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<P><FONT size=2>Donavan,<BR> Perhaps you should start with an examination
of the UI Dept. of Athletics web site. If you were to look at attendance
figures you will see that Idaho has not done that bad considering the record of
Cable's teams.<BR>Some figures on average football attendance for the
UI: </FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff></FONT> </P>
<P>
<TABLE style="WIDTH: 192pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" cellSpacing=0
cellPadding=0 width=256 border=0 x:str>
<COLGROUP>
<COL style="WIDTH: 48pt" span=4 width=64>
<TBODY>
<TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17>
<TD class=xl27
style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; WIDTH: 48pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
width=64 height=17><FONT face=Arial size=2>year</FONT></TD>
<TD class=xl31
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; WIDTH: 48pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
width=64><FONT face=Arial size=2>home</FONT></TD>
<TD class=xl26
style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; WIDTH: 48pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
width=64><FONT face=Arial size=2>away</FONT></TD>
<TD
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 48pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
width=64><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></TD></TR>
<TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17>
<TD class=xl28
style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
align=right height=17 x:num><FONT face=Arial size=2>2004</FONT></TD>
<TD class=xl32
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
align=right x:num="16620"><FONT face=Arial size=2>16,620</FONT></TD>
<TD class=xl24
style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
align=right x:num="27494"><FONT face=Arial size=2>27,494</FONT></TD>
<TD
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"><FONT
face=Arial size=2></FONT></TD></TR>
<TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17>
<TD class=xl34
style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
align=right height=17 x:num><FONT face=Arial size=2>2003</FONT></TD>
<TD class=xl35
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
align=right x:num="12064"><FONT face=Arial size=2>12,064</FONT></TD>
<TD class=xl36
style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
align=right x:num="23951"><FONT face=Arial size=2>23,951</FONT></TD>
<TD
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"><FONT
face=Arial size=2></FONT></TD></TR>
<TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17>
<TD class=xl28
style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
align=right height=17 x:num><FONT face=Arial size=2>2002</FONT></TD>
<TD class=xl32
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
align=right x:num="10931"><FONT face=Arial size=2>10,931</FONT></TD>
<TD class=xl24
style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
align=right x:num="31010"><FONT face=Arial size=2>31,010</FONT></TD>
<TD
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"><FONT
face=Arial size=2></FONT></TD></TR>
<TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17>
<TD class=xl34
style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
align=right height=17 x:num><FONT face=Arial size=2>2001</FONT></TD>
<TD class=xl35
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
align=right x:num="16230"><FONT face=Arial size=2>16,230</FONT></TD>
<TD class=xl36
style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
align=right x:num="30767"><FONT face=Arial size=2>30,767</FONT></TD>
<TD
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"><FONT
face=Arial size=2></FONT></TD></TR>
<TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17>
<TD class=xl29
style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
align=right height=17 x:num><FONT face=Arial size=2>2000</FONT></TD>
<TD class=xl33
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
align=right x:num="16853"><FONT face=Arial size=2>16,853</FONT></TD>
<TD class=xl25
style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 0.5pt solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
align=right x:num="34531"><FONT face=Arial size=2>34,531</FONT></TD>
<TD
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"><FONT
face=Arial size=2></FONT></TD></TR>
<TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17>
<TD class=xl30
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
height=17><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></TD>
<TD
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"><FONT
face=Arial size=2></FONT></TD>
<TD
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"><FONT
face=Arial size=2></FONT></TD>
<TD
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"><FONT
face=Arial size=2></FONT></TD></TR>
<TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17>
<TD
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; mso-ignore: colspan"
colSpan=4 height=17><FONT face=Arial size=2>Source, UI Dept. of Athletics
web site</FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></P>
<P><BR><BR>I am sure Dr. Gier fully understands the consequences of moving the
program back 1-AA status and I am sure he understands that the consequences of
this action spread far beyond the football team. Athletic programs
provide an avenue for students to attend college, cutting sports programs cuts
