This has got to be good for recruiting

[pj]

It's true that distance-wise Storrs is not remote compared to western states, but stress-wise it is. Driving 10 miles in Connecticut is more stressful than driving 30 miles out west. The stress figures into what people do for recreation.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

If you want to see the middle of nowhere, drive to ND (South Bend) or UVA (Charlottesville). Storrs is rural for sure, but those two schools are really rural. UVA had a nice downtown which helps offset their location which hopefully this project will help UConn with. Just drove past ND, never saw the campus.

Big difference with both these programs??.......... They have an on campus stadium. Football Saturdays there are reason for people to come from all corners into C'Ville or South Bend. They want to see the 'old Campus', share "tales" of their glory years (frat parties, college hyjinks,etc.), the just want to be part of a community that pulsates with the excitement and pagentry that college football is famous for. Alas, Connecticut missed the boat with that one - the on campus stadium. Short sighted, I'm of the opinion. Somehow a football Saturday in East Hartford does not quite "pulsate" the same as in C'Ville and South Bend.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Big difference with both these programs??.......... They have an on campus stadium. Football Saturdays there are reason for people to come from all corners into C'Ville or South Bend. They want to see the 'old Campus', share "tales" of their glory years (frat parties, college hyjinks,etc.), the just want to be part of a community that pulsates with the excitement and pagentry that college football is famous for. Alas, Connecticut missed the boat with that one - the on campus stadium. Short sighted, I'm of the opinion. Somehow a football Saturday in East Hartford does not quite "pulsate" the same as in C'Ville and South Bend.

The locals didnt want their lives interrrupted anymore 6-7 weeks out of the year.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

The locals didnt want their lives interrrupted anymore 6-7 weeks out of the year.

That's why they build surrounding towns around Storrs - for these people to live their uninterrupted lives. Storrs is a college town, therefore, what's good for UConn is what's good for Storrs (see Chapel Hill, see Charlottesville, see Tuscaloosa, see Gainesville, see Oxford and on and on.)

 

[CL82]

Agreed. I think people just generalize that Storrs is in the middle of nowehere as another way of saying there is not an abundance of things to do without having to travel/drive to get there. Even though they have become a bit more conservative in allowing partying/drinking on campus, not every student wants to get faced 3-4 nights a week as their only means of entertainment. Not sure who those students are, but I hear this is true. A downtown with restaurants, shopping and other entertainment options will keep keep most students on campus on thew weekends, create more of a community feel outside of sporting events, encourage students familes to visit more often, etc. All this is a huge positive for the school.

...and help traffic since more will come early or stay late since there is something to do besides walk around the co-op.

 

[AJC88]

That's why they build surrounding towns around Storrs - for these people to live their uninterrupted lives. Storrs is a college town, therefore, what's good for UConn is what's good for Storrs (see Chapel Hill, see Charlottesville, see Tuscaloosa, see Gainesville, see Oxford and on and on.)

The people in the town of mansfield are awful. I lived in a house a mile off campus and was regularly visited by police during the day on weekends for playing music. They refuse to acknowledge that they live in a college town and will do anything possible to shut down college type activities. An on campus stadium would have been awesome in promoting a better atmosphere at football games, but Mansfield residents saw that dream crushed. They suck.

 

[mattp]

FTR the Charlottesville downtown is about one step up from the strip mall with Store24 and Husky Blues. it's nothing to get excited about. as for TDHusky, there's zero accomplished by harping about an on campus stadium. in theory it would have been nice, but it was never going to happen so there's no reason to complain about it constantly.

 

[CL82]

i once got kicked out of the Esso about a dozen times in one night for napping at the bar. they were the most polite bouncers i've ever encountered. i lost my cell phone sneaking back into the place over a fence and they even mailed it back to me all the way in NJ

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

You people are insane if you think Storrs can support a 40,000 person stadium. I grew up in Coventry and during basketball games, where at most, 9,000 people show up, both 195 and 44 are basically parking lots. There is no infrastructure for it. It's already terrible -- for basketball games.

You think Storrs could handle a crowd 4x times that size? There's just no way.

Plus, if you think attendance in East Hartford is bad, try moving the stadium into the northeast corner of the state. Whatever you gain in students you're going to lose in people who live in places like Waterbury and New Haven, etc.

It's a nice dream, but it's just so wildly impractical that it's just that -- a dream.

