Faison Press Conference 4PM

[UNDBIZ]

There's a message going around on Facebook that purports to be from Dodson and indicates they are being given the opportunity to fundraise to save the program. Anyone know if there's any validity to it?

[The Sicatoka]

Based on today's Herald article, probably ... 

Quote

As much of the baseball team sat behind him, pitcher Brett DeGagne asked why some programs had been cut while others would be retooled. Schafer said he has been having conversations about finding sustainable funding for the program, possibly through donors or the Alumni Association and Foundation.

Want baseball? Endow it. Let's see, .... about a $600k annual budget. At 4% endowment return that means you'd need to raise about $15,000,000.00. 

Talk is cheap; it takes money to buy whiskey. 

[ericpnelson]

5 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

Preach on Rev. Schafer! 

If Montana State can make a special arrangement with the BSC to not carry a core sport (women's soccer) and instead have championship caliber alpine skiing teams, why can't UND make a similar arrangement. 

I think our alpine skiing team is gonna have a practice facility issue

[UND Fan]

49 minutes ago, UNDBIZ said:

There's a message going around on Facebook that purports to be from Dodson and indicates they are being given the opportunity to fundraise to save the program. Anyone know if there's any validity to it?

It is fact - they are trying to get confirmed funding of $1M for the next two years during which time they would work toward getting endowments necessary to keep it going. 

[UNDvince97-01]

44 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

Based on today's Herald article, probably ... 

Want baseball? Endow it. Let's see, .... about a $600k annual budget. At 4% endowment return that means you'd need to raise about $15,000,000.00. 

Talk is cheap; it takes money to buy whiskey. 

UND endowments have been returning closer to 8% recently I believe.

But your point stands on a 'normal, average' return.

[bincitysioux]

9 hours ago, UNDBIZ said:

There's a message going around on Facebook that purports to be from Dodson and indicates they are being given the opportunity to fundraise to save the program. Anyone know if there's any validity to it?

 

8 hours ago, UND Fan said:

It is fact - they are trying to get confirmed funding of $1M for the next two years during which time they would work toward getting endowments necessary to keep it going. 

UND BASEBALL: UND opens the door to try and save program

Does this have any real chance of succeeding?

UND is much better off long term without baseball IMO............

 

[CMSioux]

Just when many were starting to accept that cuts needs to be made they pull the scab off the wound. Hope they set the bar very high for funding baseball otherwise it's going to be an annual headache. Now what if all the other areas that are being cut say "What if we can fund ourselves". Now you have all these small fragmented fundraising activities going after the same dollars. Times change, not all programs are going to survive, there is duplication, there are legitimate reasons why the programs that are on the cutting block were chosen. Higher education needs to refocus for the future and tough decisions need to be made and kept. Sometimes that means pain. 

[UNDvince97-01]

So let's recap...

Sept 15, 2015:  (Email)  "We'd like to proactively secure the financial future of UND Baseball.  We will do the heavy lifting and raise the money ourselves.  Your thoughts, Mr Faison?" (Crickets...no reply.)

April 12, 2016:  UND announces they are cutting Baseball at a press conference.  Faison says there's no looking back.  It's over and done with.

April 15, 2016:  "I just read the first paragraph of the email and skimmed over the rest of it.  It wouldn't have mattered anyway."

April 21, 2016:  "You guys can raise your own money to try save your program (like you wanted to do in September when it "didnt matter anyway"), but we are not subsidizing baseball anymore.  You need to have 1 million raised for the next 2 seasons by 2017 and have a plan for the years thereafter."

 

 

"Leadership"

 

 

[tnt]

15 minutes ago, UNDvince97-01 said:

So let's recap...

Sept 15, 2015:  (Email)  "We'd like to proactively secure the financial future of UND Baseball.  We will do the heavy lifting and raise the money ourselves.  Your thoughts, Mr Faison?" (Crickets...no reply.)

April 12, 2016:  UND announces they are cutting Baseball at a press conference.  Faison says there's no looking back.  It's over and done with.

April 15, 2016:  "I just read the first paragraph of the email and skimmed over the rest of it.  It wouldn't have mattered anyway."

April 21, 2016:  "You guys can raise your own money to try save your program (like you wanted to do in September when it "didnt matter anyway"), but we are not subsidizing baseball anymore.  You need to have 1 million raised for the next 2 seasons by 2017 and have a plan for the years thereafter."

 

 

"Leadership"

 

 

It sounds like the chance at redemption isn't coming from the Athletic Department.  Unless there is an endowment, I don't think it is wise to even go down that road.  In fact I question taking the time and energy going down the endowment path.  I don't think recruiting to this situation would be very easy.  Just like when Alabama Huntsville quit hockey and Clarke Saunders came here, then they found funding to save it.  I think people that have other options would be wanting to get out, and people that are being recruited are not going to want to touch this program.  

