Q&A with UL President Joseph Savoie

[Parrott]

I can understand the frustration you guys have with the NCAA Division I-AA question. But it's a question I had to ask considering it was a topic addressed in the University Review. (I also didn't ask Dr. Savoie the question in our last Q&A in December.)

On another note, I met a few of you from this board at Sunday's Fan Day. Appreciate the kind words and comments. Looking forward to meeting more of you as football season kicks off.

[Boomer]

Will the Parrott pearch in the Eaux????? Or will he do the Krewe de Chew???-----any news who might get the
pr job for the sid dept or whatever it will be called???? Hammer-this thing is acting up again----No Beast either!!!!-Speaking of juice--I bought a bottle of the rum(Crystal)??? in PR--Guess it is still full!!!

[DestinCajun]

I think the same folks that did the UL study did the ULM study and also raised the idea of dropping to 1-AA for ULM. As I recall Sally quickly nixed that idea. I think a second study (can't recall who commissioned it) recommended that ULM should stay D1A. _

One was done at LaTex as well and they all contained basically the same message - get off the pot and energize your athletic departments or else look at dropping down to 1aa. I think everyone knew what these studies were all about to begin with, i.e. having an "expert" come in and charge you to tell you what you already knew.

[Hammer58]

_ One was done at LaTex as well and they all contained basically the same message - get off the pot and energize your athletic departments or else look at dropping down to 1aa. I think everyone knew what these studies were all about to begin with, i.e. having an "expert" come in and charge you to tell you what you already knew. _

I don't know how much faith I'd put in that guy's "expertise" regarding athletics and the 1A / 1aa question. His "expert" opinion seemed to be that dropping to 1aa would be a ecomomic boon to the athletic department. But all of the people many of us would consider to be the real experts, that is the coaches and athletic directors, feel that 1aa is at best a wash and more than likely a losing proposition financially. Also, I think the logic used in that report made the assumption that all teams in Louisiana other than the sacred flagship should / would drop to 1aa which figured into their economic reasoning of travel cost savings. The report also assumed that dropping to 1aa would have no negative effect on the caliber of players or the level of fan support which I believe we all know to be a misguided assumption.

[DestinCajun]

_ I don't know how much faith I'd put in that guy's "expertise" regarding athletics and the 1A / 1aa question. His "expert" opinion seemed to be that dropping to 1aa would be a ecomomic boon to the athletic department. But all of the people many of us would consider to be the real experts, that is the coaches and athletic directors, feel that 1aa is at best a wash and more than likely a losing proposition financially. Also, I think the logic used in that report made the assumption that all teams in Louisiana other than the sacred flagship should / would drop to 1aa which figured into their economic reasoning of travel cost savings. The report also assumed that dropping to 1aa would have no negative effect on the caliber of players or the level of fan support which I believe we all know to be a misguided assumption. _

If it's the same reports I read, they were done by a professional out of state consulting company (and darn if I can think of the name of the company right now) and the biggest point I recollect is that our athletic department needed to get in gear and do a whole lot more in order to be successful at what we're trying to accomplish. The bottomline recommendation was increased funding.

[DestinCajun]

_ I don't know how much faith I'd put in that guy's "expertise" regarding athletics and the 1A / 1aa question. His "expert" opinion seemed to be that dropping to 1aa would be a ecomomic boon to the athletic department. But all of the people many of us would consider to be the real experts, that is the coaches and athletic directors, feel that 1aa is at best a wash and more than likely a losing proposition financially. Also, I think the logic used in that report made the assumption that all teams in Louisiana other than the sacred flagship should / would drop to 1aa which figured into their economic reasoning of travel cost savings. The report also assumed that dropping to 1aa would have no negative effect on the caliber of players or the level of fan support which I believe we all know to be a misguided assumption. _

Here's a link to the Carr Study Report on ULM in 2004. It's conclusory findings was pre-ordained by the purpose of the study.

http://www.ulm.edu/universityrelatio...ne04/carr.html

[Hammer58]

_ If it's the same reports I read, they were done by a professional out of state consulting company (and darn if I can think of the name of the company right now) and the biggest point I recollect is that our athletic department needed to get in gear and do a whole lot more in order to be successful at what we're trying to accomplish. The bottomline recommendation was increased funding. _

And yet that bottomline recommendation of increased funding is ignored by many of the same folks in this state who want to beat the drum for all of us except the sacred flagship dropping to 1aa.