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pvk75 Offline
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Post: #41
RE: Buffalo billion
Said this before, worth saying again, IMO ... 10,000 people donating $100 each is the same $1 million as 100 people donating $10,000 each. Amazing how simple math eludes some people. And that the 10,000 fill a helluva lot more seats. Cary Groth understood that, and was a people person to begin with. Jane Albright did too. When she dropped it that the WBB old locker room in the fieldhouse needed a redo, she got enough money to actually install oak lockers, makeup mirrors so the ladies could "clean up well" after games and practices, etc. During a WBB night off (a men's MBB game was under way), it was announced that the coaching staff and players were there to conduct a "guided tour" after the game.

What's really sad is that Northern had it and let it slip away.

Just as sad ... said this on the "baseball" thread ... changes to the baseball stadium plan screwed up the master plan, and threw two major facilities and benefits to 10 other teams under the bus. What would have been so hard about explaining things in Frazier's Corner? Perfect place for such messages. Simple communication.
(This post was last modified: 05-06-2021 09:55 AM by pvk75.)
05-06-2021 09:46 AM
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Big Red Offline
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Post: #42
RE: Buffalo billion
Dog Fan.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. They do match up with things I've heard from others.

Personally, I used to donate to the school but stopped when finances got tight and then never picked it up again. I used to get phone calls but those have stopped too (although, it's real easy to avoid a random 815-753-xxxx number when it pops up on the Caller ID).

On a side note, I went back to school at one point to Trinity Christian College and they were pretty good at calling and being that the number was much more difficult to identify, I'd often end up talking to them and I think I gave them money a couple times. One time I had just decided I wasn't going to do it and the person on the other end of the phone asked why. Well, first of all, it's none of your damn business. Anyway, the real reason was, I didn't want to, but I didn't want to say that. So, I just lied and said I was out of a job and didn't have any discretionary income.

The dude said he was sorry to hear that and asked if he could pray for me.

Holy **** did I feel like the ******* all of a sudden!

Anyway, I still don't get what keeps those $50k+ donors hooked. It can't just be schmoozing, right? Even for a person with a ton of money, donating over $50k is a big amount of money to just piss away if all I'm getting is dinner with STF. Then again, I figure there's tax reasons that are well beyond my bracket so there is that.

I just don't get how he is holding on to such a small margin for sustainability when his skills at getting new donors and retaining mid-level donors is terrible.

What happens when one of those big donors dies? Does he just hope and pray they wrote him into their will?

See, the thing about old people with money is they are much closer to death than they are anything else. And while it's great to have them, like was said before, you have to cultivate the new ones.

This seems like a terrible strategy and one that should have proven disastrous long ago but seems to be still treading water. How is that?
05-06-2021 10:10 AM
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Dog Fan Offline
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Post: #43
RE: Buffalo billion
(05-06-2021 10:10 AM)Big Red Wrote:  Dog Fan.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. They do match up with things I've heard from others.

Personally, I used to donate to the school but stopped when finances got tight and then never picked it up again. I used to get phone calls but those have stopped too (although, it's real easy to avoid a random 815-753-xxxx number when it pops up on the Caller ID).

On a side note, I went back to school at one point to Trinity Christian College and they were pretty good at calling and being that the number was much more difficult to identify, I'd often end up talking to them and I think I gave them money a couple times. One time I had just decided I wasn't going to do it and the person on the other end of the phone asked why. Well, first of all, it's none of your damn business. Anyway, the real reason was, I didn't want to, but I didn't want to say that. So, I just lied and said I was out of a job and didn't have any discretionary income.

The dude said he was sorry to hear that and asked if he could pray for me.

Holy **** did I feel like the ******* all of a sudden!

Anyway, I still don't get what keeps those $50k+ donors hooked. It can't just be schmoozing, right? Even for a person with a ton of money, donating over $50k is a big amount of money to just piss away if all I'm getting is dinner with STF. Then again, I figure there's tax reasons that are well beyond my bracket so there is that.

I just don't get how he is holding on to such a small margin for sustainability when his skills at getting new donors and retaining mid-level donors is terrible.

What happens when one of those big donors dies? Does he just hope and pray they wrote him into their will?

See, the thing about old people with money is they are much closer to death than they are anything else. And while it's great to have them, like was said before, you have to cultivate the new ones.

This seems like a terrible strategy and one that should have proven disastrous long ago but seems to be still treading water. How is that?

