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Thread: Commuter Schools Defined

  1. #196

    Default Re: Commuter Schools Defined

    Quote Originally Posted by Oiler View Post
    The issue is not whether or not UL is a commuter school (which I think it clearly is), the issue is G5 football itself. Nobody cares about it. Not even when we're winning. With SEC football being played at a very high level 60 miles to the east, our football program is completely irrelevant to most casual fans in south Louisiana, and it's only going to get worse from here.

    And these casual fans as well as the commuter students have no problem driving 60+ miles to BR in the worst possible traffic to watch a game but can't come to watch a great program in their home town or the school they go to. And these commuter students can get in free with their ID, yet have to pay to go see that other school. Makes no sense.

  2. #197

    Default Re: Commuter Schools Defined

    Quote Originally Posted by Oiler View Post
    The issue is not whether or not UL is a commuter school (which I think it clearly is), the issue is G5 football itself. Nobody cares about it. Not even when we're winning. With SEC football being played at a very high level 60 miles to the east, our football program is completely irrelevant to most casual fans in south Louisiana, and it's only going to get worse from here.
    I partially disagree…. The UL fan base can grow and even get to LSU levels if they are given a true opportunity to play for a national championship in football at the highest level of division 1…. Second is perception of the conference you play in… if the media starts telling the story that the SBC is a great conference in college football and ranks among the SEC, Big 10 etc..then people will start to pay attention…. And finally if you win that will improve your stock also… these 3 ingredients can drive fandom for the Cajuns across the state. 1 has happened, the playoff needs to allow G5 and expand, and the SBC needs to know as the clear best G5 conference and even better than a few P5 conferences…. There is still a ways to go but there is progress… this will take generational change and media propaganda push lol.

  3. #198

    Default Re: Commuter Schools Defined

    Quote Originally Posted by mxpxfr690 View Post
    I partially disagree…. The UL fan base can grow and even get to LSU levels if they are given a true opportunity to play for a national championship in football at the highest level of division 1…. Second is perception of the conference you play in… if the media starts telling the story that the SBC is a great conference in college football and ranks among the SEC, Big 10 etc..then people will start to pay attention…. And finally if you win that will improve your stock also… these 3 ingredients can drive fandom for the Cajuns across the state. 1 has happened, the playoff needs to allow G5 and expand, and the SBC needs to know as the clear best G5 conference and even better than a few P5 conferences…. There is still a ways to go but there is progress… this will take generational change and media propaganda push lol.
    Agree but winning hasn't improved attendance.

  4. #199

    Default Re: Commuter Schools Defined

    Quote Originally Posted by JMVCAJUNS View Post
    Agree but winning hasn't improved attendance.
    Give it time we are in a recession and coming out of a pandemic plus out migration for the state… plus we still building a culture.

  5. #200

    Default Re: Commuter Schools Defined

    Quote Originally Posted by JMVCAJUNS View Post
    Agree but winning hasn't improved attendance.
    It's because of who we are winning against. SBC teams, for the most part, are not attractive teams for most fans. And, of course there is the lack of atmosphere at UL games that we have been discussing. Adding USM and Marshall will improve fan perception, but the SBC still has a way to go. Also, there is more and more media focus on Power conferences and realignment that has the fans attention. Many would rather watch a P5 matchup on TV than attend a G5 game in person.

  6. #201

    Default Re: Commuter Schools Defined

    Things don't change fast in this state. Why would fandom be any different. Lafayette and the Acadiana area takes for granted what we have right here at UL. The seeds need to be planted and nurtured.

    No other school in this state has ever got to the level we want to attain other than LSU. Tulane maybe back 60 or so years ago but in this day and age its tough for a mid major to move up let alone in this state. Perceptions have to change, we really do have everything working against us with the state of college football now. It's amazing what we have accomplished the past few seasons , longest win streak in the nation and consecutive top 20 finishes. Where has it gotten us and what have we done to capitalize on it? Why no billboard showing a packed SBC Championship game and noting our win streak or success. Put it on i-10 or off 90. The people in Acadiana need to understand what we have created and why it is exciting. Show some damn pride! I really have not heard much out and about regarding our upcoming season to play off what we have accomplished.