[The Sicatoka]

1 hour ago, CMSioux said:

Hope they set the bar very high for funding baseball otherwise it's going to be an annual headache. 

 

4 minutes ago, tnt said:

Unless there is an endowment, I don't think it is wise to even go down that road.  

Those two posts sum up my thoughts: An endowment, a very large (no annual issues) endowment. Nothing less. 

[UND-1]

55 minutes ago, UNDvince97-01 said:

So let's recap...

Sept 15, 2015:  (Email)  "We'd like to proactively secure the financial future of UND Baseball.  We will do the heavy lifting and raise the money ourselves.  Your thoughts, Mr Faison?" (Crickets...no reply.)

April 12, 2016:  UND announces they are cutting Baseball at a press conference.  Faison says there's no looking back.  It's over and done with.

April 15, 2016:  "I just read the first paragraph of the email and skimmed over the rest of it.  It wouldn't have mattered anyway."

April 21, 2016:  "You guys can raise your own money to try save your program (like you wanted to do in September when it "didnt matter anyway"), but we are not subsidizing baseball anymore.  You need to have 1 million raised for the next 2 seasons by 2017 and have a plan for the years thereafter."

"Leadership"

Like I have said before, don't underestimate the Baseball team.  Very smart, very loyal, and successful are three traits of their alumni.  

I understand the issues with climate, everyone does.  But, let's see what they come up with.  If it's not enough, oh well, at least they fought.  

[UNDvince97-01]

I wonder if Summit League affiliate membership was ever even explored to save money on the baseball budget?  Could probably save 10's of thousands on travel costs each year. Win/Win for both sides too.

I'm highly confident it wasn't though. 

Again, that whole vision and leadership thing.

[UND-1]

3 minutes ago, UNDvince97-01 said:

I wonder if Summit League affiliate membership was ever even explored to save money on the baseball budget?  Could probably save 10's of thousands on travel costs each year. Win/Win for both sides too.

I'm highly confident it wasn't though. 

Again, that whole vision and leadership thing.

The baseball team wanted it for those reasons.  The SDSU and NDSU coaches wanted it for those reasons.  But a couple people higher up than them couldn't get along so UND kept flying all over the country instead and eventually got their program cut because their budget was too high.

[darell1976]

1 minute ago, UND-1 said:

The baseball team wanted it for those reasons.  The SDSU and NDSU coaches wanted it for those reasons.  But a couple people higher up than them couldn't get along so UND kept flying all over the country instead and eventually got their program cut because their budget was too high.

It goes back to the ultimate debate....Big Sky vs Summit League. 

[jdub27]

13 minutes ago, UNDvince97-01 said:

I wonder if Summit League affiliate membership was ever even explored to save money on the baseball budget?  Could probably save 10's of thousands on travel costs each year. Win/Win for both sides too.

I'm highly confident it wasn't though. 

Again, that whole vision and leadership thing.

My understanding is that strictly on the baseball in the Summit, it was a Summit leadership issue, not a UND one. Maybe that has changed in the last year or two, but UND was openly working on that instead of the WAC but TD wanted no part of it, despite support for UND from a few of his member schools.

[petey23]

3 minutes ago, UNDvince97-01 said:

I wonder if Summit League affiliate membership was ever even explored to save money on the baseball budget?  Could probably save 10's of thousands on travel costs each year. Win/Win for both sides too.

I'm highly confident it wasn't though. 

Again, that whole vision and leadership thing.

timing. If I remember the timeframe correctly when the Summit league lost a team or two for baseball and everyone thought it would be natural for UND to join in baseball which would allow the Summit league to keep their auto qualifier spot for baseball and for their other sports as well as they were temporarily out of compliance with NCAA requirements. I think Faison and Douple still had and maybe still do have a strained relationship largely owed to the lies Douple had spread to the media which stemmed from him having to cover for Gene Taylor's lies.

[UNDvince97-01]

13 minutes ago, jdub27 said:

My understanding is that strictly on the baseball in the Summit, it was a Summit leadership issue, not a UND one. Maybe that has changed in the last year or two, but UND was openly working on that instead of the WAC but TD wanted no part of it, despite support for UND from a few of his member schools.

You are correct, there was a presumed lack of interest back then by Douple.  However, the state coffers were full and ND was rich back then too and we weren't looking at budget cuts.

UND announced their WAC membership in February of 2013.  Which means the last discussion regarding Summit League Baseball affiliate membership took place over 3 years ago at minimum.

So much has changed since that time. The Summit League is down to 6 teams for Baseball and now in danger of losing their AQ bid if someone else leaves.  The state of Illinois is in shambles and WIU is in trouble financially.  UND also has since been asked to cut their athletics dept budget.