 

[AJC88]

Mr. Loop- Part of putting a stadium on campus would have been expanding 195 to multiple lanes to help alleviate traffic. Expensive, but would have been worth it.
You say it would alienate people from parts of the state (an hour away), but that doesn't stop people from other college football hotbeds from traveling 2-3 hours every weekend to see their team play in the middle of nowhere.

 

[CL82]

You people are insane if you think Storrs can support a 40,000 person stadium. I grew up in Coventry and during basketball games, where at most, 9,000 people show up, both 195 and 44 are basically parking lots. There is no infrastructure for it. It's already terrible -- for basketball games.

You think Storrs could handle a crowd 4x times that size? There's just no way.

Plus, if you think attendance in East Hartford is bad, try moving the stadium into the northeast corner of the state. Whatever you gain in students you're going to lose in people who live in places like Waterbury and New Haven, etc.

It's a nice dream, but it's just so wildly impractical that it's just that -- a dream.

Ever drive into Michie Stadium? It can be done. People spread out their arrival and departure times to avoid the rush.

 

[johnhuskies95]

Ever drive into Michie Stadium? It can be done. People spread out their arrival and departure times to avoid the rush.

People in Connecticut are way too pompous to be willing to do that. And I've lived in CT for a good portion of my life.

 

[UCFBfan]

Ever drive into Michie Stadium? It can be done. People spread out their arrival and departure times to avoid the rush.

Ever been to State College? People park their RV's in the Walmart parking lot. Every light pole has plug-ins. Granted we don't have the history yet but it's insane to say that people wouldn't drive to the Northeast corner of CT for a UConn game in 10-20 years assuming UConn continues on their upward trend. Unfortunately this is a moot point as the stadium is in East Hartford and there really shouldn't be any complaining as the surrounding area to tailgate in is fantastic.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

You say it would alienate people from parts of the state (an hour away), but that doesn't stop people from other college football hotbeds from traveling 2-3 hours every weekend to see their team play in the middle of nowhere.

Except we're not a college football hotbed. We need to grow our fanbase however we can. Having easy access to the stadium is a non-trivial aspect of that for casual fans, which is what we need, because they (we hope) eventually turn into legitimate fans, heh.

 

[huskymedic]

This helps with recruiting as well...

 

[CL82]

..wait...um what were we talking about?

 

[Doggie Style]

This helps with recruiting as well...

That would look great on my boat!!!!

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Huskies' bikini bum? Go UConn!

 

[Jarhead_1775]

Big difference with both these programs??.......... They have an on campus stadium. Football Saturdays there are reason for people to come from all corners into C'Ville or South Bend. They want to see the 'old Campus', share "tales" of their glory years (frat parties, college hyjinks,etc.), the just want to be part of a community that pulsates with the excitement and pagentry that college football is famous for. Alas, Connecticut missed the boat with that one - the on campus stadium. Short sighted, I'm of the opinion. Somehow a football Saturday in East Hartford does not quite "pulsate" the same as in C'Ville and South Bend.

Have you even been to a tailgate yet? I've never seen anything like our atmosphere (ok except when I slept on a random person's lawn the night before the rose bowl in 97. ASU vs OSU. That was pretty sweet.)

 

[Adios]

This helps with recruiting as well...

Taking that tattoo into consideration, I could imagine it already does help. Nice @$$!!

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Have you even been to a tailgate yet? I've never seen anything like our atmosphere (ok except when I slept on a random person's lawn the night before the rose bowl in 97. ASU vs OSU. That was pretty sweet.)

Not disputing the tailgating at Rentschler - I'm a big fan, but it makes "getting into my seats for kickoff difficult" lol. Difference between UConn and many of these other on campus sites is that the "sleeping on lawns, RV's pulling into designated areas, and general tailgating" usually begins on Friday morning or Thursday evening.

 

[Waquoit]

Ever drive into Michie Stadium? It can be done. People spread out their arrival and departure times to avoid the rush.

Yes. It's horrible. Especially leaving. Glad I did it twice. That was enough.

 

[mattp]

That would look great on my boat!!!!

is there a boat in that picture?

 

[Doggie Style]

is there a boat in that picture?

Aahhhhhh........ Nice!

 

[FAIRTIDES]

And that's really the issue. Most state universities are in the middle of nowhere, particularly in the South/Midwest. However, towns sprung up around the universities there, but that never happened here (for a number of reasons that would take a 20 page thread to discuss).

I noted this in the article: "Urban design experts are watching the development closely. Typically, they say, an educational institution grows up in a city or town and not the reverse."

Wrong. A million times wrong. State schools spawn the town, not the other way around.

You mean the guy from Yale is wrong? Blasphemy.