Email From Rick

[UNTflyer]

Blown away by that. I've only had a few interactions with Mandy. Not all pleasant

She definitely likes the sauce.

I think though for this fan base we need to cultivate the relationship with John Burkett rather than RV and Mandy.

He seems to be responsive and engaged. Maybe we forge the outline of what the MGC could and should be with him

I'd be willing to set up a meet and greet at the Pourhouse or somewhere if enough people would come and make everyones time worthwhile

I agree. If the Director of the MGC will not organize meetings, we should organize them ourselves and send him an invitation. These meetings would need to have a purpose. Fund raising, athlete awards, guest speakers, marketing strategies, etc.

[UNTflyer]

So are you guys telling me you never got hazed during the Sam's Club initiation ritual?

I did. It was in the VVIP club in Bentonville.

[UNTflyer]

thus no meetings and still no communication to fans.

Jon, just this week, started a weekly update email. We'll see how long it holds up.

[SilverEagle]

Jon, just this week, started a weekly update email. We'll see how long it holds up.

Just remember my little health tip.

[KRAM1]

For what it is worth, the Denton Chapter of the Alumni Association has held numerous "meetings and mixers" with athletic dept. personnel over the last couple of years, and it was announced that everyone was invited each time...Denton Chapter Member or not. The Chapter has held one at the Athletic Dept itself, two or more at the Alumni Center and two at a restaurant in Lewisville just in the last two years. The turnout was OK for some, but not near what it should be after the Denton Chapter spent not only volunteer time but $$$$ staging the events. The athletic dept. was very helpful in providing personnel, literature and speakers (TD, JJ, RV,SS, etc.) at each and every event. Plus, there are the Coach Radio shows during football and basketball seasons. ALL of these could very easily have been attended by Mean Green Club members. My guess, is...if the Mean Green Club held meetings, the first one or two would get decent...not great but decent attendance, and then fall to nil. Lots of folks complain about this sort of thing, but you should see them "run for the hills" when you actually ask them to step up and help run the show. As long as someone else does all the heavy lifting, they are "good to go", but ask them to help...you would think you had just exposed them to some deadly disease.

So, Mean Green Club members (of which I am one) if you want to start holding your own meetings with a board of directors and meeting and "events" for members...great, I'll participate, but get ready for lots of folks telling you what a crappy job you are doing and how you should have does this or that or should not have done this or that. Just get readyy because it will start the first time you announce an event...wrong time, wrong day, too late, too early, food was bad, didn't cost enough, cost too much, the wrong speaker, it wasn't advertised to enough people, and on and on. Trust me...I know from first hand experience.

That does not mean it is not worth doing...it is and it is fun...and some folks actually thank you for the time and effort you put in trying to do "good things" for UNT, but don't expect lots of volunteer help and don't expect folks to appreciate what you are trying to do. Start the meetings...I'll be there as often as possible and would even be willing to help out with the organizing and work. I just want everyone to be realistic about what they are thinking about doing...remember, no good idea goes unpunished.

By the way...as was mentioned...Mean Green Club members can meet before each home basketball game at the Mean Green Room abnd before each football game at the Deck. Lots of opportunities for Mean Green Club members to meet. Yes, I know this was already mentioned.

GO MEAN GREEN!

[stebo]

For what it is worth, the Denton Chapter of the Alumni Association has held numerous "meetings and mixers" with athletic dept. personnel over the last couple of years, and it was announced that everyone was invited each time...Denton Chapter Member or not. The Chapter has held one at the Athletic Dept itself, two or more at the Alumni Center and two at a restaurant in Lewisville just in the last two years. The turnout was OK for some, but not near what it should be after the Denton Chapter spent not only volunteer time but $$$$ staging the events. The athletic dept. was very helpful in providing personnel, literature and speakers (TD, JJ, RV,SS, etc.) at each and every event. Plus, there are the Coach Radio shows during football and basketball seasons. ALL of these could very easily have been attended by Mean Green Club members. My guess, is...if the Mean Green Club held meetings, the first one or two would get decent...not great but decent attendance, and then fall to nil. Lots of folks complain about this sort of thing, but you should see them "run for the hills" when you actually ask them to step up and help run the show. As long as someone else does all the heavy lifting, they are "good to go", but ask them to help...you would think you had just exposed them to some deadly disease.

So, Mean Green Club members (of which I am one) if you want to start holding your own meetings with a board of directors and meeting and "events" for members...great, I'll participate, but get ready for lots of folks telling you what a crappy job you are doing and how you should have does this or that or should not have done this or that. Just get readyy because it will start the first time you announce an event...wrong time, wrong day, too late, too early, food was bad, didn't cost enough, cost too much, the wrong speaker, it wasn't advertised to enough people, and on and on. Trust me...I know from first hand experience.

That does not mean it is not worth doing...it is and it is fun...and some folks actually thank you for the time and effort you put in trying to do "good things" for UNT, but don't expect lots of volunteer help and don't expect folks to appreciate what you are trying to do. Start the meetings...I'll be there as often as possible and would even be willing to help out with the organizing and work. I just want everyone to be realistic about what they are thinking about doing...remember, no good idea goes unpunished.

By the way...as was mentioned...Mean Green Club members can meet before each home basketball game at the Mean Green Room abnd before each football game at the Deck. Lots of opportunities for Mean Green Club members to meet. Yes, I know this was already mentioned.

GO MEAN GREEN!

