College Of Music Sga Rep New Stadium Comments

MeanGreen61 · September 18, 2008

From the comments section of an NT Daily article on the stadium.

Jacqueline Giroir

posted 9/17/08 @ 3:27 PM CST

I am the College of Music representative in the SGA Student Senate and last week we got the privilege of hearing a presentation on the stadium made by Mr. Villareal. There were a few things that I wanted to add and reiterate that we learned in the presentation...

- We would be the first collegiate "green" stadium which would give us some national recognition on the science front, etc...

- it seems as if people who are against the stadium are forgetting that this stadium is not just for the football team. It can be used as a venue for on-campus organizations' events and also it could be a stadium where high school marching band competitions are held...therefore attracting younger people to UNT before they are even applying to college...it's all about getting UNT's name out there

- A&M, for example, always has prominent people (state political figures, donors, etc) coming to their games and sitting with the President in the box...with a new and nicer stadium Gretchen Bataille and UNT could feel proud about showing off our school to people... if we can entertain these people and show them how nice and how much spirit UNT has then we have the possibility to receive more donations and to leave a lasting impression on people who can possibly help us (financially or any way) in the future

- many high school football stadiums nowadays are quite beautiful and new (especially in the football state of Texas) . How are we going to recruit good players who are coming from playing in these facilities to Fouts Field? They will not want to come here and play. We have the right coach now all we need is the right facility and other great players.

-most colleges' athletic fees are between $10-$12 per semester credit hour and some of these schools don't even have a football team... right now UNT's is $3 per semester credit hour... that is incredibly meager for a school with a Division 1-A football team

- Fouts is deteriorating... it will not be functional much longer. It is not ADA approved and takes almost 20 generators to be up and running. Last week UNT was to play LSU in LA however with the hurricane LSU had asked to play here.. however we could physically not have the game at Fouts because we could not get the generators up and working and get Fouts ready for a game that quickly.

I urge you all to learn more about the issue and ask any questions. I believe that the new stadium is something that could be really beneficial for UNT. It is so much more than a facility for our football team to play in... it is a stepping stone in getting UNT the recognition it deserves as a prestigious university.

Cr1028 · September 18, 2008

- Fouts is deteriorating... it will not be functional much longer. It is not ADA approved and takes almost 20 generators to be up and running. Last week UNT was to play LSU in LA however with the hurricane LSU had asked to play here.. however we could physically not have the game at Fouts because we could not get the generators up and working and get Fouts ready for a game that quickly.

If this is true, that is un-freakin-believable.

Edited September 18, 2008 by Cr1028

Stan R · September 18, 2008

If this is true, that is un-freakin-believable.

You think LSU would actually agree to play at fouts? Seriously.

drex · September 18, 2008

I am impressed with the young lady's comments. I hope we live to see the day when all entities of the North Texas community are proud of all the other entities. I have always been proud of the College of Music...hope we can give them reasons to be proud of the athletic endeavors of the university.

Lurker · September 18, 2008

If this is true, that is un-freakin-believable.

Fouts was about to fall apart during the Baylor game a few years ago at about 90% capacity. LSU playing here would have been a complete sellout - 30,500. There would have been nothing left of Fouts after that.

Kudos to Ms. Giroir for a well-spoken comment!

meangreendork · September 18, 2008

I like this, and she's right. Being able to use the new stadium as a venue for something like any number of the talented music department groups at UNT would be incredible. Or opening it up to other music performers would be incredible and help put the UNT name out.

MeanGreenHoops · September 18, 2008

- We would be the first collegiate "green" stadium which would give us some national recognition on the science front, etc...

Do I get to say I told you so now?

Notice this is the first point, it's why I keep harping on it that we have to bring this issue to the forefront.

Can we now please leave the music school students alone as a source of frustration for athletics. It's nearly as bad as our fascination with how SMU is keeping us down.

yyz28 · September 18, 2008

Nice comments from an important student leader.

