UNT mulling move to CUSA

eulesseagle · November 30, 2005

UNT Mulling Move to CUSA

12:58 PM CST on Wednesday, November 30, 2005

By BRETT VITO / Staff Writer

UNT administration has been contacted by represenatives of Conference USA to place an application for adminission for the 2007 - 2008 season.

Rick Villarreal said he was surprised about the announcement and will provide the necessary paperwork and go before the Board of Regents with the request. "We now understand that Tulane is dropping football and what we were told they are looking at joining an NAIA affiliated conference in all sports.

Villarreal stated that this completely caought us all off guard and we are going to look at the options.

Coach Darrell Dickey was not available for comment.

Board of Regents member Bobby Ray said that he would have to seriously look at the financial implications of making a move from the Sun Belt Conference, where UNT has been the pilar of the conference. "UNT is in the middle of upgrading university facilities and is proposing a $42,000,000 bond election for other off campus academic facilities and purchasing an abandoned building next to TCOM in Fort Worth," said Ray. Our main concern is marketing UNT as the best public academic school in the southwestern region of the United States. We now have added engineering and law said Ray.

To look at building a new stadium at this time is out of the question said Ray. We have no money for this. It is out of the question if it is an admission requirement now or in the near future. Our athletic concerns are with Title IX compliance. The monies will have to go for more dorms and parking spaces for students. "I have a deep reguard for all the regional alliances we have with our Sun Belt Conference allies and my main concern is to build on these alliances.

Ray said, "my other concern is of the vocal alumi who blog on some of the local sport's boards." "Three regents from three other Conference USA schools have stated this as being a major concern and embarasment to the university and the coference especially with PlummeanGreen and others. This is really not a real post and was fabricated for everones enjoyment and blood pressure and me just being bored at work on a slow work day. None of this is true. I repeat: none of this is true today. Go back to work. I repeat, go back to work.