Probably one of the most TRUE and correct posts that I have ever seen on this board. The Mean Green Club didn't used to be called the Mean Green Club - (well it was in the 70's when Fry started it but it had dissolved after he left)... the donation machine was called the Mean Green Foundation. Later - this group of posters and fans from Harry's various websites formed the Mean Green Club and we met - had parties, mixers, and started tailgating in an organized way. When RV came to NT, he recognized that more people wanted to be in the unofficial Mean Green Club that Rob had started than the Foundation.... so they politely asked Rob and company if the Foundation could become the Mean Green Club and promised that a lot of the ideas that his club had been pushing would be a part of the new Foundation. The club (and its founder) gave up the name to the Athletic Dept - we got real tailgating approved at NT... and things got much better for members. Is it perfect? No... but it is good. There is always a tent set up at away games for members to gather in. There are hospitality rooms in the pit and a hospitality deck at the stadium... but like KRAM wrote much better than I can - people will always complain. They also complain about the NT Exes. If you don't want to fix it - don't complain. I have found other ways to give to the program and you can too... just support the things that you believe in.

[GrandGreen]

The Mean Green Club has meetings at every football game and basketball game in the hospitality room/deck. How is RV not readily available to the fans? You can call him or e-mail him anytime you want and he will respond. RV has stated about 500 times now that his biggest mistake was announcing quarterly meetings when he first got here because it is still hung over his head. When he got here - he polled fans for the problems and we said - better communication - so he announced the meetings... He can't do them anymore - there is some information that some of our d!psh!t fans don't need to have because they will screw up the plans by blabbing about it like little old ladies.

There have not been quarterly meetings since the first year. They have been disbanded. They are not a promise that is still standing and just ignored - they are a failed iniative that some bitter fans use to try and belittle RV. RV is not perfect but I would like to know exactly who would be better for what we pay? Was the Dodge hire bad? Probably - but the fans demanded that hire. Some of the people on this board that I see being so emotional and angry about Dodge - are the exact people that were passionate about him getting hired in the first place. I don't know why they are so let down by RV - they should be let down with their own choices. I talked to these guys on the phone and they were PUMPED when Dodge was announced 3 years ago...

RV is easily swayed by public opinion. Public Opinion probably got Dickey fired... public opinion probably got Dodge hired (and might get him fired eventually). Now if we could just get public opinion to get mandy fired... eh, she must have something on him... I have yet to meet any fan that thinks she is good for the program ..... but somehow - she still holds her position and was even PROMOTED!

True story - two seasons ago, I was on the deck and with my girlfriend. Mandy was also on the deck - drunk as usual while on the clock during the game. Anyway - there was a Mean Green flag (the Texas Green flag type) that was laid across one of the tables and I didn't know who's flag it was. We were getting ready to leave and most people had left... our immediate area and all the table in my area were gone. My girlfriend asked me if I thought we should turn the flag in (like you would turn in a camera left on a table, or a set of keys, or ANY personal property left behind).. So I grabbed the flag and rolled it up and was walking towards the front entry when Mandy started SCREAMING at me to stop stealing athletic property. I was like, "What the f&*%???" She was really drunk, it was a bad loss and she had been really pouring them in to null the pain. I tried to explain to her that I was turning it in and with slurred words, she kept saying "Sure you were, I know your type, I know your type" - at least that is what I think she was saying, half of the words were difficult to comprehend.

I called RV and explained the whole story to him. He was great, returned my call right away - called me on Sunday at night... when he could have been with his family - but he was talking to an upset fan. He told me that Mandy would be calling me to apologize and of course that never happened. To this day - I refuse to renew my membership. I just will not renew until she is gone. And I know that I am not alone. I have met a legion of others that have been insulted by her. I had the uncomfortable situation of having to sit close to her at the ULM game this last year - she seemed so alone. The vote had just come down about the stadium initiative and our Mean Green fans in Monroe were high fiving each other in the stands; but nobody wanted to high five Mandy. Shouldn't your fund raising person at least have a rapport with the fans that will drive to the away games??

Ok, off of soap box. It is this story that shows WHY I think RV is so great for NT and yet how flawed he can be. He is very loyal - in this case, loyal to Mandy and also loyal to me as a fan. I will support my Mean Green - but it is just season tickets for now. Sad, because if they would just let her go, I would be happy to renew my membership.

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I am not sure what the objective of this post is. On the surface, you seem to be supporting RV. But, on the other hand, nearly all the content is anything but positive for the AD. He cannot conduct the promised quarterly meetings because sensitive information maybe divulged. Would he and his staff not control the content of the meetings? Don't most schools have periodic meetings including presentations from the athletic staff to supporters without the leaking of super secret information. You than stated the AD is easily swayed by public opinion. Is this a desired trait for your chief athletic official. Likewise, if Mandy is such a bad employee would not a good administer make necessary changes. Loyalty to employees is admirable but not to the detriment to the job you were hired to perform.

Even though RV has a history of promising too much, too soon. I don't believe he is avoiding meetings for the reasons you presented. The facts are that historically such meetings are generally an embarrassment because of lack of attendance. Also obviously, there is not a lot of information that the Administration wants to make public. You have also make a heck of a stretch insinuating that the Dodge hire is some how the decision of the fans. The most critical decision in view of the fan base an AD makes, is the choosing of a head football coach. Dodge was an easy sale to the fan base, but how many AD's would have made that choice. Not many if any other AD would have hired a very inexperienced coach and allowed him to bring in an even more inexperienced staff.

RV has done a lot of good things and has failed at others. He has generally remained a fan favorite because he is accessible. RV has made himself the most visible AD in NT's history, with this comes both praise and scorn.

I am very tired of the NT cannot afford anyone better defense for almost any position.

[LoveMG]

Did you not read the rest? He called me at home on the Sunday after tha game. I don't know how you can get better communication than THAT.

great that he talks on the phone or in person. why can't he put out the same info on the official site or newsletter to all fans? that is all i ask; routine updates and info. or we can just keep letting vito do it for them.

Edited February 13, 2009 by LoveMG