Facilities

[a3uge]

I'll just throw out my honest opinion. Not gonna pretend to know the financial situation. Also not sure how the UNI vs Valpo argument got so deep, borderline comical. Way too complex for any of us to be trying to draw conclusions/comparisons about tuition and funding and all that. Apples and oranges sounds about right.

Anyways,

Making the Arc pretty should be priority number one. It doesn't look good on TV right now. Dial back on the seating and model Loyola if you must. Nothing impressive about Gentile, but at least it looks like an honest to goodness venue you should be paying money to visit. You don't have to sacrifice the history or intimate feel of the place to get it looking like a real arena.

Making the ARC look good for viewers of a paid ESPN subscription service is probably the least effective way to spend money. There's far more pressing needs that will actually affect recruiting.

[NativeCheesehead]

Would imagine the first glimpse many non local recruits get of the ARC is on ESPN.

[UNIfan]

I'll just throw out my honest opinion. Not gonna pretend to know the financial situation. Also not sure how the UNI vs Valpo argument got so deep, borderline comical. Way too complex for any of us to be trying to draw conclusions/comparisons about tuition and funding and all that. Apples and oranges sounds about right. Anyways, Making the Arc pretty should be priority number one. It doesn't look good on TV right now. Dial back on the seating and model Loyola if you must. Nothing impressive about Gentile, but at least it looks like an honest to goodness venue you should be paying money to visit. You don't have to sacrifice the history or intimate feel of the place to get it looking like a real arena.

Making the ARC look good for viewers of a paid ESPN subscription service is probably the least effective way to spend money. There's far more pressing needs that will actually affect recruiting.

Idk enough to know if something is truly more pressing, but talk about complacency. It's your most visible facility, and recruits care alot about where they compete, fans care alot too. If you feel like your peak exposure is ESPN3 then I guess you have a point, but that's a really weak vision of your program.

[FieldGoodie05]

I'll just throw out my honest opinion. Not gonna pretend to know the financial situation. Also not sure how the UNI vs Valpo argument got so deep, borderline comical. Way too complex for any of us to be trying to draw conclusions/comparisons about tuition and funding and all that. Apples and oranges sounds about right. Anyways, Making the Arc pretty should be priority number one. It doesn't look good on TV right now. Dial back on the seating and model Loyola if you must. Nothing impressive about Gentile, but at least it looks like an honest to goodness venue you should be paying money to visit. You don't have to sacrifice the history or intimate feel of the place to get it looking like a real arena.

Making the ARC look good for viewers of a paid ESPN subscription service is probably the least effective way to spend money. There's far more pressing needs that will actually affect recruiting.

Idk enough to know if something is truly more pressing, but talk about complacency. It's your most visible facility, and recruits care alot about where they compete, fans care alot too. If you feel like your peak exposure is ESPN3 then I guess you have a point, but that's a really weak vision of your program.

Pay for the renovation or move on from this subject UNI.  My vote anyways.

[a3uge]

I'll just throw out my honest opinion. Not gonna pretend to know the financial situation. Also not sure how the UNI vs Valpo argument got so deep, borderline comical. Way too complex for any of us to be trying to draw conclusions/comparisons about tuition and funding and all that. Apples and oranges sounds about right. Anyways, Making the Arc pretty should be priority number one. It doesn't look good on TV right now. Dial back on the seating and model Loyola if you must. Nothing impressive about Gentile, but at least it looks like an honest to goodness venue you should be paying money to visit. You don't have to sacrifice the history or intimate feel of the place to get it looking like a real arena.

Making the ARC look good for viewers of a paid ESPN subscription service is probably the least effective way to spend money. There's far more pressing needs that will actually affect recruiting.

Idk enough to know if something is truly more pressing, but talk about complacency. It's your most visible facility, and recruits care alot about where they compete, fans care alot too. If you feel like your peak exposure is ESPN3 then I guess you have a point, but that's a really weak vision of your program.

How do I have a weak vision of my program if I don't believe the prettiness of the ARC on TV is what drives recruits to/from Valpo? I formed this opinion based on Valpo's time in the Horizon. Valpo easily had the league's worst arena, but there seemed to be no correlation between arena and success. Even looking at the MVC, it appears Bradley and Evansville have two of the nicest arenas, but they've been two of the worst rated teams over the past five years.

As for fans caring about the arena, I agree, it plays a much larger role.

[VULB#62]

How? Easy. Rationalization.

Bottom line, we jumped to a confererence we are not prepared to compete in.

We could, compete...........  but the money is just not there. And will not be there until (of if) the administration understands what a great opportunity the MVC provides.

But we have a tradition of blowing opportunities.

[a3uge]

How? Easy. Rationalization.

Bottom line, we jumped to a confererence we are not prepared to compete in.

We could, compete...........  but the money is just not there. And will not be there until (of if) the administration understands what a great opportunity the MVC provides.

But we have a tradition of blowing opportunities.

Wow, I didn't realize the NCAA allowed schools to pay players now, my mistake.