I think that some big donors donate a lot to get their voices heard. STF meets and counsels with them, gives them inside information, and gets their reactions and advice to things. We all know that folks with a ton of money are so much smarter than the rest of us! Donating a lot of money gets them a bigger stake in Athletics. STF does not want to piss them off, so he listens to them and obeys them if and when possible.
(This post was last modified: 05-06-2021 10:25 AM by Dog Fan.)
05-06-2021 10:25 AM
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HawaiiToNIU Offline
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Post: #44
RE: Buffalo billion
(05-05-2021 01:46 PM)Schaefer Beer Wrote:  
(05-05-2021 12:47 PM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  
(05-05-2021 12:34 PM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  
(05-05-2021 12:14 PM)Schaefer Beer Wrote:  It always seems that we have great opportunities at our doorstep that we never capitalize on. About 20 years ago there was talk about an atomic accelerator under the I-88 corridor and NIU would be a focal point, but we didn't get that project. We were going to be the centerpiece of the technological I-88 corridor for new business and manufacturing, but that fizzled out. We have a top business program of US Universities, but the marketing of NIU and athletics is non-existent.
As Dog Fan said, we were at the freakin Orange Bowl, but our athletics did not take advantage of it. We have the largest program of South East Asian studies, an area of the world that is starting to boom, but we are not involved.

The brass ring has always been there, we just don't grab it.

NIU was described as a sleeping giant in the 90's, being in the Chicago market, having 25k students an eyeing 30k in the near future. We were also supposed to be part of a a major cancer proton-therapy center that fell apart.

https://www.niu.edu/protontherapy/news/T...20Star.pdf

Wow. I remember reading about this as a freshman at NIU. Haven't thought about it since. Stinks we have fallen from going for major breakthroughs like this, to the VCB closing and being closer to 15,000 students.

Hawaii, my question below is not towards you at all but just towards the NIU message board in general.

There seems to be general sorrow over VCB closing on this board. I maybe very out of line for saying this and maybe saying this from extreme ignorance on profit margins, but the owners of VCB had to make alot of money during the years off tons of students who had to work 2 jobs to afford tuition and books.
I went to NIU in the 80's and if I had a nickel for every 200.00 book that I bought at VCB in Sept. Or Jan. and only got back 2 crisp 2 dollar bills(that were promptly donated to McCabes) because they were not notified by the professor if they were going to use this book the next semester, but yet they sold that same book for 175.00 the next semester, I would have...... a lot of nickels!

I am not faulting VCB for practicing Capitalism that is the backbone of America, but how much did they donate to NIU or to student fees during all the years that they were extremely successful?

They must have made at least 6 figures from Dog Fan buying up all thier Pancho stock.

Lol. I don't blame you, as I felt the same pain in how expensive it was to do business with the VCB. Peeling the onion back and looking at that place for what it was, it was an overpriced bookstore with furnishings that hadn't looked like they've been updated since the 60s. I even worked a few book rushes there, and even in the 2000s, they weren't even using UPC codes. I had to manually punch numbers in.

I am surprised that books cost that much for you in the 80s, as that would be exorbitantly high in 2021 dollars if you factor in inflation. I too recall buying books in the triple digits, only to receive those odd $2 bills back, that were quickly donated to Fatty's.

I guess I didn't really love the VCB, as much as I loved the routine of the VCB. It was a part of the Dekalb community. As an undergrad and to where I'm at now, it's always been a place I've made a habit of going to, collecting NIU gear from when I was in town. Certainly not the best, but one of a few places I could actually get NIU gear from.
05-06-2021 11:36 AM
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Big Red Offline
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Post: #45
RE: Buffalo billion
(05-06-2021 11:36 AM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  
(05-05-2021 01:46 PM)Schaefer Beer Wrote:  
(05-05-2021 12:47 PM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  
(05-05-2021 12:34 PM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  
(05-05-2021 12:14 PM)Schaefer Beer Wrote:  It always seems that we have great opportunities at our doorstep that we never capitalize on. About 20 years ago there was talk about an atomic accelerator under the I-88 corridor and NIU would be a focal point, but we didn't get that project. We were going to be the centerpiece of the technological I-88 corridor for new business and manufacturing, but that fizzled out. We have a top business program of US Universities, but the marketing of NIU and athletics is non-existent.
As Dog Fan said, we were at the freakin Orange Bowl, but our athletics did not take advantage of it. We have the largest program of South East Asian studies, an area of the world that is starting to boom, but we are not involved.

The brass ring has always been there, we just don't grab it.

NIU was described as a sleeping giant in the 90's, being in the Chicago market, having 25k students an eyeing 30k in the near future. We were also supposed to be part of a a major cancer proton-therapy center that fell apart.

https://www.niu.edu/protontherapy/news/T...20Star.pdf

Wow. I remember reading about this as a freshman at NIU. Haven't thought about it since. Stinks we have fallen from going for major breakthroughs like this, to the VCB closing and being closer to 15,000 students.

