(01-26-2019 08:29 AM)randyfensfanclub1 Wrote: (01-25-2019 11:14 PM)dogdangit Wrote: (01-25-2019 09:51 PM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote: (01-25-2019 08:45 PM)huskie1stdown Wrote: (01-25-2019 02:20 PM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote: NIU is all about more with less. The school is in a pretty dire situation because of the state and rapidly declining enrollment. Don't believe me? Walk into Reavis Hall and tell me what you see.
Carey was on the high side of what NIU could afford. And his salary was ranked 103 of the 130 FCS D1 coaches. So why would they go all in and give the top of their budget away to an unproven head coach?
Yeah the expectations are high. But that's part of the Hard Way culture. More with less...
What do you see when you walk in Reavis Hall?
Missing floors and a paper sign that reads "no budget for new floor"...in the bathroom there's a hose that runs to the urinals because they don't flush
Sadly Reavis makes it into the top half of buildings on campus. My physics lab in Faraday still has a tube television form the 80's in the lab with everything else in disrepair. The entire campus except for Barsema, engineering and altgeld are stuck in the 80's actually...
So if it isn’t lower academics, lackluster campus life we can now add failing infrastructure.
Sounds like an overwhelming endorsement of the school. Tell me again why anyone should go there?
Here's my personal endorsement. The students at NIU have that same chip on their shoulder that the football team has. They wish they went to a bigger, better school, but the cards just didn't roll that way. (#TheHardWay) Me and many of the kids there, were from families where we were among the 1st generation to go to college. I like many others, looked at all the schools we got accepted to, and for us, Northern was the most affordable option. The next thing I love about the place is, the culture breeds overachieving hard workers. We don't have the buildings or the athletics of major programs. And heck, our best professors are poached by bigger schools. But we make best with what we have.
Our professors and visiting alumni would always say, "you'll graduate from here one day. You'll graduate with the same piece of paper that every graduating kid in the country will have. These kids from bigger universities will have more accolades and more prestige than you. And with that, they'll refuse to do work they feel is beneath them. But not you, because you're Huskies, and you'll grind it out. And that's why I'll hire you over any U of I business student, and why you'll go further than any of those kids." I've taken this advice personally, and have seen other workers from bigger schools refuse to do the hard work.
Like I said, we do the best with what we have. And in the partying side, we tried are best. $5 cup Busch Light keggers from Lundeens, $0.20 wings from Molly's, and Fried Potato Salad from Fatty's. We only had a handful of bars, but we made it a blast.
Anyway, in conclusion, we can't make the big name hires that other schools do because we don't have the luxury of a big budget. But if you want to set yourself up for a good future. And be around a relentless culture, that isn't afraid to lineup against opponents twice your size. Come to Northern. Cornfest is a thing...