[VUGrad1314]

I have a feeling coach Lottich, AD LaBarbera and the entire Crusaders roster would have a thing or two to say about these assertions concerning the program's readiness to compete. Facilities are a factor and an important factor but program leadership  program culture  and the university as a whole matter just as much if not more especially at this level. I have a feeling we'll be competing just fine very soon. We probably won't ever dominate the way we did in the mid-con and the HL I don't know if any team in the MVC will, but I believe that we will field a consistently competitive team that wins its share of MVC titles. Again it may be slower paced than we all would  like but if there were truly no will no support and no appetite as so many allege we wouldn't be seeing upgrades to the baseball field or making steady progress on the rec center nor would we have earmarked the old hospital site for athletics use. Patience, friends, our time will come.

[NativeCheesehead]

If Loyola's run this year didn't convince Heckler, et al, on how much exposure a deep tourney run can get you, nothing will.

[crusadermoe]

Ironically I see the role of this board as a group of fans who publicly "heckle" the board and leaders to invest more in athletics.

What I have observed in our bleachers in in our financial reports now is a decreasing or level number of students and a decreasing inrerest in attending games as a member of a campus "community" or team. 

Both things concern me.  We have addressed curb appeal and so of our buildings thoroughly even if not completely.  We need to see string upticks in enrollment and a decrease in apathy.  So I personally plan to heckle in that direction until thise bugger issues are addressed.   Then return to heckling for a nicer arena.  If it is full,you dont see the bleachers or care about them.  End of sermon.

[a3uge]

If Loyola's run this year didn't convince Heckler, et al, on how much exposure a deep tourney run can get you, nothing will.

Agreed, Valpo should decide to make the final four, just like Loyola did.

[vufan75]

I noticed there have been focus type group meetings students were invited to this semester to see what ideas can be discussed or implemented to better encourage and develop student involvement and support for athletics. If I recall right I saw the post somewhere on Twitter last week. Might be a good starting point. Sorry I don't have a tweet link.



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[VU2014]

I noticed there have been focus type group meetings students were invited to this semester to see what ideas can be discussed or implemented to better encourage and develop student involvement and support for athletics. If I recall right I saw the post somewhere on Twitter last week. Might be a good starting point. Sorry I don't have a tweet link.

I'm going to plug this comment in this thread. http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?action=post;topic=3075.175;last_msg=98694

[valpopal]

Not sure if this is the correct forum thread, but I thought I'd pass along this information about summer work that will alter appearance of the campus.


Immediately following commencement, work will begin on the east campus landscape plan near VUCA extending to the Sturdy Road entrance. 


This bond funded work is the fulfillment of the vision represented in the 2010 Campus Master Plan and the culmination of years of key building additions to the campus, now tied together with a central landscape theme.  The project this summer represents the first phase of that work.

[valpopal]

Below is a depiction of the landscape restructuring to be done this summer:

[VU2014]

Are they getting rid of even more park?  The campus already has some big parking issues and it appears they are eliminating more in front of the Meteorology building? It's also interesting to see they are putting a road through campus, which they were opposed to in the past.

[vu72]

Really hard to envision this.  It could be that the only road is to the VUCA drop off and the rest is a walking path.  Also hard to figure where the VUCA performance hall will be.  As for parking, they really need to build the Union ramp.

[M]

I think that looks really nice.

[valpo64]

Will the east end changes include demolishing the diner at the corner of US 30 and IN 49?  I thought that the lease runs out this year and that a pond/lake would be included in the improvements to that area.

[M]

I hope so. Terrible food, an eye sore, and isn't even on Broadway.

[crusader05]

They are eliminating some parking but nothing major. Mostly because they've already moved parking around to prepare. The parking issue really only exists on the West End of Campus. There is a ton of parking behind Gellerson and, now that they've effectively moved all residents on that end into the parking garage, all the street parking behind Neils and the Union is staff or commuter.  They really need to do something with the Parking near Guild-Memorial which is where you run into issues regarding the ARC and now the addition of the sorority town homes. They have repaved the parking lot where the hospital garage used to be so that could also be helpful for both games and to releive resident parking.

They will need to keep some sort of drop off point for the VUCA for accessibility reasons but my guess is it will be lightly used and will be a smaller road surrounded by grass instead of beat up old parking lots. I personally am looking forward to more green on campus as well as some established Quads. It really will help promote the collegiate atmosphere and creates a nice center of campus with some of our most impressive buildings.

[crusadermoe]

My drumbeat continues:

1- "bond-funded"
2 - Will this help enrollment? ...and thereby net revnue to pay the bonds?

[VU2014]

My drumbeat continues:

1- "bond-funded"
2 - Will this help enrollment? ...and thereby net revnue to pay the bonds?

Having a nice looking campus can make a good first impression on potential student and their parents. In a ideal world it shouldn't matter but it does.

[may know]

Not seeing much ROI here.

[VULB#62]

Just curious. What's the price tag covered by the bonds?