Hawaii, my question below is not towards you at all but just towards the NIU message board in general.

There seems to be general sorrow over VCB closing on this board. I maybe very out of line for saying this and maybe saying this from extreme ignorance on profit margins, but the owners of VCB had to make alot of money during the years off tons of students who had to work 2 jobs to afford tuition and books.
I went to NIU in the 80's and if I had a nickel for every 200.00 book that I bought at VCB in Sept. Or Jan. and only got back 2 crisp 2 dollar bills(that were promptly donated to McCabes) because they were not notified by the professor if they were going to use this book the next semester, but yet they sold that same book for 175.00 the next semester, I would have...... a lot of nickels!

I am not faulting VCB for practicing Capitalism that is the backbone of America, but how much did they donate to NIU or to student fees during all the years that they were extremely successful?

They must have made at least 6 figures from Dog Fan buying up all thier Pancho stock.

Lol. I don't blame you, as I felt the same pain in how expensive it was to do business with the VCB. Peeling the onion back and looking at that place for what it was, it was an overpriced bookstore with furnishings that hadn't looked like they've been updated since the 60s. I even worked a few book rushes there, and even in the 2000s, they weren't even using UPC codes. I had to manually punch numbers in.

I am surprised that books cost that much for you in the 80s, as that would be exorbitantly high in 2021 dollars if you factor in inflation. I too recall buying books in the triple digits, only to receive those odd $2 bills back, that were quickly donated to Fatty's.

I guess I didn't really love the VCB, as much as I loved the routine of the VCB. It was a part of the Dekalb community. As an undergrad and to where I'm at now, it's always been a place I've made a habit of going to, collecting NIU gear from when I was in town. Certainly not the best, but one of a few places I could actually get NIU gear from.

I'm the same in regards to VCB. I know this is totally off the topic of the original subject so I'll keep it short (and I've said it a few times in the VCB Closing thread). But I don't feel too bad for them. They made bank when times were good by extorting students for book money (and the "buyback...") and then didn't or wouldn't adjust when physical books no longer became necessary or preferred. Plus, many books were easily rented on Amazon or other sites which ate into the money they made. They hung on by selling merchandise but again refused to update their store or online presence. Once the pandemic hit, the final nail was put in the coffin.

If it weren't for the pandemic, I predict the VCB had, at best, 5 more years and that would have been just scraping by. My guess is the owner didn't have an exit strategy or a succession plan and was just holding on for deal life for as long as possible.
05-06-2021 01:21 PM
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NIUfilmmaker Offline
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Post: #46
RE: Buffalo billion
(05-06-2021 01:21 PM)Big Red Wrote:  
(05-06-2021 11:36 AM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  
(05-05-2021 01:46 PM)Schaefer Beer Wrote:  
(05-05-2021 12:47 PM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  
(05-05-2021 12:34 PM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  NIU was described as a sleeping giant in the 90's, being in the Chicago market, having 25k students an eyeing 30k in the near future. We were also supposed to be part of a a major cancer proton-therapy center that fell apart.

https://www.niu.edu/protontherapy/news/T...20Star.pdf

Wow. I remember reading about this as a freshman at NIU. Haven't thought about it since. Stinks we have fallen from going for major breakthroughs like this, to the VCB closing and being closer to 15,000 students.

Hawaii, my question below is not towards you at all but just towards the NIU message board in general.

There seems to be general sorrow over VCB closing on this board. I maybe very out of line for saying this and maybe saying this from extreme ignorance on profit margins, but the owners of VCB had to make alot of money during the years off tons of students who had to work 2 jobs to afford tuition and books.
I went to NIU in the 80's and if I had a nickel for every 200.00 book that I bought at VCB in Sept. Or Jan. and only got back 2 crisp 2 dollar bills(that were promptly donated to McCabes) because they were not notified by the professor if they were going to use this book the next semester, but yet they sold that same book for 175.00 the next semester, I would have...... a lot of nickels!

I am not faulting VCB for practicing Capitalism that is the backbone of America, but how much did they donate to NIU or to student fees during all the years that they were extremely successful?

They must have made at least 6 figures from Dog Fan buying up all thier Pancho stock.

Lol. I don't blame you, as I felt the same pain in how expensive it was to do business with the VCB. Peeling the onion back and looking at that place for what it was, it was an overpriced bookstore with furnishings that hadn't looked like they've been updated since the 60s. I even worked a few book rushes there, and even in the 2000s, they weren't even using UPC codes. I had to manually punch numbers in.

