UConn Student Football Apathy Needs Prompt Attention

[Husky25]

SUBOG and USG are still active, however the issue with USG, at least when I was there a couple years ago, is that the only group that really cared enough to vote people in were the stoners so the only issues really discussed were marijuana policy.

So much truth to this statement it hurts.

Pity. So why can't you "blame" the students again? This is 100% on the students. SUBOG and USG actually did things for student life not more than 15 years ago, as opposed to debate a policy on a substance that would be illegal in the real world regardless of what the school's policy is. UConn cops don't take their orders from the Administration. They take them from the state police (at least they did in my tenure).

 

[DoctorWho85]

Pity. So why can't you "blame" the students again? This is 100% on the students. SUBOG and USG actually did things for student life not more than 15 years ago, as opposed to debate a policy on a substance that would be illegal in the real world regardless of what the school's policy is. UConn cops don't take their orders from the Administration. They take them from the state police (at least they did in my tenure).

I'm not saying the students are at fault. They all seemed to have a terrible spoiled brat mentality that throw a tantrum when they don't get their way. Obviously the students are unhappy and the school should at least be trying their best to give these students incentive for going to the games. Work the the fraternities and sororities to set up a huge tailgate for all the students going to the game. Try anything to get them there happy and staying.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Pity. So why can't you "blame" the students again? This is 100% on the students. SUBOG and USG actually did things for student life not more than 15 years ago, as opposed to debate a policy on a substance that would be illegal in the real world regardless of what the school's policy is. UConn cops don't take their orders from the Administration. They take them from the state police (at least they did in my tenure).

The UConn police are not affiliated with the state police to the best of my knowledge. I believe the chief is appointed by the school administration.

 

[Nostical]

You are missing what seems to me, to be a major obstacle to the University having much, if any control over these issues you address. Rentschler field, is not UCONN property. Any student that goes to Rentschler is both in reality, and technically OFF-campus which makes what can and can't be done a bit limited on the University's part.

I don't buy that at all. That's an unacceptable roadblock Carl. The University must relentlessly work to find a way--and if it takes long hours of discussion with the Stadium management they need to solve it. As I said, this won't happen in a vacuum. The leadership for this issue must be identified on campus and the entity/person selected must be held accountable for getting this fixed. No one is better at delegating a job and seeing that it gets done than Pres. Herbst. This may need her attention given the lassez-faire attitude among those who should have been leading the effort for change.

 

[SubbaBub]

Bus: need to have a game ticket - free

Ticket: added to your student ID

Tailgate: Student fee supported club to provide entertainment/refreshments

Dog Pound: Student fee supported club to organize the student section a la the American Outlaws

The rest of us: need to accept that the off campus nature of the stadium is only going to attract/maintain until the final whistle a limited percentage of students who if I recall from personal experience have a primary interest in getting drunk and/or laid on Saturday nights and no FB game is going to get in the way of that.

 

[Husky25]

The UConn police are not affiliated with the state police to the best of my knowledge. I believe the chief is appointed by the school administration.

You're right, they aren't state police. But they do have all the same authorities and powers granted to any other police dept. in the state, and as such Marijuana would be just as illegal on the Campus of the University as it would be in the Village of Storrs, or Town of Mansfield, regardless of University policy.

Strawman averted.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

You're right, they aren't state police. But they do have all the same authorities and powers granted to any other police dept. in the state, and as such Marijuana would be just as illegal on the Campus of the University as it would be in the Village of Storrs, or Town of Mansfield, regardless of University policy.

Strawman averted.

Yes, they are most certainly a real police dept. and not glorified campus safety. I think USG efforts generally focused more on how it was treated by the school if someone was caught, especially after decriminalization. Not sure how there was a straw man there.

 

[Husky25]

Yes, they are most certainly a real police dept. and not glorified campus safety. I think USG efforts generally focused more on how it was treated by the school if someone was caught, especially after decriminalization. Not sure how there was a straw man there.

I misinterpreted what you originally meant, but still...

If possession and/or use is no longer a crime, then shouldn't the student get a ticket just like the rest of society? Yes? Yes? Okay next topic. How do we make it worth the students' while to go to and stay at the football games on Saturday afternoons?

The floor now is re-open for discussion...

 

[Steve3596]

When I was at Uconn they charged a buck to get a bus pass, and back then they used to claim the only reason why they charged at all was so they could get a count of tickets sold in order to schedule the proper amount of buses. The claim was people wouldn't just pick up a bus pass as an option and not use it if they actually spent money on it.

To me it always felt like some cheap way to jip the students even more. God forbid the school schedule one too many buses, they could never afford it with how much they allocated to your tuition bill for student recreations.

