(08-25-2014 04:42 PM)smackdaddy Wrote:  I prefer watching games by myself. Rice watch parties can be really dangerous, mostly because I have a temper and become verbally abusive. And physically abusive. Especially to people who are smaller and weaker than me. Like children. I also drink too much at watch parties. And, if available, do other drugs in the bathroom. And I gamble. A lot. I lost my car at a watch party once and had to walk home (after I woke up). Don't even get me started on sex at Rice watch parties. Hell, just ask my 5 kids: "Austin," "Aggie," "Yoo-hoo," "Golden Eagle," and (ugh) "Nicole State."

That said, I'm super-excited for the LA watch party this Saturday! See you there!

+1 Yeah, maybe it's better that you don't attend the watch parties - I can't imagine the extra costs for security!

Well, I just moved to Austin (Yay! Back in Texas!) and I would be happy to arrange a watch party. I don't know where the Rice-friendly places are, but whatever venue I pick will be Rice-friendly when I am done with it.

Edit: Also, I have an R flag. It's in a box somewhere, but I shall find it!

Edit: I will not be able to host an Austin watch party after all due to a family medical situation that is not likely to end well. I will plan to host something for (perhaps) the Army game instead.

(08-25-2014 05:23 PM)Caelligh Wrote:  Well, I just moved to Austin (Yay! Back in Texas!) and I would be happy to arrange a watch party. I don't know where the Rice-friendly places are, but whatever venue I pick will be Rice-friendly when I am done with it.

Good for you to organize an event! And, welcome home!

(08-25-2014 05:23 PM)Caelligh Wrote:  Well, I just moved to Austin (Yay! Back in Texas!) and I would be happy to arrange a watch party. I don't know where the Rice-friendly places are, but whatever venue I pick will be Rice-friendly when I am done with it.

Edit: Also, I have an R flag. It's in a box somewhere, but I shall find it!

BTW, anyone bringing the Rice flag to South Bend? Would look great on TV.

(08-25-2014 05:26 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(08-25-2014 05:23 PM)Caelligh Wrote:  Well, I just moved to Austin (Yay! Back in Texas!) and I would be happy to arrange a watch party. I don't know where the Rice-friendly places are, but whatever venue I pick will be Rice-friendly when I am done with it.

Edit: Also, I have an R flag. It's in a box somewhere, but I shall find it!

BTW, anyone bringing the Rice flag to South Bend? Would look great on TV.

Agree - great suggestion!

(08-25-2014 05:16 PM)CrabCake Wrote:  

(08-25-2014 04:32 PM)MarketingOwl Wrote:  As the "idle complainer", as Mr. Webb so eloquently described me, you do realize that Rice has people in Houston...the Alumni Office and Young Alumni group...that are in charge....of throwing events like this.

It is not my responsibility, as an alumni who attends every football game in Houston and those within my means to travel, to schedule a watch party.

Yes, I realize I could probably call the alumni office and say, "Hey...we should throw a party here. You should advertise it." This is not the point. The point is...there are people and leaders in these groups whose responsibility it is to organize events like this.

No..."I am complaining that a watch party wasn't thrown for me". I am waiting for someone to do THEIR JOB. So yes Mr. Webb....this situation IS ridiculous.

At this point...I do not care that there isn't a watch party. I am going to Little Woodrows-Village and meet up with my Rice Friends, drink some beer and have a good time watching the Owls show the country we aren't a D2 program.

Please do not insult people you know nothing about Mr. Webb. It is rude and unbecoming of someone of your reputation.

Interesting perspective - I didn't realize that the organization of watch parties rests with the Alumni Office or Young Alumni Organization. Thank you for clarifying that point for me as a non-alum.

It is my understanding that some of the groups at Rice you mention may not be fully staffed at this time (although, they are all working 24/7 and doing an amazing job). Therefore, maybe resources are not fully available at this time to operate at 100%, hence the need for volunteers to assist?