I am surprised that books cost that much for you in the 80s, as that would be exorbitantly high in 2021 dollars if you factor in inflation. I too recall buying books in the triple digits, only to receive those odd $2 bills back, that were quickly donated to Fatty's.

I guess I didn't really love the VCB, as much as I loved the routine of the VCB. It was a part of the Dekalb community. As an undergrad and to where I'm at now, it's always been a place I've made a habit of going to, collecting NIU gear from when I was in town. Certainly not the best, but one of a few places I could actually get NIU gear from.

I'm the same in regards to VCB. I know this is totally off the topic of the original subject so I'll keep it short (and I've said it a few times in the VCB Closing thread). But I don't feel too bad for them. They made bank when times were good by extorting students for book money (and the "buyback...") and then didn't or wouldn't adjust when physical books no longer became necessary or preferred. Plus, many books were easily rented on Amazon or other sites which ate into the money they made. They hung on by selling merchandise but again refused to update their store or online presence. Once the pandemic hit, the final nail was put in the coffin.

If it weren't for the pandemic, I predict the VCB had, at best, 5 more years and that would have been just scraping by. My guess is the owner didn't have an exit strategy or a succession plan and was just holding on for deal life for as long as possible.

Follett runs the student center book store now which is a good thing I think. Maybe the exit of VCB will tempt them to open a smaller boutique store somewhere on campus or on Lincoln, more about swag less about textbooks? Would love to see that prime property where VCB was redeveloped into something visually positive, that grade school-looking retail building has to go...
(This post was last modified: 05-06-2021 03:02 PM by NIUfilmmaker.)
05-06-2021 03:01 PM
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Dog Fan Offline
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Post: #47
RE: Buffalo billion
(05-06-2021 03:01 PM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  
(05-06-2021 01:21 PM)Big Red Wrote:  
(05-06-2021 11:36 AM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  
(05-05-2021 01:46 PM)Schaefer Beer Wrote:  
(05-05-2021 12:47 PM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  Wow. I remember reading about this as a freshman at NIU. Haven't thought about it since. Stinks we have fallen from going for major breakthroughs like this, to the VCB closing and being closer to 15,000 students.

Hawaii, my question below is not towards you at all but just towards the NIU message board in general.

There seems to be general sorrow over VCB closing on this board. I maybe very out of line for saying this and maybe saying this from extreme ignorance on profit margins, but the owners of VCB had to make alot of money during the years off tons of students who had to work 2 jobs to afford tuition and books.
I went to NIU in the 80's and if I had a nickel for every 200.00 book that I bought at VCB in Sept. Or Jan. and only got back 2 crisp 2 dollar bills(that were promptly donated to McCabes) because they were not notified by the professor if they were going to use this book the next semester, but yet they sold that same book for 175.00 the next semester, I would have...... a lot of nickels!

I am not faulting VCB for practicing Capitalism that is the backbone of America, but how much did they donate to NIU or to student fees during all the years that they were extremely successful?

They must have made at least 6 figures from Dog Fan buying up all thier Pancho stock.

Lol. I don't blame you, as I felt the same pain in how expensive it was to do business with the VCB. Peeling the onion back and looking at that place for what it was, it was an overpriced bookstore with furnishings that hadn't looked like they've been updated since the 60s. I even worked a few book rushes there, and even in the 2000s, they weren't even using UPC codes. I had to manually punch numbers in.

I am surprised that books cost that much for you in the 80s, as that would be exorbitantly high in 2021 dollars if you factor in inflation. I too recall buying books in the triple digits, only to receive those odd $2 bills back, that were quickly donated to Fatty's.

I guess I didn't really love the VCB, as much as I loved the routine of the VCB. It was a part of the Dekalb community. As an undergrad and to where I'm at now, it's always been a place I've made a habit of going to, collecting NIU gear from when I was in town. Certainly not the best, but one of a few places I could actually get NIU gear from.

I'm the same in regards to VCB. I know this is totally off the topic of the original subject so I'll keep it short (and I've said it a few times in the VCB Closing thread). But I don't feel too bad for them. They made bank when times were good by extorting students for book money (and the "buyback...") and then didn't or wouldn't adjust when physical books no longer became necessary or preferred. Plus, many books were easily rented on Amazon or other sites which ate into the money they made. They hung on by selling merchandise but again refused to update their store or online presence. Once the pandemic hit, the final nail was put in the coffin.

If it weren't for the pandemic, I predict the VCB had, at best, 5 more years and that would have been just scraping by. My guess is the owner didn't have an exit strategy or a succession plan and was just holding on for deal life for as long as possible.

