rick villareal I'm genuinely interested to know

[DeepGreen]

RV was at TCU for a period of time.  When he came on board at UNT I remember how a TCU fan described RV-  "Snake Oil Salesman"

[Aldo]

I didn't even send him a complaint; I sent him a letter about ways to get alumni more involved and bring out-of-touch ones back into the fold, and never heard back.  Maybe we're headed back to the old ways, where it was, "We do want your help; we just want you to help with stuff we ask for.  If we don't ask, don't help; and don't try to do anything on your own."  I sure as hell hope not.

I forgot about BB. Shoot... 

I have actually wrote a letter and emailed Smatresk a year ago. Except I never got any feedback. Has anyone ever heard back from him after sending him a letter?

Speaking from observation from the two previous administrations, presidents don't typically get the e-mail first (if we're talking about president@unt.edu) nor should we expect them to. They get parsed through, prioritized, replied to, or scheduled by other folks. We're talking hundreds of e-mails a day.

Not getting a response is a little surprising, however. Depending on the importance of the email, the folks that go through the letters typically reply themselves or use a form letter.

I'm sure if folks are bombarding the e-mail, though, it'll get noticed.

[JesseMartin]

I didn't email him.  I took the time to hand-write a letter on personalized stationery with a personalized address label, since that's something so few people do anymore.  I figured he'd appreciate the gesture and that it would be more likely to be noticed that way. Guess I figured wrong.

[Dr. Seuss]

I hate to say this but I haven't even renewed my season tickets yet........ I've also never received a phone call about it either.

I'm want a change but my little donations wont change anything.

Edited September 14, 2015 by Dr. Seuss

[MeanMag]

I hate to say this but I haven't even renewed my season tickets yet........ I've also never received a phone call about it either.

I'm want a change but my little donations wont change anything.

I bought one pair of tickets from U of H when UNT visited there a couple years ago. Their athletic office still calls me and talks to me like I have been a UH booster for years trying to get me to join and buy season tickets....

[mattmartin817]

I bought one pair of tickets from U of H when UNT visited there a couple years ago. Their athletic office still calls me and talks to me like I have been a UH booster for years trying to get me to join and buy season tickets....

I joined the Mean Green Club about two months ago (granted at a pretty low level), never received a phone call, never received my sticker, a letter or anything. I didn't join to be thanked or feel good about myself, I did it to help something I truly care about. Hopefully I am the exception, and other people that donate are being reached out to, it's not a good look to not reach out to those giving up their hard earned money.

[Dr. Seuss]

I joined the Mean Green Club about two months ago (granted at a pretty low level), never received a phone call, never received my sticker, a letter or anything. I didn't join to be thanked or feel good about myself, I did it to help something I truly care about. Hopefully I am the exception, and other people that donate are being reached out to, it's not a good look to not reach out to those giving up their hard earned money.

I've been a member since I graduated and I've always donated more than I needed to. I don't care about the thanks, they just don't know how to do their jobs. Coleman was great, I'm also friends with him but he left. 

[JesseMartin]

There are lots of people (not as many as we'd like, but enough) that join when they're feeling good about it...but if and when you start to feel disconnected, unhappy with something, etc., that's when it helps to have great service, because the right people with the right attitude will keep donors happy, even when something goes down with the University or Athletic Department, their Academic Department, or whatever that they don't like.

It falls right in line with the endowments...the reason that they use that metric as such a big part of the University rankings system is because they consider it, to some degree, a way to gauge the "satisfaction level" of graduates and other members of the community.  Even with lots of teachers and artists, we still graduate plenty of people in money-making fields and a few outliers that make buckets of money all of the time, but our donations - from the MGC to endowments - are low.  In typical UNT fashion, the complaint has been that they should change those standards so that we can be ranked higher, rather than to assume that we've done ANYTHING wrong.

Fortunately, there has been a movement to do something I've talked about since undergrad - and that's to make people happy and active alumni while they're still students.  Think ahead to when they've graduated and you want them connected and donating and enjoying new connections while reminiscing.  Unfortunately, it's not a big enough movement yet, but it's a start.  And that has to be coupled with providing people with a warm fuzzy gooshy feeling about donating and being appreciated EVERY time, even when they aren't giving anything during that donation cycle.

[smoothfresh]

Sure would be nice to have this happen at North Texas.  But I guess we can't get anyone to pay a visit to the team with the #1 home field advantage in college football. 

@HowlYes: Per today's @TheSunJonesboro A-State generated more revenue from the Mizzou game than any prior full season of ticket sales.
~$850K
 29,143

[oldguystudent]

I got emails over the summer from some guy named Mike Smith, titled Assistant Athletic Director, Major Gifts, wanting to take me to coffee or lunch or some such thing.  I could only chuckle at this.  

I can't buy a freaking wing zone ticket to save my life.  It takes an act of God (or Reggie Johnson) for me to get a guest pass to the club.  But Mike Smith, Assistant Athletic Director, Major Gifts, sees my name, and probably thinks I'm good for six figures.

Got news for you Mike Smith, I live in a shitty rent house.  I drive a 10-year-old car.  I drink coffee from Race Trac.  The (low) four figures you get from me each year are my sole luxury expenditure.  I am NOT a prospective source for a major gift.