But, I have a hard time believing that resources within the Alumni Office are available to organize parties outside of Houston (e.g., Bay area, etc.) yet not available for Houston, which, I believe, has the largest Rice alumni population. So, maybe, after all, the responsibility doesn't rest with the Alumni Office? Hopefully, with the hiring of new Alumni Director, the office will be fully staffed in the near future to address gaps in providing services to alumni, such as yourself. In fact, I would highly encourage you to contact the Alumni Office with your concerns and suggestions as I'm sure they would love to hear from you! (My alumni organization is always stating the same in our quarterly magazine).

But I have to ask you this - how much more are you willing to pay for your yearly Association of Rice Alumni dues to assist with any future shortfalls in resource availability/allocation? I did a quick scan of the Rice Alumni website and I couldn't locate any information on the structure of association dues, so I can't offer my personal suggestion for added services.

This gets to parts of my points I was going to post. We need to work to stop this whole "us" and "them" mentality. We all want the same thing; why don't we work together to do it? TCU is a perfect example of what can happen when alumni and school work together for a common good. SMU is trying to do the same thing.

I'm not going to suggest MarketingOwl host anything. Everyone is free to do as they please. But, I would ask that before coming here and criticizing these organizations, maybe MarketingOwl should ask those groups why they aren't doing what MarketingOwl claims they should be? I think that can be a simple rule to follow for all of us on a variety of topics.

(08-25-2014 05:27 PM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(08-25-2014 05:16 PM)CrabCake Wrote:  

(08-25-2014 04:32 PM)MarketingOwl Wrote:  As the "idle complainer", as Mr. Webb so eloquently described me, you do realize that Rice has people in Houston...the Alumni Office and Young Alumni group...that are in charge....of throwing events like this.

It is not my responsibility, as an alumni who attends every football game in Houston and those within my means to travel, to schedule a watch party.

Yes, I realize I could probably call the alumni office and say, "Hey...we should throw a party here. You should advertise it." This is not the point. The point is...there are people and leaders in these groups whose responsibility it is to organize events like this.

No..."I am complaining that a watch party wasn't thrown for me". I am waiting for someone to do THEIR JOB. So yes Mr. Webb....this situation IS ridiculous.

At this point...I do not care that there isn't a watch party. I am going to Little Woodrows-Village and meet up with my Rice Friends, drink some beer and have a good time watching the Owls show the country we aren't a D2 program.

Please do not insult people you know nothing about Mr. Webb. It is rude and unbecoming of someone of your reputation.

Interesting perspective - I didn't realize that the organization of watch parties rests with the Alumni Office or Young Alumni Organization. Thank you for clarifying that point for me as a non-alum.

It is my understanding that some of the groups at Rice you mention may not be fully staffed at this time (although, they are all working 24/7 and doing an amazing job). Therefore, maybe resources are not fully available at this time to operate at 100%, hence the need for volunteers to assist?

But, I have a hard time believing that resources within the Alumni Office are available to organize parties outside of Houston (e.g., Bay area, etc.) yet not available for Houston, which, I believe, has the largest Rice alumni population. So, maybe, after all, the responsibility doesn't rest with the Alumni Office? Hopefully, with the hiring of new Alumni Director, the office will be fully staffed in the near future to address gaps in providing services to alumni, such as yourself. In fact, I would highly encourage you to contact the Alumni Office with your concerns and suggestions as I'm sure they would love to hear from you! (My alumni organization is always stating the same in our quarterly magazine).

But I have to ask you this - how much more are you willing to pay for your yearly Association of Rice Alumni dues to assist with any future shortfalls in resource availability/allocation? I did a quick scan of the Rice Alumni website and I couldn't locate any information on the structure of association dues, so I can't offer my personal suggestion for added services.

This gets to parts of my points I was going to post. We need to work to stop this whole "us" and "them" mentality. We all want the same thing; why don't we work together to do it? TCU is a perfect example of what can happen when alumni and school work together for a common good. SMU is trying to do the same thing.

I'm not going to suggest MarketingOwl host anything. Everyone is free to do as they please. But, I would ask that before coming here and criticizing these organizations, maybe MarketingOwl should ask those groups why they aren't doing what MarketingOwl claims they should be? I think that can be a simple rule to follow for all of us on a variety of topics.