Follett runs the student center book store now which is a good thing I think. Maybe the exit of VCB will tempt them to open a smaller boutique store somewhere on campus or on Lincoln, more about swag less about textbooks? Would love to see that prime property where VCB was redeveloped into something visually positive, that grade school-looking retail building has to go...

The problem is that the NIU swag - at VCB or anywhere else - has been virtually the same for many years. You shop, buy the stuff, and see the same things over and over. There is very little variety. It's been like this for a while because of the tight hold NIU has on the licensing. I look at the stuff for other schools and my mouth waters. There is an opportunity to make a lot more money on NIU swag if they are really interested.
05-06-2021 03:20 PM
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NIUfilmmaker Offline
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Post: #48
RE: Buffalo billion
(05-06-2021 03:20 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  
(05-06-2021 03:01 PM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  
(05-06-2021 01:21 PM)Big Red Wrote:  
(05-06-2021 11:36 AM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  
(05-05-2021 01:46 PM)Schaefer Beer Wrote:  Hawaii, my question below is not towards you at all but just towards the NIU message board in general.

There seems to be general sorrow over VCB closing on this board. I maybe very out of line for saying this and maybe saying this from extreme ignorance on profit margins, but the owners of VCB had to make alot of money during the years off tons of students who had to work 2 jobs to afford tuition and books.
I went to NIU in the 80's and if I had a nickel for every 200.00 book that I bought at VCB in Sept. Or Jan. and only got back 2 crisp 2 dollar bills(that were promptly donated to McCabes) because they were not notified by the professor if they were going to use this book the next semester, but yet they sold that same book for 175.00 the next semester, I would have...... a lot of nickels!

I am not faulting VCB for practicing Capitalism that is the backbone of America, but how much did they donate to NIU or to student fees during all the years that they were extremely successful?

They must have made at least 6 figures from Dog Fan buying up all thier Pancho stock.

Lol. I don't blame you, as I felt the same pain in how expensive it was to do business with the VCB. Peeling the onion back and looking at that place for what it was, it was an overpriced bookstore with furnishings that hadn't looked like they've been updated since the 60s. I even worked a few book rushes there, and even in the 2000s, they weren't even using UPC codes. I had to manually punch numbers in.

I am surprised that books cost that much for you in the 80s, as that would be exorbitantly high in 2021 dollars if you factor in inflation. I too recall buying books in the triple digits, only to receive those odd $2 bills back, that were quickly donated to Fatty's.

I guess I didn't really love the VCB, as much as I loved the routine of the VCB. It was a part of the Dekalb community. As an undergrad and to where I'm at now, it's always been a place I've made a habit of going to, collecting NIU gear from when I was in town. Certainly not the best, but one of a few places I could actually get NIU gear from.

I'm the same in regards to VCB. I know this is totally off the topic of the original subject so I'll keep it short (and I've said it a few times in the VCB Closing thread). But I don't feel too bad for them. They made bank when times were good by extorting students for book money (and the "buyback...") and then didn't or wouldn't adjust when physical books no longer became necessary or preferred. Plus, many books were easily rented on Amazon or other sites which ate into the money they made. They hung on by selling merchandise but again refused to update their store or online presence. Once the pandemic hit, the final nail was put in the coffin.

If it weren't for the pandemic, I predict the VCB had, at best, 5 more years and that would have been just scraping by. My guess is the owner didn't have an exit strategy or a succession plan and was just holding on for deal life for as long as possible.

Follett runs the student center book store now which is a good thing I think. Maybe the exit of VCB will tempt them to open a smaller boutique store somewhere on campus or on Lincoln, more about swag less about textbooks? Would love to see that prime property where VCB was redeveloped into something visually positive, that grade school-looking retail building has to go...

The problem is that the NIU swag - at VCB or anywhere else - has been virtually the same for many years. You shop, buy the stuff, and see the same things over and over. There is very little variety. It's been like this for a while because of the tight hold NIU has on the licensing. I look at the stuff for other schools and my mouth waters. There is an opportunity to make a lot more money on NIU swag if they are really interested.

I saw ISU had Yeti products available on their site recently. I emailed Yeti re NIU as my bro-in-law has Yeti beer holders for Northwestern and I need to keep up. Yeti said NIU had not reached out but they would be happy to provide product if requested. Get that sh*t moving...
(This post was last modified: 05-06-2021 03:45 PM by NIUfilmmaker.)
05-06-2021 03:44 PM
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Schaefer Beer Offline
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Post: #49
RE: Buffalo billion
(05-06-2021 03:44 PM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  
(05-06-2021 03:20 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  
(05-06-2021 03:01 PM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  
(05-06-2021 01:21 PM)Big Red Wrote:  
(05-06-2021 11:36 AM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  Lol. I don't blame you, as I felt the same pain in how expensive it was to do business with the VCB. Peeling the onion back and looking at that place for what it was, it was an overpriced bookstore with furnishings that hadn't looked like they've been updated since the 60s. I even worked a few book rushes there, and even in the 2000s, they weren't even using UPC codes. I had to manually punch numbers in.

