They’ve Given Up

[LouisianaB]

I wouldn't say I've given up, but I share the frustration. For me, the biggest thing is not the football stadium, or the baseball stadium, or attendance, or anything like that.

When I graduated from college 17 years ago, if you had told me that in 2023 there would be a conference shakeup of monumental proportions, I would say that my hope beyond wildest hope that we'd be in the mix to make a move to a power conference.

And yet here we are, still in the same position. A power conference is nothing more than a notional future plan. However, if we'd done the right thing all these years...we'd be the UCF or Houston right now. We would.

That's not a knock on the Sunbelt. The Belt is our best option at the moment. But the fact that all this shakeup is happening and we are still just in the Belt...that's disappointing.

And I'm not the only person that feels that way, I'm sure.

There’s a lot more money and people in Houston and Orlando (and I think you could add Memphis and Cincy there). While I want to be seen as peers to those schools, it’s completely different situations.

[cajun4life]

Agree it played role. All research does. So you think since monkey Covid money is reduced we’re back to R2? Our research in other areas is actually growing faster. Number of PhDs will exceed 100 this coming year. No Covid there. And more importantly our research infrastructure is keeping pace. That is number one in retaining status.
You are correct that at one time the primate center was a large part of our research money. It will remain important and will increase in a few years, significantly. But Engineering and Technology will expand faster as will Nursing.
Hang on to what’s about to happen.

I’ll be 70 by the time something else happens. I was 24 when we started talking about R1 status. “We’re very close” is what they always say. Well 19 years later we made it.

Spare me what we are accomplishing. We are a 4 year university in the only region of the state that is growing. The university is growing by default.

[ManAboutTown]

I'm with you. My ideal dream was for Louisiana to be in the Big 12.
Lafayette is no Houston or Orlando, however.

As we search to secure financing for our stadium rebuild...
-Houston received anonymous donations of $15mil in the span of 3 months in 2022
http://thedailycougar.com/2022/07/22...opment-center/
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/tex...n-17475344.php

-"According to the university’s funding interest application to the Tourist Development Tax Citizen Advisory Task Force it submitted last month, UCF requested $176.6 million over ten years. It would cover about two-thirds of the full $267.8 million cost of the projects."
https://www.blackandgoldbanneret.com...l-tennis-track

Do we have big money in Lafayette like that? Honestly asking.

We do not.

[ZoomZoom]

We had a boatload of federal money, more than could be handled, dumped on LCG. And what we got? A bunch of retention ponds, which some engineers think won’t work as advertised. 20 mill would have gone a long way.

[BabbForHeisman]

There’s a lot more money and people in Houston and Orlando (and I think you could add Memphis and Cincy there). While I want to be seen as peers to those schools, it’s completely different situations.

Yes and no.

In Houston, no one cares about UH. Not really. Other than Tillman, all the big money is funneled to UT or TAMU.

Same for Orlando. Orlando is more of a nomadic town because so much of Disney/Universal employment is transient. No big money in Orlando goes to UCF, it all goes to UF or FSU.

We're more alike those schools than most people would like to admit. The difference...leadership vision.

[CajunConnection]

As a fan who has followed Cajun football since the 70’s I think the ragin review was a fantastic forum to get message out.
Discovered it at the end of football season last year and really enjoyed it
My older friends and I have been thru very lean years for Cajun football
We really need a push from this athletic dept to promote all Cajun sports to the highest level possible
Never to late
Years ago we got in the mail a media guide tickets and parking passes in mail
Now it is different and ok
Will always be a Cajun fan
Appreciate all the work our younger fans do
CC

[GeauxCajuns]

Hell, only a few people know anything about that. If it even happens..

I’m talking about more reseating, more price hikes, more changing of RCAF benefit structures, etc. I expect continued alienation of older fans with the coming changes of tickets, parking, etc and more apathy in the younger fans, mostly due to lack of cultivation.

What reseating and price hikes are changing? Nothing changed on my invoice from last year to this year.

[LouisianaB]

Yes and no.

In Houston, no one cares about UH. Not really. Other than Tillman, all the big money is funneled to UT or TAMU.

Same for Orlando. Orlando is more of a nomadic town because so much of Disney/Universal employment is transient. No big money in Orlando goes to UCF, it all goes to UF or FSU.

We're more alike those schools than most people would like to admit. The difference...leadership vision.

More people in Lafayette are for LSU. Think we are equal there. The difference is the money.

[Rainman66]

Yes and no.

In Houston, no one cares about UH. Not really. Other than Tillman, all the big money is funneled to UT or TAMU.

Same for Orlando. Orlando is more of a nomadic town because so much of Disney/Universal employment is transient. No big money in Orlando goes to UCF, it all goes to UF or FSU.

We're more alike those schools than most people would like to admit. The difference...leadership vision.

I agree leadership and vision are a major difference, but there is plenty of big money at UH. The Cullen family and John Moore family are just a couple of other billionaire donors to the university. UH’s endowment is 4x UL’s and growing faster as well.

[ManAboutTown]

What reseating and price hikes are changing? Nothing changed on my invoice from last year to this year.

It won’t be announced for a while, but it is coming.

[CajunVic]

. . . we are very good at self identifying our peers at peer levels substantially higher than we are and who have specific attributes we just do not have and then complaining about our failure to compete at that peer level . . . then go to burning the place down . . . be careful because sometimes once the fire starts it goes scorched earth . . . we have done a lot to raise our stock in the past 10 years, let’s not let the few come here and ruin it . . .

[CajunVic]

It was hard to keep this one in. This has been in the works for a while and I don't blame MAT as his family is way more important than UL or sports. Best of luck bud.

. . . this is interesting . . .