    The SBC championship last year really was a fun experience, waiting in line to get in the stadium and seeing cars as far as the eyes could see. Even that wasn't a sell-out, but it is how every game at Cajun Field should be. Hopefully we can build on that. I know plenty of casual fans that hadn't been inside that stadium in a real long time that really enjoyed it. We have to take advantage of the things that we can control.


  7. Default Re: Commuter Schools Defined

    Quote Originally Posted by Turbine View Post
    I spent thousands of hours at E. D. Library perusing old documents. Zero historical reference to being a commuter school.

    There was much historical conversation about the state refusing to build dorms for incoming students. Instead the state opened Nicholls, LSUA and McNeese.

    The entire narritive was about losing students to upstart schools not requiring them to drive.

    It is only very recent that the commuter narrative has been put forward as a school description. Recently like this year.
    There was a time when a trip to Lafayette from Opelousas was a pretty big event, about 45 minutes on the old Carencro highway. You had to overcome Sunset and Carencro on two way traffic. Similar trips to New Iberia.

    Definitely wasn’t a trip I’d want to take daily. So my first year was a dormitory then apartments surrounding the campus. So no commuter school.

    Additionally Lafayette wasn’t totally in the LSUA&M bag because that was a very long trip prior to I10

    My wife occasionally took the train from NOLA. She also flew here a couple of times. She called what’s now SouthWest Airline TTA, Tree Top Airline.

  8. #203

    Default Re: Commuter Schools Defined

    My son is a student at UL. One of his good friends he has made since starting school here is from Baton Rouge and Catholic High. This weekend his friend went home to help his sister move into her dorm at LSU. His sister went to the sister school of Catholic I think St Joseph is the name. His friend says it is very common for kids who grew up in BR to move into the dorms when they start school at LSU. It is actually more of the rule than the exception. Here at UL do we not only struggle to get kids from Lafayette to move into the dorms, we struggle to get kids from St Martin, St Landry, Vermillion, Iberia, and Acadia parishes to move into the dorm. Call it a commuter school or not those kids from BR that move into the dorm are much more likely to get involved in on campus activities than the kids here that stay home. Going back to the original post that is the biggest reason for our long time struggle for student support here. IMO


  9. #204

    Default Re: Commuter Schools Defined

    Quote Originally Posted by KajunKrazy View Post
    My son is a student at UL. One of his good friends he has made since starting school here is from Baton Rouge and Catholic High. This weekend his friend went home to help his sister move into her dorm at LSU. His sister went to the sister school of Catholic I think St Joseph is the name. His friend says it is very common for kids who grew up in BR to move into the dorms when they start school at LSU. It is actually more of the rule than the exception. Here at UL do we not only struggle to get kids from Lafayette to move into the dorms, we struggle to get kids from St Martin, St Landry, Vermillion, Iberia, and Acadia parishes to move into the dorm. Call it a commuter school or not those kids from BR that move into the dorm are much more likely to get involved in on campus activities than the kids here that stay home. Going back to the original post that is the biggest reason for our long time struggle for student support here. IMO
    I understand what you are saying, but I wonder how many of those B.R. residents that move into dorms at State graduate, or leave school with much more student loans debt than is necessary. In my opinion, getting out of school debt free (or at least less in debt) should be more important than being able to say "I live on campus". But I understand where you are coming from and can't totally disagree that it probably creates more school spirit. It's good for the school, but a bad business decision for the student!