I am surprised that books cost that much for you in the 80s, as that would be exorbitantly high in 2021 dollars if you factor in inflation. I too recall buying books in the triple digits, only to receive those odd $2 bills back, that were quickly donated to Fatty's.

I guess I didn't really love the VCB, as much as I loved the routine of the VCB. It was a part of the Dekalb community. As an undergrad and to where I'm at now, it's always been a place I've made a habit of going to, collecting NIU gear from when I was in town. Certainly not the best, but one of a few places I could actually get NIU gear from.

I'm the same in regards to VCB. I know this is totally off the topic of the original subject so I'll keep it short (and I've said it a few times in the VCB Closing thread). But I don't feel too bad for them. They made bank when times were good by extorting students for book money (and the "buyback...") and then didn't or wouldn't adjust when physical books no longer became necessary or preferred. Plus, many books were easily rented on Amazon or other sites which ate into the money they made. They hung on by selling merchandise but again refused to update their store or online presence. Once the pandemic hit, the final nail was put in the coffin.

If it weren't for the pandemic, I predict the VCB had, at best, 5 more years and that would have been just scraping by. My guess is the owner didn't have an exit strategy or a succession plan and was just holding on for deal life for as long as possible.

Follett runs the student center book store now which is a good thing I think. Maybe the exit of VCB will tempt them to open a smaller boutique store somewhere on campus or on Lincoln, more about swag less about textbooks? Would love to see that prime property where VCB was redeveloped into something visually positive, that grade school-looking retail building has to go...

The problem is that the NIU swag - at VCB or anywhere else - has been virtually the same for many years. You shop, buy the stuff, and see the same things over and over. There is very little variety. It's been like this for a while because of the tight hold NIU has on the licensing. I look at the stuff for other schools and my mouth waters. There is an opportunity to make a lot more money on NIU swag if they are really interested.

I saw ISU had Yeti products available on their site recently. I emailed Yeti re NIU as my bro-in-law has Yeti beer holders for Northwestern and I need to keep up. Yeti said NIU had not reached out but they would be happy to provide product if requested. Get that sh*t moving...
I know this has been talked about before, but why does highly a regarded business school at a university exist at a university that really is bad at business?

Are all programs of the business school too notch except the marketing program?

Why wouldn't the Athletic Dept. Or Student Recruiting use the Marketing program to boost the image?

Hell, most professors would love to have a class that has a project to do actual marketing in the real world.

I am in manufacturing and utilized the universities that asked businesses if they coul send over students to look at a certain issues you want improved in your process. The students would come in view the issue and then come back with a great presentation.
The solutions were better than the 30K I would pay for highly regarded consultants.And it would only cost about 4 pizzas.

And who is better to market to the Millennials ( or is it Gen. Z) than a bunch of Millenials!
05-06-2021 04:57 PM
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epasnoopy Offline
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Post: #50
RE: Buffalo billion
Do we have any Dogecoin millionaires on here yet? If so, let's get the baseball team some actual facilities!
05-06-2021 05:23 PM
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randyfensfanclub1 Offline
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Post: #51
RE: Buffalo billion
(05-05-2021 10:41 AM)Dog Fan Wrote:  
(05-05-2021 10:33 AM)klake87 Wrote:  The vast majority of alumni at NIU don't give a ****. They got a degree and moved on

True. Many of them did not want to be at NIU, did not enjoy their experience there, and could not wait to get out and away from DeKalb. Some of the fault rests with NIU for not doing proper marketing to instill a sense of pride in the student body. DeKalb is DeKalb, but there should be more city amenities for students. But, no matter what school you attend, you should be proud and make the best of it.

Those statements are true at many schools, namely non-p5, NIU in particular before out of state schools attracted Chicago area kids with scholarships and in state tuition.

And even less would think of going to a sporting event, not to mention donating a dime.