 

[CTMike]

This is batsht crazy but what about an "Unofficial Student Tailgate" sponsored by... The Boneyard.

ps - not it!

 

[Drew]

I'd just like to say that I posted all of these issues last year and was ripped for it and was told that I needed to sack up.

 

[Sky ball]

I'd just like to say that I posted all of these issues last year and was ripped for it and was told that I needed to sack up.

Quit whining Drew and Sack Up!

 

[Drew]

And also yeah, we do live in a generation where most kids are catered to and feel entitled to certain things. Instead of just complaining and saying how much we suck maybe tailor the product to your consumer so they keep coming back. Half the people I've talked to today didn't even know we were playing tonight. There's a million different things to point out but blaming students for complaining that it's not simple for them to see THEIR team is just moronic

 

[CTGoonie]

Yes. Brilliant. Let's increase student attendance by keeping those who want to leave early prisoner. That will do it.

Damn straight. If Fishy agreed on this point it must make sense.

 

[kemba]

Might be some small changes they could make, but 90% of it is about winning. Article loses any credibility it had when it talks about how BC had a great atmosphere for USC. Like the Rent wouldn't be rocking if we beat USC???

If people don't like where they get dropped off that seems like it should be simple to change, but at least when I was a student it wasn't a problem, they dropped us off far away from the stadium, but that's what people wanted so we could go tailgate. I remember when Hogan was president they did this thing called Hogan's bus and the first bus that went to the game rode with Hogan, got some snacks, and got dropped off at the gate. I took it once, and when we got dropped off every single person turned around and went out to red lot to go meet up with people tailgating.

 

[kemba]

Half the people I've talked to today didn't even know we were playing tonight.

And that's UConn's fault? Either you care enough to know the schedule and turn your tv on or you don't.

 

[06029]

Students take their cues from the regular fans including season ticket holders that don't care if they get in for kickoff because 1 more beer is good. Or that leave early to beat the traffic or get to the 5 pm mass (I actually heard some woman telling her husband/male companion taht in the third quarter of a great game and he got up and left). Or really won't go to the games against bad opponents in bad weather. If season ticket holders don't do it, why expect the students too?

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

DiMauro ruins the few good articles he puts out by trying to get a rise out of the BY. He already has a woody this has gone 3 pages.

I went to the FSU game in Boston last year. Despite staying close in the first half, the place was 3/4 full with a lousy atmosphere.

 

[jackl]

I disagree. I'd be making the same complaints. It's incredible to me that this has been going on without any corrective action being taken. These are all fixable issues. Winning is on the Coaches and players. Student attendance is on the administration. They need to fix it. No excuses.

You have to treat the future season ticket holders right. Shame on them if they don't. GO HUSKIES!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dooley]

My idea to engage students:

Add a special "athletics surcharge" to all student tuition fees. Say, $1000/yr (most tuition bills are paid for by student loans anyway). But here's the deal: no more purchasing tickets, bus rides, etc for students ever again. Season tickets are given away via lottery for all sports, all seasons. 25,000 students x $1000 "athletics surcharge" = $25M per year for the school. Deduct the actual value of game tickets, UCONN still makes money.

What's in it for UCONN? Money. Probably around $10-$15M/yr after expenses.

Whats in it for the students? School pride. The students who want to be at games will enter the lottery. Lottery winners are indicated via scanner on student IDs (this also allows the school to count students for busses and tailgate supplies). To get on a bus for an off-campus game, your ID gets scanned. To get into the Rent or XL, your ID gets scanned. If your ID is scanned for the bus but never for the Rent/XL, you get a "WTF" email from UCONN questioning the kid's school pride. General admission seating so the kids who care about getting on TV will get to games early. No immediate kick to the sack (or ovaries) felt until after graduation for those paying by student loans, so more immediate disposable income can be spent on things that matter, like beer. Everything is easy now. No more waiting in weekly lines for bus passes or whatever. Just go to the games and have fun.

BONUS: add an incentive program - if you have perfect season attendance, you get a discount off of future "athletics surcharges". If your ID is scanned for the return bus trip back to campus AFTER the game is over for all games, you get a discount.

If UCONN is worried about underage student drinking, then scale the "athletics surcharge" by age or grade. FR pay $1000 per year; SO pay $800; etc. Or 18-20 yo pay $1000/yr then you get discounts once you turn 21 (the timing is good too as it would act as a "thank you" symbolic gesture by the school towards their upperclassmen).

