President Kennedy Message on Athletics

[bincitysioux]

3 hours ago, Siouxperman8 said:

NDSU administration has been very clear by their actions that their intention is to stick it to UND football for not scheduling them during their transition.  I don't think they are looking to do us any favors with a large issue like league membership.

The thing is, UND doesn't need them to do any favors regarding league membership.  We have a league.  A great league with great members.  A far superior conference to the Summit/MVFC.

[bincitysioux]

1 hour ago, Siouxperman8 said:

I don't believe UND will eliminate women's hockey because of Title IX.  It is arguably the highest profile women's team due to consistently ranking in the top 10-15 nationally and would face a lot of criticism for that reason.

But aren't there only like 10-15 teams in the whole nation?

Drop women's hockey, its awful to watch and a terrible investment.  Get rid of swimming and diving and men's golf too.

The athletic department would be far better off.  

[SIOUXFAN97]

maybe kennedy wants to go back to D2?

[Siouxperman8]

1 hour ago, bincitysioux said:

The thing is, UND doesn't need them to do any favors regarding league membership.  We have a league.  A great league with great members.  A far superior conference to the Summit/MVFC.

I'm not sure the Big Sky is sustainable from a cost standpoint.   I also like the idea of playing our traditional rivals in conference play.  NDSU, USD, SDSU would bring a lot more interest and excitement than anybody in the Big Sky.  

I know there are dogs in the MVFC/Summit but there are just as many in the Big Sky and they are missing the midwest teams that we grew up hating and competing against.  It will be a long time, if ever, before we build the same intense rivalries with the Big Sky teams.  I also like the idea of being able to drive to away games against those teams plus UNI.

[The Sicatoka]

A $1.4 million problem is better than what they are facing at UAA and UAF. 

https://mmf.smugmug.com/All-Galleries/Alaska-Nanook-Hockey/201617-Hockey-GIFS/n-wMqVcn/i-f9LMBbL/A

[2TRU4U]

1 hour ago, bincitysioux said:

The thing is, UND doesn't need them to do any favors regarding league membership.  We have a league.  A great league with great members.  A far superior conference to the Summit/MVFC.

Far superior?  Not in athletics. Maybe scenery at member sites. 

[SooToo]

2 hours ago, bincitysioux said:

The thing is, UND doesn't need them to do any favors regarding league membership.  We have a league.  A great league with great members.  A far superior conference to the Summit/MVFC.

Nice casting. Well played.

[nodakhoops]

Looking at it objectively and if I was in charge the easiest way to save money and simplify conferences is to cut WHockey & M&W S&D. You lose 0 revenue and probably make all of that 1.4 million and then some. You would also now have teams in only the Big Sky and NCHC. Budget solved, conference affiliation solved. 

Those throwing title 9 are wrong. Those scholarships can just be reallocated to other women's sports like track. UND is very title 9 compliant from what I've been told 

I'd prefer to not cut any sports but that right there is the easiest way to solve this. Softball is the other option, but if it brings in the same revenue as the others ($0), why wouldn't you cut the ones that cost the most. That's how good efficient businesses are run. If you cost the most and bring in little ROI your job is in jeopardy when cuts need to be made.

[CMSioux]

7 hours ago, goyotes said:

Like I stated earlier, I think UND joining the Summit is a win/win and would definitely add strength and stability to the Summit.  That still leaves the football question.  A strong Summit is good for the MVFC.  UND's path to joining the MVFC comes down to these 2 questions:

1)How much leverage could USD, SDSU, NDSU & WIU exert on the MVFC to add UND?  The MVFC without the 4 Summit schools would be on dangerous footings. 

2)Would the 4 Summit League schools exercise that leverage?   

Actually it was shared that SU used its leverage against UND.

[NoiseInsideMyHead]

http://www.grandforksherald.com/node/4096709

Okay. Now that the Herald staff are finished with their editorial circle jerk, and Kennedy is back in town, when can we expect that insightful, Pulitzer-worthy, fully illuminating, 10,000 word article that Tom Miller just had to write as soon as humanly possible on the subject?  You know, the article that was going to do such a better job of explaining the original e-mail?  Yeah, that e-mail, the one that itself so thoughtlessly (yet thoroughly) explained that a committee (who) at UND (where) would be reviewing athletics (what) between now and December (when) in light of a budget shortfall (why).

Woodward, Bernstein, and I can hardly wait.

[DB Cooper]

11 hours ago, bincitysioux said:

But aren't there only like 10-15 teams in the whole nation?

Drop women's hockey, its awful to watch and a terrible investment.  Get rid of swimming and diving and men's golf too.

The athletic department would be far better off.  

Men's golf has already been cut. If it comes back it will be through private donations.

[Blackheart]

9 hours ago, nodakhoops said:

Looking at it objectively and if I was in charge the easiest way to save money and simplify conferences is to cut WHockey & M&W S&D. You lose 0 revenue and probably make all of that 1.4 million and then some. You would also now have teams in only the Big Sky and NCHC. Budget solved, conference affiliation solved. 