Yes -- well stated!! It will take all of us working together to continue to move things forward. Although the Rice alumni population is smaller than a lot of FBS schools, we can still pull together (as well as any other school) to strengthen our causes. Go Owls!

(08-25-2014 05:26 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(08-25-2014 05:23 PM)Caelligh Wrote:  Well, I just moved to Austin (Yay! Back in Texas!) and I would be happy to arrange a watch party. I don't know where the Rice-friendly places are, but whatever venue I pick will be Rice-friendly when I am done with it.

Edit: Also, I have an R flag. It's in a box somewhere, but I shall find it!

BTW, anyone bringing the Rice flag to South Bend? Would look great on TV.

Ellen Rein Pierce will have hers proudly flying behind the ND bench in the first row of the upper deck, section 126. Texas flag with the OER instead of the star.

(08-25-2014 04:13 PM)CrabCake Wrote:  Excuse me for being dense, but I cannot follow your rationale in any direction!

First, I don't believe anyone has asked YOU to host a party for ALL of Houston - or did I miss something? Why such an inhospitable attitude, especially with the poster that I know has, along with his wife, opened his home to many in the Rice community on numerous occasions without being asked to do so, assisted with the event execution or subsidized for the costs (including a campus-wide -- yes, you read that correctly, CAMPUS-WIDE -- celebration marking the dedication of the new Weiss Masters house). I KNOW not all alumni in Houston (fortunately) share your attitude.

By calling out basically everyone not throwing an official watch party in Houston, I became part of that subset. I was replying in an equally absurd manner as we, collectively, were called out. Also, please don't judge these replies as a lack of hospitality. I've fed more people at tailgates than I could possibly count (the majority I did not know) over the course of 10 years associated with Rice Football

Quote:Second, are you really being honest when you allude to the fact that you do not see benefits to watch parties within Houston, particularly one for Rice at #17 Notre Dame to kick-off the college football season? I think we all can agree that public gatherings are great for social interactions; engagement with the University and among alumni within a geographic region (which appears to be an issue as per previous posts); and support of Rice athletes and the athletic department. It's also terrific for PR and marketing. Think of the numerous times we've been watching a college sporting event on TV and the television crew shows scenes from various venues (e.g., bars, basketball arenas, etc.) where fans are gathered around TVs to watch their teams. Everyone, many in game day apparel, is cheering and passing appetizers and having a terrific time. And sometimes they do split-screen shots from several venues - imagine the great visibility this would bring for Rice. (I've never seen the same shot taken from someone's living room as one guy pulls out the block of melted Velveeta cheese and can of Rotel from the microwave oven while his buddies sit on the couch cracking open cans of Miller Light.). Why do you think ESPN "College GameDay" is so popular? I can't imagine it's because hundreds of college kids want to get up early (after partying the night before) to watch Lee Corso dance around wearing the head of a school mascot.

I'm not saying a watch party wouldn't be a good thing, I am saying in Houston it is not necessary. There doesn't need to be an official watch party thrown in Austin for Texas alumni to get together to watch the game.

Quote:Finally, the "ease of availability" of a game or event should be irrelevant. If you take that approach, then you can make the argument that no one should bother buying tickets to watch Rice baseball at Reckling when they can follow the game on Owl Vision or Game Tracker (heck, why bother showing up for graduation - Rice always broadcasts the ceremony over the internet). People get together for the love of the game, the desire to support the school and its people and the need to socialize. I've been to some great Rice watch parties over the years (many organized by several members within this forum) and I look forward to many more. Go Owls!

This baseball and graduation argument is a slippery slope and does not apply. I’m saying with the ease of access to home games, I don’t need to attend a watch party somewhere to participate in the social aspect of Rice Football. I am going to be watching the game on television regardless of where or with whom I watch it. The concern there not being an "official" party where the game will be watched across the city and country is a non-issue for me.

MarketingOwl summed up my frustration with the tone of these accusations very well.

