OT: Cincy dropping men's soccer

[upstater]

It's way worse than 2-3X inflation.

Paying for your college, 30 years ago vs. today

Tuition rises faster than minimum wage, early-career salaries

www.marketwatch.com

As for @upstater saying it's all about less funding, I'd say that's a part of it. A major part of the problem is the competition for students. Look at the new UConn rec center. I went inside on a tour with my daughter. It's a $100M abomination. And comes with a new mandatory fee to defray the cost. You want a place for students to work out? Encourage Planet Fitness to open near campus. Done.

Look at European colleges. No sports teams. Big classes. Many don't have dorms or common areas. You get an apartment, take public transit to campus, go to classes and that's it. There aren't thousands of funded clubs, and they are more select about what departments they have. You generally won't see nearly as many potential majors. Their costs have not risen nearly as much.

The fact that there are amenities that weren't there before does not mean spending has increased exponentially. It hasn't. All you have to do is take the budget and divide it by students. They can afford rec centers or whatever by cutting elsewhere, chiefly in core instruction. Used to be 75% of the faculty were tenured or tenure-track. Now it's down to less than 25%. Technology is actually a huge cost, as is health care. But then you look at the budgets and realize that they aren't spending a lot more money overall.

A long terms study of costs correlated the cuts in state funding to the rise in tuition, and it was almost exact. It used the Cal-system, which has seen a 1,100% increase in tuition in the last 30 years. State funding per student at Cal (Berkeley, etc.) went from $16k+ per student to $9k+. Tuition increased from $1k to $11k+. Then you look at the budget and the increase tracks with inflation.

 

[NJHusky]

It's way worse than 2-3X inflation.

Paying for your college, 30 years ago vs. today

Tuition rises faster than minimum wage, early-career salaries

www.marketwatch.com

Look at European colleges. No sports teams. Big classes. Many don't have dorms or common areas. You get an apartment, take public transit to campus, go to classes and that's it. There aren't thousands of funded clubs, and they are more select about what departments they have. You generally won't see nearly as many potential majors. Their costs have not risen nearly as much.

You are so right...and they pay a few thousand a year.

 

[huskymedic]

>>But the Cincinnati move to cut soccer was viewed throughout the college sports industry as an unfortunate harbinger. Once Cincinnati honors remaining financial commitments to staff and player scholarships, it’ll save $800,000 per year. (The move had been discussed there internally prior, in part because the Big 12, where university officials have long targeted as a potential landing spot, doesn’t offer men’s soccer.)

One collegiate sports source noted that many schools that will end up cutting sports had long been thinking about it. COVID-19 becomes the cover to do so, as one official brought up the old Winston Churchill quote: “Never waste a good crisis.”

“Athletic directors are using this as a reset,” said an industry source. “Some athletic directors have been talking about cutting sports for three years and just looking for the right time.”<<

 

[StllH8L8ner]

I'm thinking that if you're an average to slightly above average student who isn't getting an athletic scholarship, the best option if you can swing it is community college for two years then transfer to wherever you want to graduate from for the remaining two years so you aren't saddled with debt. End of the day, your resume is going to have the college from which your degree was earned on it. Tuition these days is just absurd and only getting worse.

 

[upstater]

I'm thinking that if you're an average to slightly above average student who isn't getting an athletic scholarship, the best option if you can swing it is community college for two years then transfer to wherever you want to graduate from for the remaining two years so you aren't saddled with debt. End of the day, your resume is going to have the college from which your degree was earned on it. Tuition these days is just absurd and only getting worse.

Make sure the college will accept your credits.

Because I see a lot of times it doesn't and you end up paying more. If it's a state school in the same system, the equivalents are usual/typical, but a private school or a public outside that system is under no obligation to accept credits toward the fulfillment of your requirements.

 

[husky429]

Great point. My sister is a biology professor at Sacred Heart and distance learning has been a pain for her. She told me that she feels like the only options are provide something that is nowhere near the quality of what you can do live or pretend that you are offering the same quality of education.

On the other hand, I'm a math teacher and have found the transition pretty smooth. Even though my school is much more experimental, experiential and group-work based, plenty of uses of Zoom/Google Hangouts make that happen without too many issues.

To be a step ahead, I applied to a tutoring agency after 12 years of tutoring just through word of mouth. Figured it was good due diligence just in case I need to adjust my workload if/when private schools start cutting like crazy. Even though I'm the department chair at my school, still gotta think about longevity, marketability and flexibility.

I had my first online tutoring session with a student who I normally see in person. It went surprisingly well and I re-remembered why I enjoy tutoring so much. The extra money is nice too.

If you're a decent writer look into helping kids with their college admin essays. I used to charge 40$ an hour for it. I did an hour or two after school in the library 3 days a week. Easiest 120 a week I've ever made.

SAT prep is gold too.

Now l do 1:1 bball coaching. 40/hour or more for small groups. Spring and summer I'll do 6 or 7 hours a week. Also very easy money.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

Make sure the college will accept your credits.

