Chicago State Interim AD Discusses Introducing Football, Cheering, Marching Band Programs | The Boneyard

Chicago State Interim AD Discusses Introducing Football, Cheering, Marching Band Programs

Drew

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Q&A: CSU interim director of Athletics discusses introducing football, cheering and marching band programs

Article is from May 2017 but thought it was an interesting read into a school struggling for students and attention and how football can be used for more than just sport:

With just 86 freshman enrolling at Chicago State University (CSU) in the 2016 fall term, the university now has fewer than half the number of total students it did six years ago and is looking into other ways of attracting students.

The university had 3,578 students taking classes at its Far South Side campus last fall – a significant decrease from the 7,362 students enrolled in 2010, the Chicago Tribune reported.


In an effort to increase enrollment, university officials have begun considering various avenues to draw more students to the school.

Q: I understand you are considering a Football Division I program at CSU. Can you tell me a little bit about that?

A: Not only football, but we’re also talking about expanding our cheer program and also a marching band to go along with the football program, so (the plan) would be to bring all three in.

But as far as the football aspect, there’s a lot of football players that are in the Chicagoland area, in the joining states, who after high school, don’t get the opportunity to play Division I football.

We’ve done some research on Butler University, (Valparaiso) University – universities whose teams are in our area, and we’d like to just follow the model that they have already put in place where both of them are playing Division 1 football, and what they’re doing in a league called the Pioneer (Football) League, (which) is a Division I football league that’s non-scholarship.

Q: What kind of timeline do you have in mind?

A: My timeline is to have a football team by fall of (2018). The plan would be to start enrolling football players for fall of (2017) but to have a team to participate in fall of 2018.
 

Fishy

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That's a fever dream.

Chicago State is a small school dependent on funding from a nearly-bankrupt state. Their athletic budget would only pay Jim Harbaugh's salary for half a year.

They had to cancel spring break last year and the WAC was on alert that they might have to abandon their basketball team.
 

CL82

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That's a fever dream.

Chicago State is a small school dependent on funding from a nearly-bankrupt state. Their athletic budget would only pay Jim Harbaugh's salary for half a year.

They had to cancel spring break last year and the WAC was on alert that they might have to abandon their basketball team.
So you saying that they will be a candidate to join the American @ 2021?
 
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The reason they lost so many students is that they locked down campus after firing half the faculty, and they had to cancel class. So of course they lost students. When you don't have faculty, and you don't have classes, then why do you want students?
 
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Dakota Access pipeline should bring more money into Illinois.
 

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