(08-25-2014 05:45 PM)lou Wrote:  

(08-25-2014 04:13 PM)CrabCake Wrote:  Excuse me for being dense, but I cannot follow your rationale in any direction!

First, I don't believe anyone has asked YOU to host a party for ALL of Houston - or did I miss something? Why such an inhospitable attitude, especially with the poster that I know has, along with his wife, opened his home to many in the Rice community on numerous occasions without being asked to do so, assisted with the event execution or subsidized for the costs (including a campus-wide -- yes, you read that correctly, CAMPUS-WIDE -- celebration marking the dedication of the new Weiss Masters house). I KNOW not all alumni in Houston (fortunately) share your attitude.

By calling out basically everyone not throwing an official watch party in Houston, I became part of that subset. I was replying in an equally absurd manner as we, collectively, were called out. Also, please don't judge these replies as a lack of hospitality. I've fed more people at tailgates than I could possibly count (the majority I did not know) over the course of 10 years associated with Rice Football

Quote:Second, are you really being honest when you allude to the fact that you do not see benefits to watch parties within Houston, particularly one for Rice at #17 Notre Dame to kick-off the college football season? I think we all can agree that public gatherings are great for social interactions; engagement with the University and among alumni within a geographic region (which appears to be an issue as per previous posts); and support of Rice athletes and the athletic department. It's also terrific for PR and marketing. Think of the numerous times we've been watching a college sporting event on TV and the television crew shows scenes from various venues (e.g., bars, basketball arenas, etc.) where fans are gathered around TVs to watch their teams. Everyone, many in game day apparel, is cheering and passing appetizers and having a terrific time. And sometimes they do split-screen shots from several venues - imagine the great visibility this would bring for Rice. (I've never seen the same shot taken from someone's living room as one guy pulls out the block of melted Velveeta cheese and can of Rotel from the microwave oven while his buddies sit on the couch cracking open cans of Miller Light.). Why do you think ESPN "College GameDay" is so popular? I can't imagine it's because hundreds of college kids want to get up early (after partying the night before) to watch Lee Corso dance around wearing the head of a school mascot.

I'm not saying a watch party wouldn't be a good thing, I am saying in Houston it is not necessary. There doesn't need to be an official watch party thrown in Austin for Texas alumni to get together to watch the game.

Quote:Finally, the "ease of availability" of a game or event should be irrelevant. If you take that approach, then you can make the argument that no one should bother buying tickets to watch Rice baseball at Reckling when they can follow the game on Owl Vision or Game Tracker (heck, why bother showing up for graduation - Rice always broadcasts the ceremony over the internet). People get together for the love of the game, the desire to support the school and its people and the need to socialize. I've been to some great Rice watch parties over the years (many organized by several members within this forum) and I look forward to many more. Go Owls!

This baseball and graduation argument is a slippery slope and does not apply. I’m saying with the ease of access to home games, I don’t need to attend a watch party somewhere to participate in the social aspect of Rice Football. I am going to be watching the game on television regardless of where or with whom I watch it. The concern there not being an "official" party where the game will be watched across the city and country is a non-issue for me.

MarketingOwl summed up my frustration with the tone of these accusations very well.

1.) Great to hear that you have engaged in so many tailgating activities - we need more alumni like you! I can see how someone living in Houston might take offense, but I think the "callout" was more a "call to action."

2.) I think - at least for this one game that is being played in South Bend and not at HRS - having a Houston watch party would still be beneficial. Unfortunately, not everyone can make the trip to South Bend. I think that the best option would be to have a watch party somewhere on campus (e.g., Tudor Fieldhouse) but that may be somewhat of a logistical nightmare (especially with the athletic staff being out of town). A local venue might be a nice way for students to get off campus for a few hours as well, especially after the 1st week of classes coming to an end.

3.) Yes, I think for home games, there doesn't need to be a watch party. We would rather see "butts in seats" for home games! Maybe some day home games will be such a sellout that we will need watch parties to accommodate fans unable to get into the stadium.

I'm now stationed in San Antonio, and I would be happy to organize a watch party here (I was involved in several CWS watch parties when I was stationed in DC), but I'll be out of town this weekend. I'm making the trip to see the A&M game in person, but I'd like to put together watch parties for the remaining road games.