  10. #205

    Default Re: Commuter Schools Defined

    Quote Originally Posted by Duggie35 View Post
    I understand what you are saying, but I wonder how many of those B.R. residents that move into dorms at State graduate, or leave school with much more student loans debt than is necessary. In my opinion, getting out of school debt free (or at least less in debt) should be more important than being able to say "I live on campus". But I understand where you are coming from and can't totally disagree that it probably creates more school spirit. It's good for the school, but a bad business decision for the student!
    IMO you can't put a dollar sign on having A real college experience vs living at home with momma and daddy and going to 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th grade. I wouldn't have traded that for anything. That is why my son who went to a parochial school in Lafayette parish and now UL has lived away from home during his college years and I will encourage my 2 daughters to do the same.

  11. #206

    Default Re: Commuter Schools Defined

    Quote Originally Posted by KajunKrazy View Post
    IMO you can't put a dollar sign on having A real college experience vs living at home with momma and daddy and going to 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th grade. I wouldn't have traded that for anything. That is why my son who went to a parochial school in Lafayette parish and now UL has lived away from home during his college years and I will encourage my 2 daughters to do the same.
    I believe a large part of the problem is the expnse today to go to college. When I started USL in 1968, tuition was about $500 a semester, roughly $4200 today. I could earn two semesters tuition working on my Daddy's shrimp boat in the summer. (Luckily, he didn't charge me to repair the trawls caught in the propellar.) Because of the drastic reduction in state funding, the higher than inflation college costs, and the resulting drastic rise in college tuition, that would no longer be possible. Kids today are graduating with $75-100,000 in debt.

  12. #207

    Default Re: Commuter Schools Defined

    Quote Originally Posted by HoustonCajun View Post
    It's because of who we are winning against. SBC teams, for the most part, are not attractive teams for most fans. And, of course there is the lack of atmosphere at UL games that we have been discussing. Adding USM and Marshall will improve fan perception, but the SBC still has a way to go. Also, there is more and more media focus on Power conferences and realignment that has the fans attention. Many would rather watch a P5 matchup on TV than attend a G5 game in person.
    I agree with what Houston Cajun wrote about a P5 TV game being more appealing than a G5 live game to the casual fan. What disappoints me is our difficulty getting alums and people in the community who benefit from having the university succeed increase their support. Another issue is you can watch a cajuns game on ESPN plus for 10 dollars a month. That does affect our out of town support. My solution is to dramatically increase efforts to get students to games. That needs to go beyond the Greek community. We need to have representatives on campus pushing the games all week. That goes beyond Game 1 and Homecoming. I would also encourage professors promoting the program as part of their classes when appropriate.

  13. #208

    Default Re: Commuter Schools Defined

    Quote Originally Posted by covcaj View Post
    I believe a large part of the problem is the expnse today to go to college. When I started USL in 1968, tuition was about $500 a semester, roughly $4200 today. I could earn two semesters tuition working on my Daddy's shrimp boat in the summer. (Luckily, he didn't charge me to repair the trawls caught in the propellar.) Because of the drastic reduction in state funding, the higher than inflation college costs, and the resulting drastic rise in college tuition, that would no longer be possible. Kids today are graduating with $75-100,000 in debt.
    My tuition was less than half that when I started in 1976. My summer work paid for tuition, books and rent. And beer.

  14. #209

    Default Re: Commuter Schools Defined

    Quote Originally Posted by covcaj View Post
    I believe a large part of the problem is the expnse today to go to college. When I started USL in 1968, tuition was about $500 a semester, roughly $4200 today. I could earn two semesters tuition working on my Daddy's shrimp boat in the summer. (Luckily, he didn't charge me to repair the trawls caught in the propellar.) Because of the drastic reduction in state funding, the higher than inflation college costs, and the resulting drastic rise in college tuition, that would no longer be possible. Kids today are graduating with $75-100,000 in debt.
    But, that is not unique to UL. Every school has the same issue. That is not the underlying problem.

  15. #210

    Default Re: Commuter Schools Defined

    Quote Originally Posted by BeauCajun View Post
    My tuition was less than half that when I started in 1976. My summer work paid for tuition, books and rent. And beer.
    Beau Knows Beer. Lots of Beer.

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