Rumor Mill: More Teams Leaving the MEAC?


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I believe it is sustainable.
NCAT has a 12k strong enrollment and an athletic program that is competitive.
I don't know where they rank in attendance, nor do I know what type of revenue share deal they are getting with the Big South, but student fees are typically post graduation concerns.
I don't see fees as an enrollment deterrent, but time will tell.
I feel that your budget should come from your fans and alumni and not your students. When 75% of your budget comes from students then that is not a good look
 



I thought everyone had student fees for athletics...

Except for some Power 5 schools, damn near everyone in DI assess student fees to support athletics and I'm pretty sure the lower division schools do it as well but not as much.
 
My problem with the MEAC and HBCU conferences in general is that there is a lack of brainstorming on how to make conference improvements, which should be done at some conference retreat with every member school's input. The same goes for HBCU athletic programs. We don't need to wait on others to come up with a plan for us to copy. We can be our own visionaries in our own unique way.
 
My problem with the MEAC and HBCU conferences in general is that there is a lack of brainstorming on how to make conference improvements, which should be done at some conference retreat with every member school's input. The same goes for HBCU athletic programs. We don't need to wait on others to come up with a plan for us to copy. We can be our own visionaries in our own unique way.
How do you know this?
 
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How do you know this?

I'm sure we have enough intelligent folks (business economics) on our campuses to put together a plan that work best for our conferences. The key to this is on-campus resources.
 
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I'm sure we have enough intelligent folks (business economics) on our campuses to put together a plan that work best for our conferences. The key to this is on-campus resources.
Believe me, I appreciate and understand your skepticism. But I believe you just addressed your own concern. I'm in agreement with you, the key is resources. But it's pretty damn obvious that we are limited in resources.
 
I believe it is sustainable.
NCAT has a 12k strong enrollment and an athletic program that is competitive.
I don't know where they rank in attendance, nor do I know what type of revenue share deal they are getting with the Big South, but student fees are typically post graduation concerns.
I don't see fees as an enrollment deterrent, but time will tell.

now how much of that 12K is full-time students? Generally athletics fees are assessed to full-time enrolled undergrad students. Maybe way the fee is assessed in NC public institutions is different than other states. @Decks is more knowledgeable on that particular part than I am.

However, the student fees thing is a somewhat tenuous deal. Enrollment drops and student referendum votes not to increase the fees are stumbling blocks. Any college has to strike beneficial financial partnerships to bolster the financial resources, or offset a loss in student fee revenue.
 
now how much of that 12K is full-time students? Generally athletics fees are assessed to full-time enrolled students. the way the fee is assessed in NC public institutions is different than other states.

However, the student fees thing is a somewhat tenuous deal. Enrollment drops and student referendums not to increase the fees are stumbling blocks.
Bruh NCA&T is a public school RAN like a private school..... They are on a different level from the rest of our public schools.... they dont have to sacrifice quanitity for quality. Average high school GPA for incoming students is a 3.61.... I dont see anything dropping off in the future.. there is new construction on every corner of their campus.
 
Believe me, I appreciate and understand your skepticism. But I believe you just addressed your own concern. I'm in agreement with you, the key is resources. But it's pretty damn obvious that we are limited in resources.

AFFORDABLE resources, which is why I keep harping on on-campus resources, instead of outside consultants who are looking to line their pockets. I'm pretty sure every MEAC and SWAC school has some type of School of Business, which is why I keep saying we need to stop copying others on things that we can do for ourselves. We are the only ones who knows what best for us.
 
Bruh NCA&T is a public school RAN like a private school..... They are on a different level from the rest of our public schools.... they dont have to sacrifice quanitity for quality. Average high school GPA for incoming students is a 3.61.... I dont see anything dropping off in the future.. there is new construction on every corner of their campus.

you can’t run a public institution like a private institution. You’re on a completely different branch than what I’m talking about.
Talking about the money. A public institution cannot unilaterally raise student fees without a student vote. Student fees (depending on the state) is contingent on full-time undergrads.

So, NCAT is on a hell of a roll now. However, you have to plan for the fall-off in enrollment, which happens in higher ed. I’m sure NCAT is aligning those partnerships with athletics to add more money to the war chest and prep for fewer students or if the students get pissed and vote against raising fees on themselves ... or if the NC legislature takes a cue from Virginia and caps those fees.
 
Ironically the team who's complained the most over the last few years about travel expenses has been FAMU. I'd consider them as the next at risk team for the MEAC. Celebration Bowl renewal could be critical.

Yep...and this season is really the eye opener as far as travel. FAMU only has three home games in 2020, and if the season happens, we’re traveling to Miami, Baton Rouge, North Carolina TWICE within three weeks (which is ridiculous), D.C., Delaware and Orlando twice.

And that’s just football. Now think about traveling to all those places plus Baltimore, Norfolk, Va. and Orangeburg, S.C.
 
