$5 million to bring back football at WSU!

[SubGod22]

I wish something could be done, or would be done. WSU should have football. It'd complete the University and open up options down the road. I'd LOVE to spend a few saturday's in the fall watching Shocker Football. :(

[RoyalShock]

I was checking out SIU's sight and their stadium. Noticed the city raised sales tax 1/2 percent to help pay for it.

I think I've mentioned this before but would it be possible for sedgwick county to have a vote to have a temporary sales tax increase like what they did with Intrust arena.

Over a 1-2 year period they could raise a lot of money. I know in these times it would be a hard sell. Doesn't mean it shouldn't be tried. I think sedgwick county would benefit from WSU having a new stadium and football program as well.

I don't think it would stand much of a chance of passing.

It's not the startup costs that are the problem. It's the ongoing subsidies that will surely be required to maintain the program. I've said it a hundred times already. Football will have to start with the student's willingness to pay for it.

[SubGod22]

I was checking out SIU's sight and their stadium. Noticed the city raised sales tax 1/2 percent to help pay for it.

I think I've mentioned this before but would it be possible for sedgwick county to have a vote to have a temporary sales tax increase like what they did with Intrust arena.

Over a 1-2 year period they could raise a lot of money. I know in these times it would be a hard sell. Doesn't mean it shouldn't be tried. I think sedgwick county would benefit from WSU having a new stadium and football program as well.

I don't think it would stand much of a chance of passing.

It's not the startup costs that are the problem. It's the ongoing subsidies that will surely be required to maintain the program. I've said it a hundred times already. Football will have to start with the student's willingness to pay for it.

Wasn't there a student questionaire or something this past year that said they were? I thought they needed a certain percentage to answer, and answer favorably, and they easily surpassed that? Maybe it wasn't official but it was encouraging.

[Ta town]

I was checking out SIU's sight and their stadium. Noticed the city raised sales tax 1/2 percent to help pay for it.

I think I've mentioned this before but would it be possible for sedgwick county to have a vote to have a temporary sales tax increase like what they did with Intrust arena.

Over a 1-2 year period they could raise a lot of money. I know in these times it would be a hard sell. Doesn't mean it shouldn't be tried. I think sedgwick county would benefit from WSU having a new stadium and football program as well.

I don't think it would stand much of a chance of passing.

It's not the startup costs that are the problem. It's the ongoing subsidies that will surely be required to maintain the program. I've said it a hundred times already. Football will have to start with the student's willingness to pay for it.

Wasn't there a student questionaire or something this past year that said they were? I thought they needed a certain percentage to answer, and answer favorably, and they easily surpassed that? Maybe it wasn't official but it was encouraging.

if you go back thru the minutes of last years SGA meetings you will see football discussed from around nov thru march meetings, then I don't see it mentioned again.

[Ta town]

so I'm bored today...

Didn't realize with WSU's current sports the women have a +22 in schollies as is (thats if they hand out the maximum allowed in each of the sports they have). I don't know the rules so just talking out my rear but if it's simply a balance game that means to get FCS WSU would only have to add another 41 in womens schollies to equal the 63 for FCS.

That is a lot of schollies, however womens rowing can have up to 20, swimming 14, and water polo 8. That would be 42 additional scholarships. The thing though is I believe the facilities for those 3 programs listed already exist. Or at least I assume the the Heskett center would be good to go for womens swimming/polo. Also I'm assuming the facilities used for rowing would be suffice. Granted both would need some stuff added but I would think those 3 programs would be the least in cost to get going in WSU's case. I just figure womens soccer/lacrose/field hockey would take a new field, etc.

Also 63 is maximum for FCS, if the minimum is at least 7 below that then WSU could get away with adding just swimming and rowing (34 total). They would give them 6 mens and 8 womens which is the required amount for FCS.

[shock]

Several football schools have a womens equestian team

[SubGod22]

Interesting. I believe women's soccer would be added if this were to happen though. That's 12 scholarships if the website I looked at is correct. Soccer would also make sense because it is capable of drawing a decent crowd. Plus, there's some decent local talent, or there has been in the recent past. It's not a major sport, but could be one that would attempt to support itself. It'd be less of a burden than rowing, swimming and water polo. Swimming would probably be next in line. That's 26 'ships towards the goal.

Is there any way to find the enrollment numbers at WSU? Number of men to women? The 'ships are supposed to reflect those numbers and aren't necessarily a 50/50 split. It's possible we'd need closer to 50 additional from where we currently stand. Rowing and Gymnastics maybe?

