A Tale of Two Universities

[cajunfan96]

He likes to get on here and preach to the rest of us “simpletons” every now and then because obviously all we care about is sports.

You are spot on about some of it coming off as disingenuous.

Take the comment about we all bash Authement because he wouldn’t fund athletics with university money. ACTUALLY, the main complaints I see about him isn’t about the public university funds, but instead:

1- He fought against allowing an RCAF to be established and endorsed by the university. An RCAF that would be funded via private and corporate donations for athletics.

2- He forbade coaches from approaching certain academic donors about also making contributions to athletics.

So he didn’t just starve athletics of university money, he actively discouraged trying to seek out and maximize potential private donations.

Over those decades of neglect, that money and fan support went east!

[ZoomZoom]

If there’s any doubt UL has separated from the rest of the non TSAB crowd, look what has happened since the LSU Protectionism Rule came down to the four designated “statewide” universities at that time. Southern, hamstrung by their own “happy to be there, we know our place”, UNO (dying on the vine, proof the BoR lacks the intestinal fortitude to shut down SUNO and combine with UNO), Tech (as pointed out here), and UL. No question who is the leader in the clubhouse as Fun has documented.

Somewhat related, read rumblings a while back SLU may have considered going the ULH route, but haven’t seen it again nor can find it again.

[ZoomZoom]

I HOPE UL isn’t this stupid.

https://bsky.app/profile/factcheckaglandry.bsky.social

[Cajunrunner]

I HOPE UL isn’t this stupid.

https://bsky.app/profile/factcheckaglandry.bsky.social

That tweeter handle is someone who very much dislikes our current Attorney General.

Certainly something that needs to be looked into, and hope there are investigations into it, but it might not be as simple as the LA AG paying ULM players to stay at the university to play sports. In fact, I'd be shocked if it is.

[ZoomZoom]

That tweeter handle is someone who very much dislikes our current Attorney General.

Certainly something that needs to be looked into, and hope there are investigations into it, but it might not be as simple as the LA AG paying ULM players to stay at the university to play sports. In fact, I'd be shocked if it is.

Oh, I know what Blue Cry…errr Sky is. Didn’t expect a love fest, but I’d bet most of their users don’t care for sports ball.

The interesting point is what exactly is the AG’s office paying athletes for in the first place?

[VObserver]

What Runner said: I know from personal experience that Dr. A. prohibited the Athletic Department and its various ancillary groups from approaching certain very wealthy alumni and/or donors to academics. That prohibition made it ridiculously difficult for "minor" sports to survive, let alone compete. I suspect that he also reduced school support by the amount that a sport raised in outside contributions; though my only "proof" there is that Coach Lancon prefered that donors made in kind gifts rather than monetary donations.

[Turbine]

Authement shut down gymnastics (trampoline) wrestling and weightlifting.

[Cajunrunner]

I suspect that he also reduced school support by the amount that a sport raised in outside contributions; though my only "proof" there is that Coach Lancon prefered that donors made in kind gifts rather than monetary donations.

I've heard that as well, which would make sense why Coach Lancon would ask outright for things like new hurdles (I remember that being a thing when I was there), rather than the money to purchase them. How fricking sad is that?

A Track & Field program that was actually known on a national level, and perennial conference champs for a decade, had to ask for a donor not for money, but to outright go purchase equipment instead.

I know there were many Cajuns diehards who were ____ed at Coach Girard for going down the road for LSU, and there was a bit of back and forth once she got there, but she had to deal with the same ____. She obviously got tired of it and went get a payday. We were lucky to hang on to Coach Robe back then.