Add Washington DC to the watch party list. I reserved space for DC Rice alum at Rocket Bar (714 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001) in Gallery Place/Chinatown.

(08-25-2014 05:03 PM)westsidewolf1989 Wrote:  

(08-25-2014 04:42 PM)smackdaddy Wrote:  I prefer watching games by myself. Rice watch parties can be really dangerous, mostly because I have a temper and become verbally abusive. And physically abusive. Especially to people who are smaller and weaker than me. Like children. I also drink too much at watch parties. And, if available, do other drugs in the bathroom. And I gamble. A lot. I lost my car at a watch party once and had to walk home (after I woke up). Don't even get me started on sex at Rice watch parties. Hell, just ask my 5 kids: "Austin," "Aggie," "Yoo-hoo," "Golden Eagle," and (ugh) "Nicole State."

That said, I'm super-excited for the LA watch party this Saturday! See you there!

+1

+2 (just the last paragraph tho)


Posted from my mobile device using the CSNbbs App

Around campus, there is very little buzz about the game. Hardly anyone knows we're playing Notre Dame, except for other athletes. This is somewhat weird, as THERE IS a lot of buzz about the A&M game and people are clamoring to go. If I wasn't going to be in South Bend, I'd reach out to people and try to organize an on-campus student watch party. Even if one of the colleges just projected it in their commons, it would be infinitely times better than what we currently have. I haven't heard one person say they're going to be around their TV at 2:30 P.M. on Saturday. Again, I don't want to take this down the road of Rice students not caring about sports, because I don't think that's exactly the issue here. The issue is more that people don't know about the game... I'd even venture to say that some think the season's first game is at A&M.

I just made this suggestion to my daughter. Her response was "Ok when is it?"

(08-25-2014 10:00 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  Around campus, there is very little buzz about the game. Hardly anyone knows we're playing Notre Dame, except for other athletes. This is somewhat weird, as THERE IS a lot of buzz about the A&M game and people are clamoring to go. If I wasn't going to be in South Bend, I'd reach out to people and try to organize an on-campus student watch party. Even if one of the colleges just projected it in their commons, it would be infinitely times better than what we currently have. I haven't heard one person say they're going to be around their TV at 2:30 P.M. on Saturday. Again, I don't want to take this down the road of Rice students not caring about sports, because I don't think that's exactly the issue here. The issue is more that people don't know about the game... I'd even venture to say that some think the season's first game is at A&M.

That road has certainly been well traveled, but IMO, you're giving those students too much credit. I guess I fail to comprehend how students, if they actually cared about the sports teams that represent the university they decided to attend, would somehow be unable to navigate their internet browser to riceowls.com and magically discover that we do, in fact, play Notre Dame this weekend on national TV. You'd think at least a portion of students would be grilling out in their college's quad, with the game on a projector outside or on a big screen TV in the commons, especially since we're coming off one of the best seasons in school history. It's anecdotes like these that make me wonder how many future boosters and season ticket holders we're going to have...unless we somehow have hundreds of people on campus that are incredibly good at hiding their zeal for Rice athletics. But big kudos to you for showing great support for our teams, despite having been on campus for what, less than two weeks (that is if you're screen name alludes to your class year)?

(08-25-2014 10:00 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  Around campus, there is very little buzz about the game. Hardly anyone knows we're playing Notre Dame, except for other athletes. This is somewhat weird, as THERE IS a lot of buzz about the A&M game and people are clamoring to go. If I wasn't going to be in South Bend, I'd reach out to people and try to organize an on-campus student watch party. Even if one of the colleges just projected it in their commons, it would be infinitely times better than what we currently have. I haven't heard one person say they're going to be around their TV at 2:30 P.M. on Saturday. Again, I don't want to take this down the road of Rice students not caring about sports, because I don't think that's exactly the issue here. The issue is more that people don't know about the game... I'd even venture to say that some think the season's first game is at A&M.