I would think that Soccer could use the football stadium or even a local school if need be. At least until more funding were available. I don't know anything about Rowing and what would be needed and the same goes for Gymnastics. I think Swimming/Diving would be taken care of already. If not, there are local options available if needed.

[Ta town]

Interesting. I believe women's soccer would be added if this were to happen though. That's 12 scholarships if the website I looked at is correct. Soccer would also make sense because it is capable of drawing a decent crowd. Plus, there's some decent local talent, or there has been in the recent past. It's not a major sport, but could be one that would attempt to support itself. It'd be less of a burden than rowing, swimming and water polo. Swimming would probably be next in line. That's 26 'ships towards the goal.

Is there any way to find the enrollment numbers at WSU? Number of men to women? The 'ships are supposed to reflect those numbers and aren't necessarily a 50/50 split. It's possible we'd need closer to 50 additional from where we currently stand. Rowing and Gymnastics maybe?

I would think that Soccer could use the football stadium or even a local school if need be. At least until more funding were available. I don't know anything about Rowing and what would be needed and the same goes for Gymnastics. I think Swimming/Diving would be taken care of already. If not, there are local options available if needed.

I threw rowing out there because there is already a rowing club team in place and it is allowed up to 20 scholarships for women. That means there are people at WSU who already know how to set the ground work for that sport and they obviously already have some sort of facilities they use. Soccer means a new complex of some sort and is only 12 scholarships. swimming was a total of 14 for womens, looking at the heskett center I think they already have the facilities needed, maybe locker/training rooms might need to be added.

[SubGod22]

Those two definitely make sense. But I don't see this ever happening without the addition of soccer. Adding a sport that could potentially help itself and others by drawing a crowd would be a good thing. The other sports mentioned aren't going to do that. Soccer is growing in popularity, and even though it's not going to overtake the big sports, it could potentiall be of enough interest to help pay for itself.

I still think there's have to be a 4th sport added or a mens sport dropped as we probably need to be close to +20 'ships for women.

[Ta town]

Those two definitely make sense. But I don't see this ever happening without the addition of soccer. Adding a sport that could potentially help itself and others by drawing a crowd would be a good thing. The other sports mentioned aren't going to do that. Soccer is growing in popularity, and even though it's not going to overtake the big sports, it could potentiall be of enough interest to help pay for itself.

I still think there's have to be a 4th sport added or a mens sport dropped as we probably need to be close to +20 'ships for women.

Why do you need to be +20 schollies for women, if thats the case then forget it because thats where they sit right now.

Just remember you must have 6 mens sports, they are at the minimum now. So they could only drop one sport if they added football. The only one that would gain you much of anything would be track/cc (this gets combined for allowed schollies for some reason) which would be 12.6. However I can't see getting rid of that program as a positive nor would dumping tennis or golf and those two sports would only net 4.5 schollies for either one.

[SubGod22]

Because I think the ratio has to be equivelant to that of the enrollment. I believe WSU sits about 55/45 women/men. So therefore, you're going to have to have a certain amount more available for women than men. I'm just guessing it'd be around +20. Could be more for all I know. We may be over that ratio at the moment. I couldn't tell you for certain though.

[Ta town]

Because I think the ratio has to be equivelant to that of the enrollment. I believe WSU sits about 55/45 women/men. So therefore, you're going to have to have a certain amount more available for women than men. I'm just guessing it'd be around +20. Could be more for all I know. We may be over that ratio at the moment. I couldn't tell you for certain though.

wow, well forget it then

[Kung Wu]

Soccer would be automatic. We already have the facilities. The equipment costs are near zero. Coaches don't make squat for money. The cost per athlete is just so extremely low that it's automatic, and it easily gives you an additional 20 athletes.

Lacrosse, is pretty close to the same camp (the equipment costs are higher).

Those two sports alone probably satisfy the Title IX argument, probably making it moot.

[Kung Wu]

As a side: the 26 scholarships created by women's soccer and lacrosse probably satisfy title IX because we already have a surplus of women's scholarships
(noted earlier). Might need one more low cost program (rowing isn't bad because we do have the facilities) -- have no idea what the operation costs are though.

There are several ways to argue what your "ratio" should be.

[SubGod22]

Soccer would be automatic. We already have the facilities. The equipment costs are near zero. Coaches don't make squat for money. The cost per athlete is just so extremely low that it's automatic, and it easily gives you an additional 20 athletes.

Lacrosse, is pretty close to the same camp (the equipment costs are higher).

Those two sports alone probably satisfy the Title IX argument, probably making it moot.

I think it goes by scholarships and not head count. Soccer and Lacrosse only add 24 'ships combined. You're going to need a lot more than just those 24 to make up for the 63 for football.