(09-02-2018 11:09 AM)Mr.BigBlue Wrote: I say..
- 5k more beds on campus immediately. You could see the advantage that makes in Student engagement and attendance.
- recruit and reward students who want to be at ODU and excel in academics
- Indoor practice facility(s)
- Larger Alumni donations supporting Athletics
- A reduction in academic offerings that do not generate high paying jobs and leave students with debt that they can never pay off
- An increase in academic offerings that do produce higher paying jobs (Medicine, Dentistry, Healthcare admin., etc.)
- A focus on creating engaged young alumni
I am a VT alum. I was lucky enough to be a student at VT to witness their rise into the ranks of elite college football programs in the mid to late nineties. I have also been around every level of football from pee wee flag to the NFL. This is a business. It has zero to do with academics until after your program is on the rise. Here is my take on ODU football which I would love to see succeed as I have a high schooler who plays football and loves to go to college games.
ODU is way too focused on the blue hairs. You don't have a student section because the program has never tried engaging the students. You have to get them involved because those are your season ticket holders of the future.
Non-existent student section The football program needs to engage the students. As a freshman at VT, I was given the opportunity to go to Hokie Camp where all you did for 3 days was to learn about the traditions of VT. I actually emailed the president of the ODU SGA about ideas to help engage the student sections. I was met with we'll see. Traditions are born in the student sections. How do y'all think VT got its cheers, key play, and jumping to Sandman?
It's a football game, not a basketball game. I have never been to a football game that had so many different "cams" on the jumbo tron as ODU does. Holy crap. It is so annoying. At VT, there are certain things you do in Lane as football traditions and certain things you do in Cassell as basketball traditions. They don't mingle like that ice cream and cake thing. That has got to be one of the dumbest things I have ever seen in a football stadium, mainly because traditions should be timeless and that isn't. Again, goes back to engaging the students.
Engaging young alumni First and foremost, tailgating. From what I have seen in order to be in a lot where you can tailgate, you must be a season ticket holder/member of ODAF who purchases a space in one of those lots. Recent graduates may not have the cash to pull that off, but can afford a game here or there. However, if you just go to a game here or there, you end up parking in one of the parking garages where you can't tailgate (which I totally understand). I'm sorry, but no one wants to drag all their tailgating crap half way across campus to the mall to tailagte. It's too much damn work. Also, I think it's time to consider beer/wine sales inside the stadium during games. People are sneaking it in anyway. ODU might as well make money off of it.
Touchdown traditions At VT, we have Skipper, our beloved cannon, which goes off after touchdown. We also have a cheer. I know that ODU has an artillery gun of some sort that goes off at the beginning of each game, but I think that's it. I get that the grumpies in Larchmont complain, but they can suck it up for 6 Saturdays a year. Or go with the horn they use on port day.
ODU could be so much better, but y'all have 0 vision and can't get out of your own way. And I agree, Norfolk has got to get on board. When I think of how the towns of Blacksburg, Chapel Hill, Gainesville, Ann Arbor, etc get behind their schools and athletic teams, it makes me so disappointed the Norfolk has no long-range vision for the university, either.
Please refer to the official traditions pages of ODU and VT.
https://www.odu.edu/life/gettinginvolved/spirit
https://vt.edu/about/traditions.html
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What will it take to be a FBS University ?
