(01-24-2023 11:35 PM)niu1980 Wrote: As of December 2022 96% of universities and colleges have eliminated standardized test scores as part of admissions so that proves NIU’s once great programs are now a shell of what they were? So when was the last time you have spent anytime with current NIU students or educators? I volunteer my time in several areas of the university to help keep it great and to help evaluate it’s results. Unfortunately message boards are often used to attempt to tear down things and spread baseless claims. I don’t get it, especially if you are an alum. It’s disgraceful.
I admire your volunteer work and willingness to post your activites at NIU, but I contest the tear-it-down mentality you seem to think is dominant here. (For myself, I have been a college football fan since the mid-1960s and an NIU fan and supporter since the early 1970s).
NIU has a history of major screwups and reluctance (or downright ignoring requests) to disclose what's going on so it's alumni/donors/fans can make informed choices on what to do with *their* money. It's an internalist "attitude" (I know quite a bit about the history there, directly and indirectly, but I'll dispense with that; you're welcome).
"Volunteerism" became channeled into allowing in only those people who toed the line the internalists set. Dissent and even just plain open and innocent suggestions were ignored or buried. Those trends continue, university-wide
Returning to athletics, I have posted this for years: 10,000 fans each donating $100 is the same $1 million as 1,000 fans each donating $1,000, but the 10,000 can fill more seats (obviously). The point questions why the A.Dept. has made no serious, continuous efforts to engage and keep engaged the large pool of fans who are not big donors.
STF has claimed there are 160,000 in the Chicago area alone; see 2020 attempt to move BYU@NIU to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview prior to forced-by-Covid cancellation. Allegedly there was a plan/consultant/survey targeting those fans; no updates on results.
Now add STF's big Wisconin/Alabama-sized master plan for Huskie athletic facilities (circa 2014-15). What happened? Some examples:
--- Huskie Stadium rebuild efforts have now boiled down to selling *exclusive* fancy rings to raise money for a premium seating area in the north end zone/Yordan Center. (With no updates since about how that's going; it's in "planning.")
--- A plan for a new baseball stadium northeast of the Convo is now an as-we-get-the-money rebuild of the current stadium, which eliminated the land planned for a new Olympic Village and tennis center on the current baseball site. Also, the cost of the baseball rebuild has grown by over $150,000 because an underground drainage system in the original plans could not be found to actually exist in the ground. Also (typical) no updates on the rebuild.
--- The above change in the master plan forced the conversion of Evans Fieldhouse into a tennis center to eliminate having to commute to Rockford for bad-weather, indoor tennis matches. I believe STF tapped the same Nelson family who helped finance the big-donor skybox in the Convo for the conversion, since he named it after them, same as the Nelson Club skybox. There was apparently no plan where to move recreation and other student users of the Fieldhouse; latest is an Athletic Board note that this -- like everything else -- is in planning. (Also, STF did this after his title added director of recreation).
--- Nobody, except on this board, has mentioned the plan to build a soccer/track&field grandstand on the west side of that field, not even after men's soccer got to the second round of the NCAA tournament (Nov. 2022). Just like almost zilch was done to promote improvements to Huskie Stadium after NIU went to the Orange Bowl in January 2013 (setting a precedent?). And we know what happened to the big 2014-15 plan. We're still waiting for those new restrooms, but ... the stadium turf is looking like a replacement is needed soon. (However, nearly $300,000 was spent to do some repairs on the stadium; but ... no details provided and no big announcement on improvements made).
This is a shortened list, but understand why there might be a little skepticism around here? We care and we pay attention, but we're not the AD or the NIU president and we get squat for updates.
But hey! We get an almost-quarterly STF "Frazier's Corner" rah-rah commentary, full of excerpts from already-posted press releases on the official website.
Lucky us.
(Apologies for length.)