scholarship opportunities and this is especially true for women and racial
minorities. Title 9 has been an absolute blessing to women and I
feel one of the best tools devised to remove barriers that prevented women from
attending college. Before Title 9 women just were not seen in large
numbers on campuses anywhere in this nation, once the doors were opened for
athletes many of the remaining barriers fell as well. Maybe in the
1950's and 60's football was about brawn versus books, (and I know there are
still abuses in many US colleges) but now revenue from football provide an entry
way for a lot of students who may not have been classic "college
material." <BR>What I really love about the UI program is how
successful the student athletes are in the classroom. As a whole at the
UI, student athletes outperform the general student population in GPA's,
retention rates, and graduation rates. <BR>How many scholarship programs
really pay for themselves? Athletics, especially in years when you have a
good football team, pays for itself and enriches the college experience for far
more students than those who take the field. You invest some money by
buying tickets and/or supporting the Vandal Boosters and you get a good
return. (I have noticed that my PERSI account has not had a positive
return for a few years) Whether you like it or not, football, basketball,
volleyball, etc. is about education. It is about scholarships, it is also
about valuable life skills such a discipline, planning, teamwork, caring for
your fellow teammate, your coaches, your
opponents. <BR><BR><BR>My problem with the whole financial
scandal of the Hoover era is how students and staff have suffered; have we seen
anyone involved in that house of cards charged with a crime? Will the
Board of Education ever take responsibility for the mess that they ultimately
created, no? Will the governor, no? The Boise project has
served as an excuse to plunder the U of I. I am very certain that the
state as a whole has suffered economically and socially because of the
repercussions of that project.<BR><BR>Cutting football back to 1-AA status and
eliminating other athletic scholarships would be just another short sighted
response to a scandal that the Board should take responsibility
for. <BR><BR>Thanks,<BR>Chris
Storhok<BR><BR><BR><BR>-----Original Message-----<BR>From:
vision2020-bounces@moscow.com<BR>[<A
href="mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com">mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com</A>]On
Behalf Of Donovan Arnold<BR>Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2004 2:42 PM<BR>To:
vision2020@moscow.com<BR>Subject: [Vision2020] Re: Nice Story about Nick
Holt<BR><BR><BR>Chris Storhok writes, "Dr. Gier's attack on Vandal athletics is
perhaps one<BR>of the poorest<BR>strategies ever used to solve the funding woes
of the U. of I." and he<BR>continued with,<BR><BR>"The real cause of the U of
I's funding problems can be traced directly to<BR>poor government leadership
within the state legislature, the governors<BR>office, and a out of touch and
very anti-public education State Board of<BR>Education."<BR><BR>First off, Dr.
Gier was not attacking the Vandal athletics program. I think<BR>you
misunderstand what Dr. Gier was stating or you intentionally
are<BR>misrepresenting his fair-minded and concerned intentions. From
my<BR>perception, Mr. Geir cares very much about the University and has done
a<BR>great deal for it and the teachers and students. Pointing out an error
is<BR>not attacking it to prevent future harm to the University is not
attacking<BR>it.<BR><BR>I doubt Mr. Gier of all people would disagree that the
State Legislature and<BR>Governor are not running an effective government.
However, that is only part<BR>of the financial problems of the University. The
other half of the problem<BR>is the million of dollars lost by the University
Administration dumping huge<BR>amounts of money into programs and projects that
they believed would make<BR>more money based on uninformed decisions using
flawed research.<BR><BR>Favoring sound financial decisions through proper
research will prevent the<BR>University from plunging deeper in financial
despair. I think everyone would<BR>like very much to pursue expansions in all
areas of the University. But they<BR>should do so not in a reckless manner that
creates financial havoc.<BR><BR>The evidence that going to AI will improve the
financial situation of UI is<BR>shaky at best. I think if the attendance of
12,000-17,000 on average per<BR>game is needed to make the financial projections
necessary to make the<BR>investment costs of moving to AI worth while we should
absolutely not move<BR>to AI. There is nothing to indicate that on average, 110%
of the current<BR>student population will attend every game. Moscow does not
have the<BR>population base to get to 12,000 on average. Further, using
WSU as a model<BR>is also evidence that the person(s) doing the research has a
poor<BR>understanding of the University and the surrounding
populations.<BR><BR>I think anyone that truly cared about the University would
not want its<BR>limited resources chasing after long-shot dreams of having a
great and<BR>profitable football team. I am all for moving to AI. But not at the
expense<BR>of rest of University. The money and the resources we have should be
put<BR>toward the original intentions of the University, education.<BR><BR>Take
Care,<BR><BR>Donovan J
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