Those throwing title 9 are wrong. Those scholarships can just be reallocated to other women's sports like track. UND is very title 9 compliant from what I've been told 

I'd prefer to not cut any sports but that right there is the easiest way to solve this. Softball is the other option, but if it brings in the same revenue as the others ($0), why wouldn't you cut the ones that cost the most. That's how good efficient businesses are run. If you cost the most and bring in little ROI your job is in jeopardy when cuts need to be made.

So is there a list of ALL UND sports with their associated costs and revenues generated?  

[dakotadan]

16 hours ago, Siouxperman8 said:

I'm not sure the Big Sky is sustainable from a cost standpoint.   

Can I see your spreadsheets and calculations that lead you to this conclusion? 

[Tangolou]

20 hours ago, Siouxperman8 said:

I don't believe UND will eliminate women's hockey because of Title IX.  It is arguably the highest profile women's team due to consistently ranking in the top 10-15 nationally and would face a lot of criticism for that reason.

Top 15 nationally? Out of how many teams? 30? Maybe. 

 

[Irish]

10 minutes ago, Tangolou said:

Top 15 nationally? Out of how many teams? 30? Maybe. 

 

Since the twins left, we are usually 10th in an 8 team tournament.

[nodakhoops]

7 hours ago, Blackheart said:

So is there a list of ALL UND sports with their associated costs and revenues generated?  

Never seen one but the 4 sports that could be cut are those and I have been told women's hockey budget is more than that 1.4 million, and guessing M&W S&D is more than softball's budget. I don't think I am off base in saying women's hockey and swimming and diving cost more than softball.  Could be wrong though.

Like I mentioned, objectively that is the easiest cut and dry way to solve the problem. S&D offset each other and if women's hockey budget is that big any business owner looking to cut costs would look at what the cost is vs. ROI and say this just doesn't work.

So back to the original point of the easiest way to solve the issue long term, it's cut women's hockey and men's & women's swimming and diving. Budget solved, to many conferences problem solved and title 9 compliant. 

Dont like it, but I'd rather UND sponsor 15-16 sports like NDSU and be good across the board rather than keep stretching our dollars out for 19-20 sports and being mediocre to horrible in some.

 

 

[darell1976]

http://kfgo.com/news/articles/2016/aug/19/und-to-explore-change-in-conference-affiliation/#.V7d2SVIAT40.facebook

 

Quote

 

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - The University of North Dakota is looking for ways to save money in its athletic department, and it could include a change in conference affiliation.

New school President Mark Kennedy is taking inventory of athletics after the department ended the fiscal year with a shortfall of about $1.4 million. He has ordered a campus committee to analyze several factors, including the number of sports, cost of the programs and the conference landscape.

 

 

[dakotadan]

I love how Fargo media is trying to spin this as UND seeking a new conference. Shooting to click bait and get Bison fans to tune in. 

[Cratter]

32 minutes ago, dakotadan said:

I love how Fargo media is trying to spin this as UND seeking a new conference. Shooting to click bait and get Bison fans to tune in. 

Me: So days later that KFGO basically rewrites the presidents email? 

Memo to self don't use KFGO for news.

[bison73]

55 minutes ago, Cratter said:

Me: So days later that KFGO basically rewrites the presidents email? 

Memo to self don't use KFGO for news.

Unless its supposedly bad news about NDSU---right?   

[Siouxperman8]

7 hours ago, dakotadan said:

Can I see your spreadsheets and calculations that lead you to this conclusion? 

No spreadsheets just good old common sense. 

We have a $1.4 million deficit.  Up front we could trade a number of airline flights for bus trips.  At a minimum we could bus to NDSU, SDSU and USD with football, men's bb, womens bb, men's tennis, women's tennis, volleyball, softball, soccer......   Without crunching numbers my UND math tells me there would be significant savings right there. 

I know baseballs budget was about $605k. A lot of that had to be travel. 

[Cratter]

4 hours ago, bison73 said:

Unless its supposedly bad news about NDSU---right?   

I don't know. I don't follow NDSU news......(nor do I really care)

But thanks for my only NDSU info (it's from people mentioning NDSU on SS....)

[Cratter]

New crazy thought: Cut programs and or athletic positions that were only started after the North Dakota oil boom or circa 2004.

.....Dear *Tom Miller, try a real article sometime. I know you read this. You told me personally.

Ask why a sport that has been around at UND before we were born, needs to get cut...despite record athletic budgets??? 

*Dont try and be the next Rob Port. That's a low hanging fruit.

[southpaw]

7 hours ago, Cratter said:

New crazy thought: Cut programs and or athletic positions that were only started after the North Dakota oil boom or circa 2004.

.....Dear *Tom Miller, try a real article sometime. I know you read this. You told me personally.

Ask why a sport that has been around at UND before we were born, needs to get cut...despite record athletic budgets??? 

*Dont try and be the next Rob Port. That's a low hanging fruit.

Agreed, let's cut all sports and positions started after 2004. Goodbye women's hockey.  See you later Matt Schill, the digital content director, we don't need no stinking highlights, UND Insider or Through These Doors. Plus several other important positions. 

What's that?  We were able to increase pay after the oil boom? Get those raises out of here. Time to go back to salary levels of 2004. 

[fightingsioux4life]

On ‎8‎/‎18‎/‎2016 at 10:06 PM, SIOUXFAN97 said:

maybe kennedy wants to go back to D2?

If he wants a quick one-way trip out of town, that would do it.