certainly not Season Tickets.  My wife and I and Grizzled Jack are a rising percentage of new/old-new Jackrabbit fans that the Editorial in the Aberdeen "wipe" doesn't realize.

As for USD athletics....DON'T EVEN CALL!


Go Jacks!!!

[Haldersham]

Re: Aberdeen American News Editorial

I myself have stated on this site in the past that I and my wife are not SDSU grads, in fact my wife has her undergrad and MBA from USD.
We have both become die-hard SDSU fans during the past  4 years and donate $$$$$ to SDSU Athletics every year and are season ticket holders.  You just cannot beat the atmosphere at Coughlin-Alumni on a fall afternoon!

I can ABSOLUTELY guarantee you, that if SDSU were still D-II, I would have limited interest at in SDSU athletics, but Zero $$$ would be coming out of our pockets and certainly not Season Tickets.  My wife and I and Grizzled Jack are a rising percentage of new/old-new Jackrabbit fans that the Editorial in the Aberdeen "wipe" doesn't realize.

As for USD athletics....DON'T EVEN CALL!


Go Jacks!!!

The USD Billboards along I-29 are working, that is for SDSU

[West_River_Jack]

Re: Aberdeen American News Editorial

I decided that I cannot sit and do nothing as the students at SDSU "suffer" as stated in this editorial.  Last year I made a financial contribution, albeit small, to the Northern State University athletic department because of a friend of our family being on one of the NSU varsity teams.  

I had planned on increasing that donation this year.  Instead, I included my entire planned contribution to NSU athletics on my Jackrabbit/ACE Club donation which I just made.  The Aberdeen editor convinced me that this was the right thing to do.

If you have not contributed to the Jackrabbit/ACE Club yet you can do so very easily by logging onto GoJacks.com and clicking the appropriate button on the right side of the screen.

[filbert]

Re: Aberdeen American News Editorial

What's the real story here? Any links? Or is the only information we have a single newspaper editorial?

This really is something that (IMHO) requires some kind of comment in response from the SDSU President and/or the BOR.

[West_River_Jack]

Re: Aberdeen American News Editorial

What's the real story here?  Any links?  Or is the only information we have a single newspaper editorial?

This really is something that (IMHO) requires some kind of comment in response from the SDSU President and/or the BOR.

I agree with Filbert on this.  I just ran a search on the Aberdeen American News website using "SDSU" and using "Jackrabbits" as search terms.  I found no associated articles explaining what the editor was ranting about in the editorial.  I would have thought there would have been objective substantiation of these allegations explaining the editors points.  Finding none, I have to assume that there is some question to the validity of the editorial.  

(BTW - the donation to NSU that I mentioned in the previous post was so small that it won't really make any difference in the grand scheme of things.  I just wanted to remind posters on this forum to remember to donate to the Jackrabbit/ACE Club.)

[89rabbit]

Re: Aberdeen American News Editorial

Now this is better, facts that can be reviewed and understood, nice work by Terry and the Argus:

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...35/1002/SPORTS

Regents: SDSU can redirect money
Funds can be used for scholarships, salaries

By Terry Vandrovec
tvandrovec@argusleader.com
Published: July 22, 2007

The state's only NCAA Division I athletic department asked for an exception, and the Board of Regents obliged.

At the request of South Dakota State president David Chicoine, the board voted recently to give the school's athletic department temporary access to some institutional resources not earmarked for other uses so that it can meet the demands of the state's progressive Title IX plan and the Division I move.

The specifics: In fiscal years 2007-2012, the SDSU athletic department can use up to $500,000 annually to cover the costs of 39 additional women's scholarships. Also, from fiscal years 2008-2013, the athletic department can use up to $223,000 annually to support salary increases for football coach John Stiegelmeier and women's basketball coach Aaron Johnston, and to add two assistant basketball coaching positions and a second compliance officer - changes that take effect in 2007-08.  .  .  .  (read more)


Go State!  

[89rabbit]

Re: Aberdeen American News Editorial

Terry's Blog on this topic:

http://blogs.argusleadermedia.com/sp....html#comments

No easy answer

As summarized in Sunday’s Argus Leader, the SDSU athletic department has been granted access to previously unappropriated schools funds totaling up to $723,000 annually between 2007 and 2013.

As athletic director Fred Oien put it, “It’s more complex than the bottom line of a simple athletic budget.”

Indeed, beginning with the fact that some of the money will go toward stiff Title IX upgrades mandated by the Board of Regents and the rest will go toward upgrades made necessary by the move to Division I.

The state’s contrarians, of which I’ve learned there are many, will see this as Exhibit A that going D-I has taken away funding that could otherwise to go academic programs. And State’s staunch supporters, of which I’ve learned there are many, will point out that the growth of the athletic department is largely responsible for the upswing in bookstore revenues and general activity fee as it’s new exposure has helped increase enrollment; why shouldn’t it have access to those funds?

The truth, as is generally the case, is probably somewhere in the middle, although the Board of Regents apparently saw SDSU’s request as a reasonable one. . . . (read more)


Go State!

[Haldersham]

Re: Aberdeen American News Editorial

I am very satisfied with Terry V article.  Not much else to say. Aberdeen American News can draw their own conclusions

[89rabbit]

Re: Aberdeen American News Editorial

Terry has more to say:

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...32/1002/SPORTS


Balancing athletics, academics

By Terry Vandrovec
tvandrovec@argusleader.com
Published: July 25, 2007

Newsflash: The public likes to rip policy makers. After all, it's easier to criticize a plan than it is to come up with a new one, and it's easier to follow the crowd than lead it.

The South Dakota Board of Regents is no exception, and the attacks relating to sports seem to come from all sides. The decision to allow South Dakota State - and more recently the University of South Dakota - to reclassify to NCAA Division I has academic champions claiming that educational opportunities will be lost, while athletic supporters grouse about stringent restrictions.

The latest chapter in the debate: The Board voting to give SDSU temporary access to previously unappropriated institutional resources so as to ease the double whammy of the state's Title IX requirements and the D-I reclassification process.

Both academic and athletic extremists alike should be OK with this deal. They won't be, of course, but they should be, if for one reason:

Five years into this grand experiment, it seems the Board may be willing to adjust during its attempt to balance academics and athletics.

The lion's share of the funding to which the SDSU athletic department has been granted access relates to funding women's scholarships. The Title IX path that the Board has chosen to follow is perhaps as tough as any nationally and, although established at least in part to avoid multi-million dollar lawsuits, is a rare investment in female athletics. That should be applauded. Nonetheless, the requirements are a strain on schools and the Board seemed to acknowledge as much in granting SDSU's request.

What else went into the approval? Perhaps the Jackrabbits successes on the court and in the classroom at the Division I level - not exclusive to the women's basketball team - opened some eyes. Maybe the Board recognized that the exposure created by the athletic department has played a role in growing enrollment and merchandise revenue. Or, perhaps the Board got a hold of data from the Knight Commission that shows the average Football Championship Subdivision school receives 71 percent of its athletic funding from allocated resources like student fees and state funding. (SDSU was projected at 52 percent in 2006-07.) And it's no secret that the Board thinks highly of SDSU president David Chicoine and his vision for the school.  .  .  .  (read more)


Go State!  

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Aberdeen American News Editorial

Let's not forget the mess the school to the south got themselves into was the motivation for the stringent Title IX stipulations from the Board of Regents that I believe went beyond NCAA guidelines. Hopefully the increase in funding will allow SDSU to also address the need for enhancement to the Men's lockerooms and a similar Men's Basketball lounge/meeting room as the women are getting.