And in regards to Buffalo....250k, 1 million in Erie County. I am sure they have plenty of grads in various fields donating as well as non-grads and corporations in the community. It's slightly bigger than DeKalb with I am sure a much wider audience.
(This post was last modified: 05-06-2021 09:30 PM by randyfensfanclub1.)
05-06-2021 09:22 PM
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klake87 Offline
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Post: #52
RE: Buffalo billion
I applaud this board. True NIU and Huskie sports fans. I moved to Orlando recently. Got my NIU flags, shirts, shweatshirts(don't need them down here), NIU mugs, you get my point. We are minority. That is issue. Over 100k in alumni, we only have 5k in season tickets? This is a herculean task to create interest in NIU. I don't think it will ever happen unless a couple on this board got into bit coin when $400. They could be billionaires. I accept NIU for what it is. I applaud the success of the program with so little funding and interest. Could STF be more approachable, yes. He is not the problem though.
05-07-2021 08:05 AM
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Big Red Offline
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Post: #53
RE: Buffalo billion
(05-07-2021 08:05 AM)klake87 Wrote:  I applaud this board. True NIU and Huskie sports fans. I moved to Orlando recently. Got my NIU flags, shirts, shweatshirts(don't need them down here), NIU mugs, you get my point. We are minority. That is issue. Over 100k in alumni, we only have 5k in season tickets? This is a herculean task to create interest in NIU. I don't think it will ever happen unless a couple on this board got into bit coin when $400. They could be billionaires. I accept NIU for what it is. I applaud the success of the program with so little funding and interest. Could STF be more approachable, yes. He is not the problem though.

I agree, STF isn't the problem, but is there a better option?

Most likely.
05-07-2021 08:08 AM
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Dog Fan Offline
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Post: #54
RE: Buffalo billion
(05-07-2021 08:08 AM)Big Red Wrote:  
(05-07-2021 08:05 AM)klake87 Wrote:  I applaud this board. True NIU and Huskie sports fans. I moved to Orlando recently. Got my NIU flags, shirts, shweatshirts(don't need them down here), NIU mugs, you get my point. We are minority. That is issue. Over 100k in alumni, we only have 5k in season tickets? This is a herculean task to create interest in NIU. I don't think it will ever happen unless a couple on this board got into bit coin when $400. They could be billionaires. I accept NIU for what it is. I applaud the success of the program with so little funding and interest. Could STF be more approachable, yes. He is not the problem though.

I agree, STF isn't the problem, but is there a better option?

Most likely.

In the grand scheme of things, STF may not be the problem. But, he is not doing anything good to maintain or expand the fanbase. For reasons cited many times, he is eroding the fanbase from the inside by ignoring or pissing off current fans and donors, and not cultivating their enhanced fandom and donations.
05-07-2021 08:38 AM
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epasnoopy Offline
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Post: #55
RE: Buffalo billion
(05-07-2021 08:05 AM)klake87 Wrote:  I applaud this board. True NIU and Huskie sports fans. I moved to Orlando recently. Got my NIU flags, shirts, shweatshirts(don't need them down here), NIU mugs, you get my point. We are minority. That is issue. Over 100k in alumni, we only have 5k in season tickets? This is a herculean task to create interest in NIU. I don't think it will ever happen unless a couple on this board got into bit coin when $400. They could be billionaires. I accept NIU for what it is. I applaud the success of the program with so little funding and interest. Could STF be more approachable, yes. He is not the problem though.

Congrats on the move to Orlando. I left Illinois many years ago, everyone still there should do it.

I bought some Bitcoin (Ethereum and Litecoin too) a few years ago and still hold it. I see no point in selling it now as the value keeps going up. I've added more throughout the last 6 months each time it dips. I won't touch Dogecoin though. It's going to tank probably soon after Saturday Night Live and is not a legitimate cryptocurrency with any actual function. In the end, only a few of these cryptos will survive and the rest will die off. Until then, I will ride the wave while I can.
05-07-2021 08:43 AM
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klake87 Offline
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Post: #56
RE: Buffalo billion
(05-07-2021 08:43 AM)epasnoopy Wrote:  
(05-07-2021 08:05 AM)klake87 Wrote:  I applaud this board. True NIU and Huskie sports fans. I moved to Orlando recently. Got my NIU flags, shirts, shweatshirts(don't need them down here), NIU mugs, you get my point. We are minority. That is issue. Over 100k in alumni, we only have 5k in season tickets? This is a herculean task to create interest in NIU. I don't think it will ever happen unless a couple on this board got into bit coin when $400. They could be billionaires. I accept NIU for what it is. I applaud the success of the program with so little funding and interest. Could STF be more approachable, yes. He is not the problem though.

Congrats on the move to Orlando. I left Illinois many years ago, everyone still there should do it.

I bought some Bitcoin (Ethereum and Litecoin too) a few years ago and still hold it. I see no point in selling it now as the value keeps going up. I've added more throughout the last 6 months each time it dips. I won't touch Dogecoin though. It's going to tank probably soon after Saturday Night Live and is not a legitimate cryptocurrency with any actual function. In the end, only a few of these cryptos will survive and the rest will die off. Until then, I will ride the wave while I can.