It's an apples to oranges comparisons between now and then. 

Things change in a hurry.  Ask ndsu and sdsu about the Big Sky.

Douple (and Viverito for that matter) and Faison should be banging down each other's doors to secure their futures.

13 minutes ago, petey23 said:

timing. If I remember the timeframe correctly when the Summit league lost a team or two for baseball and everyone thought it would be natural for UND to join in baseball which would allow the Summit league to keep their auto qualifier spot for baseball and for their other sports as well as they were temporarily out of compliance with NCAA requirements. I think Faison and Douple still had and maybe still do have a strained relationship largely owed to the lies Douple had spread to the media which stemmed from him having to cover for Gene Taylor's lies.

You are correct about the strained relationship that was like an open book in the media.  You are also correct about the cover-ups and lies.

However, the Summit affiliate membership wasn't revisited and looked at this time around when cuts were imminent over the last 6 months or so.  How do you not look at that again?

It's incumbent upon Faison as the leader of the Athletics Dept to look into it at minimum. 

Swallow your pride, pick up the phone and make the call.  See if it's an option.

Douple makes my skin crawl too, but at least look into it.  Be proactive.  Exhaust all options.

[dakotadan]

No point in arguing with Douple when cutting the program makes much more sense and saves UND a lot more money. 

[Cratter]

Again record revenues at UND, yet cut long standing programs?!?!

HUH?!

Show me the money!!!

[UNDBIZ]

23 minutes ago, Cratter said:

Again record revenues at UND, yet cut long standing programs?!?!

HUH?!

Show me the money!!!

Schafer has said multiple times that UND doesn't have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem. 

[Cratter]

1 hour ago, UNDBIZ said:

Schafer has said multiple times that UND doesn't have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem. 

Dont disagree but Spending on new programs. ..yet cut decade old ones to reolace?!

Shouldn't cut spending that got us into this mess last five years! ?

[darell1976]

5 hours ago, dakotadan said:

No point in arguing with Douple when cutting the program makes much more sense and saves UND a lot more money. 

But how about basketball and volleyball travels, we can't be saving much money when we take trips all over the west 26 times a year, not including football. NDSU, SDSU, USD, and Omaha is a quick trip compared to the expense just to get to Greeley. 

[UNDBIZ]

8 hours ago, Cratter said:

Dont disagree but Spending on new programs. ..yet cut decade old ones to reolace?!

Shouldn't cut spending that got us into this mess last five years! ?

I suppose the thought is that times change and the university must change with them. 

[jdub27]

12 hours ago, UNDvince97-01 said:

You are correct, there was a presumed lack of interest back then by Douple.  However, the state coffers were full and ND was rich back then too and we weren't looking at budget cuts.

UND announced their WAC membership in February of 2013.  Which means the last discussion regarding Summit League Baseball affiliate membership took place over 3 years ago at minimum.

So much has changed since that time. The Summit League is down to 6 teams for Baseball and now in danger of losing their AQ bid if someone else leaves.  The state of Illinois is in shambles and WIU is in trouble financially.  UND also has since been asked to cut their athletics dept budget.

The Summit was in an even worse position and at 5 teams when UND was looking for a baseball home. UND applied at that time and the Summit ignored it.

Again, I'm not sure what happened between then and now but the Summit was getting waivers to keep their autobid when UND was sending in applications and they didn't care and even though they are at 6 currently, it is still a better position than they were in 2013.

[SiouxVolley]

8 hours ago, jdub27 said:

The Summit was in an even worse position and at 5 teams when UND was looking for a baseball home. UND applied at that time and the Summit ignored it.

Again, I'm not sure what happened between then and now but the Summit was getting waivers to keep their autobid when UND was sending in applications and they didn't care and even though they are at 6 currently, it is still a better position than they were in 2013.

UND wanted the Slummit to start football, but schools like WIU, SDSU, and NDSU absolutely refused to do it because they would lose their MFVC memberships and they are so delusional that they think they can get MVC membership.

UND and No Colo could have been given Summit baseball affiliate membership, but the Big Sky and WAC are working together to deny the Summit more members.  The Summit was to five baseball members when ORU left for a couple years.  That was a huge deal as the Slummit is a non football conference that needs three men's team sports to keep its bid to the dance.  It was about to lose that bid unless ORU came back, as the NCAA allows a two year grace period.  The Summit and Big Sky/WAC have been at war and UMKC's and Denver's moves were part of that.  Either the Slummit dies or the WAC dies.

Next year with the Vikings Stadium there should be a home for early games for Upper Midwest teams.

UND likely didn't lose that much playing in the WAC as almost all early games need to be away and UND can play the Slummit's teams on weekdays.