If all the students have to pay for athletics anyway, it becomes part of the university fabric. UCONN communicates to its student body that athletics are an important aspect to being a Husky by rolling it onto its tuition bill. Students pay it like they would pay any other type of student association fee and have full access for their money. Why so pricey? First, UCONN can make more money. We'll need that while we sit in AAC purgatory. We'll even need it if the day ever comes that we are called up to the B1G leagues. But second, and more importantly, we want students to feel like athletics are part of being a Husky. Parents will probably harp on kids to go to games. But they'll go because it's already paid for and it's easy. They'll go because that's an important element to being a Husky.

 

[Husky25]

And also yeah, we do live in a generation where most kids are catered to and feel entitled to certain things. Instead of just complaining and saying how much we suck maybe tailor the product to your consumer so they keep coming back. Half the people I've talked to today didn't even know we were playing tonight. There's a million different things to point out but blaming students for complaining that it's not simple for them to see THEIR team is just moronic

Fault lies with all parties involved.

I enjoy your posts, Drew, and the program needs more fans like you, but in all fairness, this thread shouldn't be taken as a afront to students for their complaining. The student complaints in the article have ferretted out real issues. On the other hand, I am blaming students for not having any perceived involvement in a solution. Alumni and non-student fans can only do so much and populating the stands behind the South End zone is not one of them.

Also, in all fairness, Alumni and non-student fans see only the end product. We see the unoccupied aluminum benches after halftime, but we are also consumers of a product. We are not the provider of the entertainment or transportation and we can't really affect change in student life (beyond an e-mail to John Seagrave or Dan Evan, as noted above). So what does it matter, really, what the Boneyard at large thinks of your ideas for improvement? If they were important enough to bring up, then they are important enough to bring up to someone that can affect real change. If no one is notified, it cannot be addressed. The non-student population of the Boneyard 1) does not have the authority and 2) should not be expected to take up a cause, while those who the cause is supposed to benefit the most sit back and do nothing because of the self-admitted entitlement generation.

At least that's the perception, if not reality, from 30,000 feet.

 

[BlueDogs]

Get some local bands and a tent area for students. Let them bring whatever they want and get jacked for the game. Heck, get a beer truck out there for those over the age.

Lets get them fired up and coming.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

My idea to engage students:

Add a special "athletics surcharge" to all student tuition fees. Say, $1000/yr (most tuition bills are paid for by student loans anyway). But here's the deal: no more purchasing tickets, bus rides, etc for students ever again. Season tickets are given away via lottery for all sports, all seasons. 25,000 students x $1000 "athletics surcharge" = $25M per year for the school. Deduct the actual value of game tickets, UCONN still makes money.

What's in it for UCONN? Money. Probably around $10-$15M/yr after expenses.

Whats in it for the students? School pride. The students who want to be at games will enter the lottery. Lottery winners are indicated via scanner on student IDs (this also allows the school to count students for busses and tailgate supplies). To get on a bus for an off-campus game, your ID gets scanned. To get into the Rent or XL, your ID gets scanned. If your ID is scanned for the bus but never for the Rent/XL, you get a "WTF" email from UCONN questioning the kid's school pride. General admission seating so the kids who care about getting on TV will get to games early. No immediate kick to the sack (or ovaries) felt until after graduation for those paying by student loans, so more immediate disposable income can be spent on things that matter, like beer. Everything is easy now. No more waiting in weekly lines for bus passes or whatever. Just go to the games and have fun.

BONUS: add an incentive program - if you have perfect season attendance, you get a discount off of future "athletics surcharges". If your ID is scanned for the return bus trip back to campus AFTER the game is over for all games, you get a discount.

If UCONN is worried about underage student drinking, then scale the "athletics surcharge" by age or grade. FR pay $1000 per year; SO pay $800; etc. Or 18-20 yo pay $1000/yr then you get discounts once you turn 21 (the timing is good too as it would act as a "thank you" symbolic gesture by the school towards their upperclassmen).

If all the students have to pay for athletics anyway, it becomes part of the university fabric. UCONN communicates to its student body that athletics are an important aspect to being a Husky by rolling it onto its tuition bill. Students pay it like they would pay any other type of student association fee and have full access for their money. Why so pricey? First, UCONN can make more money. We'll need that while we sit in AAC purgatory. We'll even need it if the day ever comes that we are called up to the B1G leagues. But second, and more importantly, we want students to feel like athletics are part of being a Husky. Parents will probably harp on kids to go to games. But they'll go because it's already paid for and it's easy. They'll go because that's an important element to being a Husky.

Cost of tuition is going through the roof and you want to soak them more? The overwhelming majority of students don't go to games. Not sure if this is the direction I'd go.

 

[junglehusky]

This is batsht crazy but what about an "Unofficial Student Tailgate" sponsored by... The Boneyard.

ps - not it!

Oh, you're it bro. Mitch Mike-a-palooza!

 

[junglehusky]