Watching fox business just learned what dogecoin was. They are popping up. As far as your investments, you are playing with other peoples money so easy to let it ride. You are pretty much guaranteed a decent return even if 50% drop.
05-07-2021 09:39 AM
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Schaefer Beer Offline
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Post: #57
RE: Buffalo billion
(05-07-2021 08:38 AM)Dog Fan Wrote:  
(05-07-2021 08:08 AM)Big Red Wrote:  
(05-07-2021 08:05 AM)klake87 Wrote:  I applaud this board. True NIU and Huskie sports fans. I moved to Orlando recently. Got my NIU flags, shirts, shweatshirts(don't need them down here), NIU mugs, you get my point. We are minority. That is issue. Over 100k in alumni, we only have 5k in season tickets? This is a herculean task to create interest in NIU. I don't think it will ever happen unless a couple on this board got into bit coin when $400. They could be billionaires. I accept NIU for what it is. I applaud the success of the program with so little funding and interest. Could STF be more approachable, yes. He is not the problem though.

I agree, STF isn't the problem, but is there a better option?

Most likely.

In the grand scheme of things, STF may not be the problem. But, he is not doing anything good to maintain or expand the fanbase. For reasons cited many times, he is eroding the fanbase from the inside by ignoring or pissing off current fans and donors, and not cultivating their enhanced fandom and donations.

There are a few issues involved in the lack of interest of NIU Alumni, but one of them is that Dekalb and NIU never really worked together to make it an area that you would want to come back to.
Dekalb never grew service businesses around the campus I.e restaurants, hotels, coffee shops etc. that were walking distances from dorms or apartments. In fact the connection between town and university were non-existent.
When I went to school in the 80's and if you came in from the East on 38, you would have had no idea that in 2 miles there was a university with 25m students.
It seemed that the students stayed in thier space and the town stayed in thier space. There was no animosity like calling DeKalb residents Cutters( or would Barbie's be the better word) or anything like that. Everybody lived in 2 different bubbles.
I will admit that I was an exception to the rule and would go drinking at Rog's Tap or Dicks 1009.
Also, the town never really got into NIU sports either.
If I had a couple of kids and lived in Dekalb, I would take them to a football game or basketball game. Hell of a lot cheaper than to take them to a Bears or Bulls game.
But this is not just a NIU thing, this seems to be a Directional Illinois college issue. How many EIU or WIU grads say , "I love going back to Charleston or Macomb."?

I am not saying that a game day experience has to be like Austin Tx or Madison, WI., but it can be a lot better than it is now.
05-07-2021 03:31 PM
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uiniu57 Offline
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Post: #58
RE: Buffalo billion
(05-06-2021 10:10 AM)Big Red Wrote:  Anyway, I still don't get what keeps those $50k+ donors hooked. It can't just be schmoozing, right? Even for a person with a ton of money, donating over $50k is a big amount of money to just piss away if all I'm getting is dinner with STF. Then again, I figure there's tax reasons that are well beyond my bracket so there is that.
I just don't get how he is holding on to such a small margin for sustainability when his skills at getting new donors and retaining mid-level donors is terrible.

Big Red I am like you in that I purchased four season tickets in the original chairback section and also gave sport-specific donations, but the times and administrations changed, so did my budget; suddenly Huskie athletics didn't seem to care about my consistent yearly contributions decade after decade. Bottom line I agree with so much of what you said with one major exception.
I am not convinced STF is either finding or holding on to even "$50k+ donors." I believe his lack of skills at getting new donors or retaining mid-level donors is the same at all levels. His lack of transparency makes me skeptical enough to think it's all a shell game and he simply rearranges money. Can't agree with people who say "he's not to blame" because he either needs to be part of the solution or help find the solution, that's the biggest part of his job.
05-07-2021 04:47 PM
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klake87 Offline
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Post: #59
RE: Buffalo billion
After Jim Phillips, nothing compares
05-07-2021 05:32 PM
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Schaefer Beer Offline
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Post: #60
RE: Buffalo billion
(05-07-2021 05:32 PM)klake87 Wrote:  After Jim Phillips, nothing compares
In fundraising, I can't agree more.
But Ricardo Patton is a big blemish. I truly feel he did not do his homework on Patton and if memory serves me right, that hire came when Northwestern was courting him. Obviously his head wasn't in the job..not that I blame him, I probably would have been looking forward also...but he hired a guy that put the MBB program back 10 years.
05-07-2021 06:41 PM
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