Devin grew up tonight playing a lot of point guard against one of the best PG's in the MAC (JOYCE) Playing PG will help his game immensely - hope he continues to improve.

Proud of the Eagles tonight - Akron is one of the better if not the best team in the mAC - lots of talent, lots of quickness, not much size but well coached and play tough, tough D - held WMU to 36 points this year.

Attendance was 697. Where is everyone??? Where are the students???

Who knows? Don't college athletics exist for the students not the alumni?

While the Echo ran a yes we have a football team and basketball team article, you wonder why student attendance at EMU major sports events is so low. Maybe the students don't care if there is an athletic program. I just got my alum mag with all sorts of visions about where EMU wants to be in 10 years. While I did not read the entire article in depth, I did not see athletics as one of the bullet points. I think EMU athletics needs have a 10 year vision statement with goals of where they want the sports programs to be or not to be and outline funding goals.

By the way the article mentions that the magazine is sent to donors in the alums about 30,000 meaning that only about 25% of the alums are donors.

EMU graduates people who get good jobs not rich but good likewise CMU and WMU-but their alums seem to do a much better job of giving and better organized in terms of supporting athletics. They can raise the money but EMU can't? My guess is we have alums still ticked off about the whole Hurons Eagles thing and who knows what other reasons people have for either lowering their donations (don't like the coach angry at the program) or not giving at all (I need to see wins first before I give, I wasn't asked). Last time I checked my degree said EMU not Huron College or Eagles College. There's this we are losers attitude and always will be that WMU and CMU alums don't seem to have. They have a can do attitude. Frankly I think the alums care even less than the students about EMU sports. Some of the reasons are just childness, I don't like what's going on so I'll punish the program by not giving.

I actually upped my donations this past year after receiving letters from Bragg hearing the baseball team needed money to field a competitive schedule, football coaches raising money on their own for recruiting trips and I could go on. What's next? newspaper drives and pop can collections?

The result of this student and alum apathy is that sports becomes an embrassment to the university ie lowest Div I attendance in football and even the student newspaper finds it funny to mock the football coach, players and program.

And lest I get off my soapbox, some of the comments here well let me put this way, you don't like the recruits EMU gets in football, then why don't you give the program more positives to sell ie jumbotron, indoor facility? Genyk has what he has and I think he does a good job considering the resources he's given to work with. People want three star results with a one star facilities and budget. Ain't going to happen.

I owe my secure and good paying job to my education and degree I got at EMU. Donating money back and attending games to support the team doesn't seem too much to ask in return.

Thus ends the ranting and venting.

1). It is not surprising that giving is minimal (for sports) given that attendance is minimal (if alums are apathetic about ATTENDING games they are probably DOUBLY apathetic about contributing).

2). I also have 'issues' about EMU having a 'shoe string' budget. As I understand it, athletic giving (point 1 above) doesn't go into the operational athletic budget.

In other words, if donors gave 500K it would go for a Jumbrotron and not into recruiting, asst coaches salaries, etc. (I think).

3). Why CMU can raise big bucks and we can't I don't know. CMU seems to have so much more SPIRIT. Maybe EMU would get spirit if we went to the MACC or MCB or Big Dance (again).

A lot of good points were raised here.

First, I really liked the way this team fought back against a very good Akron team. Rams has something going here.

As for attendance, I spoke with someone last night who has been around EMU athletics a long time who made a good point in that when it comes to football and basketball, we have had nothing but losing going on for 10 years so it is going to a while to recover. Winning will do it and I have to say I am really confident in Ramsey at this point.

Yes, too, we have a significant commuter student population as compared to CMU and WMU so they will, for the most part, continue to be fair-weather supporters at best. Winning again is key. The students unfortunately do not feel invested in the fortunes of EMU sports.

Not to be disagreeable, but how come we hear excuses and not results or plans to address the issues or improve them? Because no one cares-I could believe that one. WMU and CMU students supported their teams in their down years-come on the year before last we averaged 5,000 per football game?! Holt High School averages better than that.

If the students don't feel invested in the athletics at their school, then my question back is this? Why have them? Wouldn't taxpayer money be better spent on things like the science building or other improvements?

I say this not because I wish it were so, but its time to wake up from our 10 year nap at EMU or put the athletics department to sleep.

huroncowboy Wrote:Not to be disagreeable, but how come we hear excuses and not results or plans to address the issues or improve them? Because no one cares-I could believe that one. WMU and CMU students supported their teams in their down years-come on the year before last we averaged 5,000 per football game?! Holt High School averages better than that.

If the students don't feel invested in the athletics at their school, then my question back is this? Why have them? Wouldn't taxpayer money be better spent on things like the science building or other improvements?

I say this not because I wish it were so, but its time to wake up from our 10 year nap at EMU or put the athletics department to sleep.

Cowboy - I understand your feelings. Believe me. I have been invested in this school's athletic programs for over 20 years now and I am so tired of the losing.

For the first time in several years though I feel a sense of optimism, small doses mind you, coming from certain areas. We have an AD that is personable, willing to work with all parties and understands D1 athletics. The MAC is finally looking at EMU as more than a doormat. Rick Chryst seems to genuinely believe that we finally have the right people in some key areas. Not everything is perfect and this school's athletic program has miles to go yet and many people still have legitimate beefs but the problems over the past decade cannot be fixed in a fortnight.

On major problem, IMO, is still the Board that both Gragg and Fallon have to deal with. I think they (Gragg and Fallon) know quite well what needs to be done but have been blocked in some instances. EMU desperately needs to eliminate some sports. We support more varsity sports than any other MAC institution and on the smallest budget. At some point PC thinking has to give way to common sense solutions. Women's crew for instance is a drain. It is expensive and nobody cares about it.

An afterthought: About this year's attendance in bball: Is it really that much worse than last year or are we finally getting an honest attendance count?

CMU certainly isn't a commuter school - there aren't many folks up in that part of Michigan.

I presume most students stay most weekends on campus.

CMU, HOWEVER, has a tough problem - their alums are all over the state and most are a LONG way from Mt. Pleasant.

WMU, I'd guess, has most of their students on campus for weekends and have access to a significant local town population and alums who live in SW MI.

EMU: Doesn't the EMU student population resemble more closely Wayne State - commuters, many part time and working, etc. etc.?

EMU would have many of their students leave town after classes and that would hurt. On the other hand, ALUMS: a very good percentage should be in SE Michigan and should have NO problems with Saturday events.

Bottom line:

WMU should do best with both students, alums, and town folks.

CMU should be able to get their students to events but most alums would have very long drives (how many folks live with 45 minutes of Mt. P???) and there aren't many town folks in Isabella County).

EMU students are iffy, not many town folks (because 2 miles from the West Campus is UofM, not EMU, land) but interested alums can come from Lansing, Detroit, Flint, etc. for Saturday events.