Because I see a lot of times it doesn't and you end up paying more. If it's a state school in the same system, the equivalents are usual/typical, but a private school or a public outside that system is under no obligation to accept credits toward the fulfillment of your requirements.

Right....this plan won't potentially be put into practice for about 10 years so I have some time to weigh the pros and cons! Ha

 

[XLCenterFan]

I'm thinking that if you're an average to slightly above average student who isn't getting an athletic scholarship, the best option if you can swing it is community college for two years then transfer to wherever you want to graduate from for the remaining two years so you aren't saddled with debt. End of the day, your resume is going to have the college from which your degree was earned on it. Tuition these days is just absurd and only getting worse.

This is what guidance counselors need to be telling students. Unfortunately, community college has some negative stigma associated with it. Also, high schools get ranked (and perceived) by how many graduates they send to certain schools. College is also overly force-fed to kids since they begin to walk, as if it's the only option.

I know exactly what you are talking about because this was the route I took. After taking a few years off after high school to "pursue life," I decided to go back to school. I studied part-time at Manchester Community College while I worked full/part-time. This allowed me to gain tremendous real world experience - things like paying taxes, paying rent, dealing with a boss/co-worker/landlord/insurance company - before I entered the "real" job market. It also allowed me to pay cash for all of the classes I took, so I incurred no debt.

I then transferred to Trinity College in Hatford and earned a B.A. in Public Policy & Law. My resume and degree both say Trinity and it cost me a fraction.

 

[gtcam]

Soccer sucks anyways, but it stinks for the players though.

Says you
Ignorance is bliss and your statement howls ignorance

 

[mussels]

Says you
Ignorance is bliss and your statement howls ignorance

Where ignorance is bliss tis folly to be wise. While you think about that, I'll be watching Eagles beat the Pats in the Superbowl....again.

(sorry I couldn't help myself)

 

[Devland]

Says you
Ignorance is bliss and your statement howls ignorance

Or.... Opinions are like a.holes. Everybody has one. Just because he has an opinion different from yours doesn't mean he's ignorant.

 

[Storrs South]

The new AAC deal, which runs for 12 years, will pay members $7 million. That’s why, on occasion, AAC teams are going to need to break up an end table to feed the fireplace.

Cincinnati's reason to drop men's soccer more a product of conference revenue than COVID-19

 

[UCFBfan]

>>But the Cincinnati move to cut soccer was viewed throughout the college sports industry as an unfortunate harbinger. Once Cincinnati honors remaining financial commitments to staff and player scholarships, it’ll save $800,000 per year. (The move had been discussed there internally prior, in part because the Big 12, where university officials have long targeted as a potential landing spot, doesn’t offer men’s soccer.)

One collegiate sports source noted that many schools that will end up cutting sports had long been thinking about it. COVID-19 becomes the cover to do so, as one official brought up the old Winston Churchill quote: “Never waste a good crisis.”

“Athletic directors are using this as a reset,” said an industry source. “Some athletic directors have been talking about cutting sports for three years and just looking for the right time.”<<

Was about to post. But the part I found most applicable to us was this:

>>
One issue being heavily discussed, especially on the Eastern seaboard, is scheduling alliances to save travel costs for non-revenue sports. Using Old Dominion as an example, it makes little sense for its baseball team to travel in Conference USA league games to play at Rice (in Houston), FIU (in South Florida) and Louisiana Tech (in Ruston). Why not James Madison, Richmond and Georgetown? They are all in different leagues, but it would make much more sense.

The same could be said for schools in the Northeast, as it makes more sense for Boston College, Rhode Island, Holy Cross and UConn to play each other in non-revenue sports than many of their far-flung geographic league peers. “You would have to get to a place where people put a lot of ego aside,” said another AD in the Group of Five. “Sports is driven more by ego than common sense.”

One athletic director in a non-football league said of scheduling more geographically friendly games instead of league schedules: “We are having those discussions.” He said limiting costs on conference road trips in non-revenue sports would save his athletic department hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. In leagues outside the Power Five, that money matters.

“Can you imagine being Conference USA or the AAC and you’re sending your baseball team to UTEP or Tulsa,” the AD said, using hypothetical geographic outliers. “It doesn’t make any sense. Much like everything, we’ve done this to ourselves. For us to not think about regional scheduling alliances is complete lunacy.”<<

Moving out of the AAC continues to be a shrewd move. This points to the problem and one of the reasons for leaving. High travel costs aren't worth it. If anything, moving to the Big East will possibly help save some of our Olympic sports. It's not 100% but the travel, outside of 4 Midwest schools, is all within 4 hours.

It will be interesting to see if regional conferences start to pop up again. I can't see schools being able to remain so spread out in conferences. The AAC can't possibly survive in it's current setup with travel.

The big thing will be if this hits any P5 school.

 

[the Q]

It's way worse than 2-3X inflation.