Well, considering yesterday was the first day of class, I'd give it some time. I've never known students to plan far ahead. I'm sure the freshmen were told about the ND game during their activities in Tudor during O-week. As well, while ND is still a brand name, it isn't the same brand it used to be.

I am pleased to hear about the excitement for A&M (not really surprised there is more excitement for that game than the ND game). Hopefully that carries over to the first home game of the year.

(08-26-2014 12:26 AM)westsidewolf1989 Wrote:  

(08-25-2014 10:00 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  Around campus, there is very little buzz about the game. Hardly anyone knows we're playing Notre Dame, except for other athletes. This is somewhat weird, as THERE IS a lot of buzz about the A&M game and people are clamoring to go. If I wasn't going to be in South Bend, I'd reach out to people and try to organize an on-campus student watch party. Even if one of the colleges just projected it in their commons, it would be infinitely times better than what we currently have. I haven't heard one person say they're going to be around their TV at 2:30 P.M. on Saturday. Again, I don't want to take this down the road of Rice students not caring about sports, because I don't think that's exactly the issue here. The issue is more that people don't know about the game... I'd even venture to say that some think the season's first game is at A&M.

That road has certainly been well traveled, but IMO, you're giving those students too much credit. I guess I fail to comprehend how students, if they actually cared about the sports teams that represent the university they decided to attend, would somehow be unable to navigate their internet browser to riceowls.com and magically discover that we do, in fact, play Notre Dame this weekend on national TV. You'd think at least a portion of students would be grilling out in their college's quad, with the game on a projector outside or on a big screen TV in the commons, especially since we're coming off one of the best seasons in school history. It's anecdotes like these that make me wonder how many future boosters and season ticket holders we're going to have...unless we somehow have hundreds of people on campus that are incredibly good at hiding their zeal for Rice athletics. But big kudos to you for showing great support for our teams, despite having been on campus for what, less than two weeks (that is if you're screen name alludes to your class year)?

Certainly the Freshmen (Class of '18) know of the Notre Dame game as they all attended a pep rally in Tudor only last week (during O-Week) with both Bailiff and Dr. K stressing how important their support was the to the program.

I'm out of town this week and weekend for work, otherwise I would have loved to organize a Houston watch party!

I plan on being at the DFW one though..

(08-26-2014 08:21 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(08-26-2014 12:26 AM)westsidewolf1989 Wrote:  

(08-25-2014 10:00 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  Around campus, there is very little buzz about the game. Hardly anyone knows we're playing Notre Dame, except for other athletes. This is somewhat weird, as THERE IS a lot of buzz about the A&M game and people are clamoring to go. If I wasn't going to be in South Bend, I'd reach out to people and try to organize an on-campus student watch party. Even if one of the colleges just projected it in their commons, it would be infinitely times better than what we currently have. I haven't heard one person say they're going to be around their TV at 2:30 P.M. on Saturday. Again, I don't want to take this down the road of Rice students not caring about sports, because I don't think that's exactly the issue here. The issue is more that people don't know about the game... I'd even venture to say that some think the season's first game is at A&M.

That road has certainly been well traveled, but IMO, you're giving those students too much credit. I guess I fail to comprehend how students, if they actually cared about the sports teams that represent the university they decided to attend, would somehow be unable to navigate their internet browser to riceowls.com and magically discover that we do, in fact, play Notre Dame this weekend on national TV. You'd think at least a portion of students would be grilling out in their college's quad, with the game on a projector outside or on a big screen TV in the commons, especially since we're coming off one of the best seasons in school history. It's anecdotes like these that make me wonder how many future boosters and season ticket holders we're going to have...unless we somehow have hundreds of people on campus that are incredibly good at hiding their zeal for Rice athletics. But big kudos to you for showing great support for our teams, despite having been on campus for what, less than two weeks (that is if you're screen name alludes to your class year)?

Certainly the Freshmen (Class of '18) know of the Notre Dame game as they all attended a pep rally in Tudor only last week (during O-Week) with both Bailiff and Dr. K stressing how important their support was the to the program.

As someone who attended that Pep Rally, I think you overestimate how much many of the students there were really listening.