Bruh NCA&T is a public school RAN like a private school..... They are on a different level from the rest of our public schools.... they dont have to sacrifice quanitity for quality. Average high school GPA for incoming students is a 3.61.... I dont see anything dropping off in the future.. there is new construction on every corner of their campus.

A&T is not run like a private school...there are other public HBCUs who have the same caliber of student. I know at FAMU, it has gotten increasingly tougher to get in, which in turn is lowering our enrollment a bit...but the average freshman GPA has jumped.
 
A&T is not run like a private school...there are other public HBCUs who have the same caliber of student. I know at FAMU, it has gotten increasingly tougher to get in, which in turn is lowering our enrollment a bit...but the average freshman GPA has jumped.

Florida legislature upped admission standards over the years too, right?
 



you can’t run a public institution like a private institution. You’re on a completely different branch than what I’m talking about.
Talking about the money. A public institution cannot unilaterally raise student fees without a student vote. Student fees (depending on the state) is contingent on full-time undergrads.

well I know thats not true in Alabama... the board just voted to add an event center fee for every student to pay.... the students didnt vote on it... they didnt even know anything about the event center (this vote was last year).
 
well I know thats not true in Alabama... the board just voted to add an event center fee for every student to pay.... the students didnt vote on it... they didnt even know anything about the event center (this vote was last year).

Athletics fees are considered self-assessed fees, like fees for student newspapers (if the paper/media isn't completely independent of the college), fees for homecoming events, etc. North Alabama had a vote for a student athletics fee before they moved up. It failed the first time before the students passed it on the second vote a year or two later.

I was in student government at Southern when the university implemented a technology fee for upgrades. Students couldn't vote on that. However, self-assessed student fees like athletics have to go before a student vote.
 
I'm pretty sure the lower division schools do it as well but not as much.

The bold is the only point that I was trying to make. You might be setting yourself up for failure having 75% of your budget come from student fees.

Hell do I wish Valley could charge more for student fees? Yes but you also gotta be smart with not having so much of your budget tied to students because as SCSU has shown, when your enrollemnt drops, it becomes problematic. Plus in today's climate, all you need is one "Conservative" minded SGA president to bring up that student fees be decreased and you are up that creek without a paddle
 
The bold is the only point that I was trying to make. You might be setting yourself up for failure having 75% of your budget come from student fees.

Hell do I wish Valley could charge more for student fees? Yes but you also gotta be smart with not having so much of your budget tied to students because as SCSU has shown, when your enrollemnt drops, it becomes problematic. Plus in today's climate, all you need is one "Conservative" minded SGA president to bring up that student fees be decreased and you are up that creek without a paddle

Students have revolted against self-assessed athletics fees in the last few years. Like I said above, North Alabama's students voted against it/increasing it before finally approving. UTSA students voted against it in 2018 (don't know if they put it back on the ballot). Kansas' students voted for canceling that fee in 2014. I think something went down at Washington State. Stephen F. Austin had trouble with a fee increase in 2016.

And yes, all you need now is for an SGA president railing against paying for stuff without a return on investment to sink it. '

Hell, Grambling didn't have a student-assessed athletics fee until 2014 (after them boys boycotted the Jackson game). The school failed to get student support the year before.
They were the last college in Louisiana to have such a fee.
 
My problem with the MEAC and HBCU conferences in general is that there is a lack of brainstorming on how to make conference improvements, which should be done at some conference retreat with every member school's input. The same goes for HBCU athletic programs. We don't need to wait on others to come up with a plan for us to copy. We can be our own visionaries in our own unique way.

Good point!
 
Students have revolted against self-assessed athletics fees in the last few years. Like I said above, North Alabama's students voted against it/increasing it before finally approving. UTSA students voted against it in 2018 (don't know if they put it back on the ballot). Kansas' students voted for canceling that fee in 2014. I think something went down at Washington State. Stephen F. Austin had trouble with a fee increase in 2016.

And yes, all you need now is for an SGA president railing against paying for stuff without a return on investment to sink it. '

Hell, Grambling didn't have a student-assessed athletics fee until 2014 (after them boys boycotted the Jackson game). The school failed to get student support the year before.
They were the last college in Louisiana to have such a fee.
And it took that boycott for the students to realize that the playing field wasn’t even.
 
Bruh NCA&T is a public school RAN like a private school..... They are on a different level from the rest of our public schools.... they dont have to sacrifice quanitity for quality. Average high school GPA for incoming students is a 3.61.... I dont see anything dropping off in the future.. there is new construction on every corner of their campus.
With all due respect, I question this point about the 3.61 GPA for incoming students. I will do my own research and get back with you.
 
With all due respect, I question this point about thr 3.61 GPA for incomig students..
I qu

I don't question that GPA. A&T is crushing it. Their grads are kicking ass in STEM. President Martin is one of the best university administrators in the country.
 
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