Paying for your college, 30 years ago vs. today

Tuition rises faster than minimum wage, early-career salaries

www.marketwatch.com

As for @upstater saying it's all about less funding, I'd say that's a part of it. A major part of the problem is the competition for students. Look at the new UConn rec center. I went inside on a tour with my daughter. It's a $100M abomination. And comes with a new mandatory fee to defray the cost. You want a place for students to work out? Encourage Planet Fitness to open near campus. Done.

Look at European colleges. No sports teams. Big classes. Many don't have dorms or common areas. You get an apartment, take public transit to campus, go to classes and that's it. There aren't thousands of funded clubs, and they are more select about what departments they have. You generally won't see nearly as many potential majors. Their costs have not risen nearly as much.

Abomination? It’s a stunning facility.

But I get your other point. To be fair two separate gyms that were within 10ish minutes of campus closed.

I would be interested in seeing the us move to the European club sports model, which could drastically change away from the country club model you’re referring to for us schools now. Totally fair point.

 

[the Q]

I'm thinking that if you're an average to slightly above average student who isn't getting an athletic scholarship, the best option if you can swing it is community college for two years then transfer to wherever you want to graduate from for the remaining two years so you aren't saddled with debt. End of the day, your resume is going to have the college from which your degree was earned on it. Tuition these days is just absurd and only getting worse.

There is zero question this is the best answer financially

 

[djct1999]

Was about to post. But the part I found most applicable to us was this:

>>
One issue being heavily discussed, especially on the Eastern seaboard, is scheduling alliances to save travel costs for non-revenue sports. Using Old Dominion as an example, it makes little sense for its baseball team to travel in Conference USA league games to play at Rice (in Houston), FIU (in South Florida) and Louisiana Tech (in Ruston). Why not James Madison, Richmond and Georgetown? They are all in different leagues, but it would make much more sense.

The same could be said for schools in the Northeast, as it makes more sense for Boston College, Rhode Island, Holy Cross and UConn to play each other in non-revenue sports than many of their far-flung geographic league peers. “You would have to get to a place where people put a lot of ego aside,” said another AD in the Group of Five. “Sports is driven more by ego than common sense.”

One athletic director in a non-football league said of scheduling more geographically friendly games instead of league schedules: “We are having those discussions.” He said limiting costs on conference road trips in non-revenue sports would save his athletic department hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. In leagues outside the Power Five, that money matters.

“Can you imagine being Conference USA or the AAC and you’re sending your baseball team to UTEP or Tulsa,” the AD said, using hypothetical geographic outliers. “It doesn’t make any sense. Much like everything, we’ve done this to ourselves. For us to not think about regional scheduling alliances is complete lunacy.”<<

Moving out of the AAC continues to be a shrewd move. This points to the problem and one of the reasons for leaving. High travel costs aren't worth it. If anything, moving to the Big East will possibly help save some of our Olympic sports. It's not 100% but the travel, outside of 4 Midwest schools, is all within 4 hours.

It will be interesting to see if regional conferences start to pop up again. I can't see schools being able to remain so spread out in conferences. The AAC can't possibly survive in it's current setup with travel.

The big thing will be if this hits any P5 school.

Covid-19 will kill the NCAA. Regionalism makes too much sense. It also will add a "club" component with few to no athletic scholarships. Once the dust settles and almost all schools simply focus on the revenue makers -football and basketball - then what? Surely, the kids will get paid. I would imagine that would also change college athletic departments and the NCAAs tax code. Ironically, this is probably all for the better.

 

[the Q]

The new AAC deal, which runs for 12 years, will pay members $7 million. That’s why, on occasion, AAC teams are going to need to break up an end table to feed the fireplace.

Cincinnati's reason to drop men's soccer more a product of conference revenue than COVID-19

There’s one more element that caused this that is not being discussed....

 

[HuskyHawk]

Abomination? It’s a stunning facility.

But I get your other point. To be fair two separate gyms that were within 10ish minutes of campus closed.

I would be interested in seeing the us move to the European club sports model, which could drastically change away from the country club model you’re referring to for us schools now. Totally fair point.

Abomination only in that it is a $100 facility that doesn't provide any "necessary" service.

 

[the Q]

Abomination only in that it is a $100 facility that doesn't provide any "necessary" service.

No but it’s one of the top handful of things students look at to consider for a university (beyond academics).

 

[upstater]

There is zero question this is the best answer financially

Rather than pay a private school for 4 years, this might make sense. Unless the private you choose doesn't accept your credits.

Most publics, though, are within the same range as community college, so there it doesn't make as much sense.

 

[McLovin]

Says you
Ignorance is bliss and your statement howls ignorance

 

[the Q]

Rather than pay a private school for 4 years, this might make sense. Unless the private you choose doesn't accept your credits.

Most publics, though, are within the same range as community college, so there it doesn't make as much sense.

That is a whole other racket we can get into...

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Nothing like using an epidemic as an excuse to do things you wanted to do anyway.
Dropping programs , pay cuts, personal vendettas or
Elimination of Civil Rights

 

[Waquoit]

Q: How can you tell if someone doesn't like soccer?
A: Not to worry, they'll tell you!