But I'd really freaking love to be able to purchase wing zone tickets or guest club passes, or, heavens to Betsy and this one is difficult, tickets to road games that go through our own ticket office rather than that of the opposition.  I'd also like to know that my parking passes will show up with my tickets each and every year and that I don't have to drive up to Denton on a weekday during business hours to get them.   

Were it not for Reggie Johnson, I'd probably have stopped my season tickets some time ago.  Last year, the AD took my ticket money and allocated it as an unrestricted gift, then invoiced me for my tickets the next day.  Reggie Johnson and only Reggie Johnson was able to fix it.

But that's cool, Mike Smith.  Keep emailing and calling.  Maybe someday I'll hit the lotto and I'll care enough to throw more money at this thing, like maybe more seats or upgraded seats, but it'll get misallocated, and your department will invoice me for what I'd already paid.

/rant

On a positive note, even though I usually laugh when I receive them, I always do appreciate the thank you calls from the student athletes.  

[untjim1995]

Sure would be nice to have this happen at North Texas.  But I guess we can't get anyone to pay a visit to the team with the #1 home field advantage in college football. 

@HowlYes: Per today's @TheSunJonesboro A-State generated more revenue from the Mizzou game than any prior full season of ticket sales.
~$850K
 29,143

This post right here should absolutely shame the leadership at this school. While we are flipping over ourselves for getting SMU and Army here to pair up with spare FCS teams, Arkansas STATE hosts Mizzou, a team just to the north of them, and it brought in more revenue than any prior full season of ticket sales.

It kinda makes you wonder what it would like if we talked to T. Boone Pickens about setting something up--but, of course, we would live those negotiations with a 3 for none deal, that pays us about 25% less than what powershouses like Arkansas State and Louisiana-Monroe can charge.

[UNT90]

This post right here should absolutely shame the leadership at this school. While we are flipping over ourselves for getting SMU and Army here to pair up with spare FCS teams, Arkansas STATE hosts Mizzou, a team just to the north of them, and it brought in more revenue than any prior full season of ticket sales.

It kinda makes you wonder what it would like if we talked to T. Boone Pickens about setting something up--but, of course, we would live those negotiations with a 3 for none deal, that pays us about 25% less than what powershouses like Arkansas State and Louisiana-Monroe can charge.

I would love to hear from Arkansas St. Fan on the attendance split at the stadium. I would bet is was at least 80/20 A St. fans.

And if fan splits are so concerning, I expect SMU to opt out of the series with UNT in the next 2 or 3 years.

Edited September 16, 2015 by UNT90

[JesseMartin]

I got emails over the summer from some guy named Mike Smith, titled Assistant Athletic Director, Major Gifts, wanting to take me to coffee or lunch or some such thing.  I could only chuckle at this.  

I can't buy a freaking wing zone ticket to save my life.  It takes an act of God (or Reggie Johnson) for me to get a guest pass to the club.  But Mike Smith, Assistant Athletic Director, Major Gifts, sees my name, and probably thinks I'm good for six figures.

Got news for you Mike Smith, I live in a shitty rent house.  I drive a 10-year-old car.  I drink coffee from Race Trac.  The (low) four figures you get from me each year are my sole luxury expenditure.  I am NOT a prospective source for a major gift.

But I'd really freaking love to be able to purchase wing zone tickets or guest club passes, or, heavens to Betsy and this one is difficult, tickets to road games that go through our own ticket office rather than that of the opposition.  I'd also like to know that my parking passes will show up with my tickets each and every year and that I don't have to drive up to Denton on a weekday during business hours to get them.   

Were it not for Reggie Johnson, I'd probably have stopped my season tickets some time ago.  Last year, the AD took my ticket money and allocated it as an unrestricted gift, then invoiced me for my tickets the next day.  Reggie Johnson and only Reggie Johnson was able to fix it.

But that's cool, Mike Smith.  Keep emailing and calling.  Maybe someday I'll hit the lotto and I'll care enough to throw more money at this thing, like maybe more seats or upgraded seats, but it'll get misallocated, and your department will invoice me for what I'd already paid.

/rant

On a positive note, even though I usually laugh when I receive them, I always do appreciate the thank you calls from the student athletes.  

I think this is great, actually.  It doesn't make sense to wait until any of us is loaded before being nice to us.  Then it looks - very obviously - like they're just after us for our money.  Grow the attachment and the appreciation early, be it when we're students or while we're focused on early career, kids, etc., and then as we get closer to retirement and are hopefully making more money, we'll already be well-connected.  Why not take him up on it?  They should do this with as many of us as they can.  Then when one out of every 50 is making enough to dump six figures, they can show that not only was it worth it, but that they maintained great connections with everyone else who DOESN'T have that kind of money, showing that it's all about alumni involvement and appreciation, and that the money is only one portion of that.  This is EXACTLY what they should be doing!  It shows a long-term plan to develop alumni relations and donations, and when some of those give within 5 years, great.  When it takes a little longer, fine, that's expected anyway (so the ones that give big money sooner are a bonus, basically).

Thoughts?

[Matt from A700]

As a student as well, I will personally help you do whatever it takes. But boycotting games isn't fair to the athletes. Maybe just make "Fire Villareal" signs, etc. and bring them to games, even start chants if the scoreboard isn't in our favor. But first we need to get more students informed on the situation.