MeanGreen61 · September 18, 2008

Thursday, 9/18/08, 5:25PM. NT Daily poll shows 74% for a new stadium 26% against.

http://www.ntdaily.com/poll/index.cfm?even...playPollResults

UNT_playmaker · September 18, 2008

If we missed out on hosting the LSU game at Fouts because of a couple of generators weren't working then this is the biggest debacle in UNT Athletics history.

Also how come none of us knew that Fouts was running on a dozen or so generators. How pathetic is that.

GoMeanGreen1999 · September 18, 2008

If we missed out on hosting the LSU game at Fouts because of a couple of generators weren't working then this is the biggest debacle in UNT Athletics history.
Also how come none of us knew that Fouts was running on a dozen or so generators. How pathetic is that.

How long has Fouts been running on generators? I guess I don't understand the whole generator thing - I was under the impression that a generator was used when electricity was not available. Obviously electricity is available in the Fouts area, so I am not understanding something here. If we have had to use them for years, why have we not just bought our own?

UNTFan23 · September 18, 2008

If we missed out on hosting the LSU game at Fouts because of a couple of generators weren't working then this is the biggest debacle in UNT Athletics history.
Also how come none of us knew that Fouts was running on a dozen or so generators. How pathetic is that.

It's not a matter of a generator not working it's a matter of we have to rent them and we couldn't get enough to supply the electrical needs of a game in a short time frame. If what I have heard from people is true, it costs the athletic department 500,000 to maintain Fouts Field. When we get a new stadium, imagine what we could do with just half that money (like pay someone to come ply us at home for a change).

GoMeanGreen1999 · September 18, 2008

It's not a matter of a generator not working it's a matter of we have to rent them and we couldn't get enough to supply the electrical needs of a game in a short time frame. If what I have heard from people is true, it costs the athletic department 500,000 to maintain Fouts Field. When we get a new stadium, imagine what we could do with just half that money (like pay someone to come ply us at home for a change).

So we are spending 2 million per season to play home games? That seems like a lot. I still don't understand the generator thing.

UNTFan23 · September 18, 2008

So we are spending 2 million per season to play home games? That seems like a lot. I still don't understand the generator thing.

Sorry, I didn't specify ... 500,000 per year to maintain Fouts.

GoMeanGreen1999 · September 18, 2008

Sorry, I didn't specify ... 500,000 per year to maintain Fouts.

Okay, that is a little easier to stomach.

eulessismore · September 19, 2008

How long has Fouts been running on generators? I guess I don't understand the whole generator thing - I was under the impression that a generator was used when electricity was not available. Obviously electricity is available in the Fouts area, so I am not understanding something here. If we have had to use them for years, why have we not just bought our own?

I noticed that noone has answered GMG1999's question. What is the purpose of the generators? Surely not providing basic electrical service.

UNTFan23 · September 19, 2008

I noticed that noone has answered GMG1999's question. What is the purpose of the generators? Surely not providing basic electrical service.

I think the answer is yes. I can't say for sure though.

bobelok · September 19, 2008

From the fact sheet handed out at the Tulsa game:

It takes 19 supplemental generators to provide basic electricity for each home game held at the 56-year-old stadium.

I've heard RV speak several times this semester about the new stadium, and he always mentions this.

eulessismore · September 19, 2008

QUOTE(eulessismore @ Sep 18 2008, 07:26 PM)

I noticed that noone has answered GMG1999's question. What is the purpose of the generators? Surely not providing basic electrical service.

I think the answer is yes. I can't say for sure though.

If this is true, I think it goes a long way towards explaining the high percentage of students in favor vs. those opposed. This generation of college students is much more environmentally conscious than many think.

September 19, 2008

How long has Fouts been running on generators?

Ever since that hurricane hit it that Playmaker predicted!

GoMeanGreen1999 · September 19, 2008

From the fact sheet handed out at the Tulsa game:
It takes 19 supplemental generators to provide basic electricity for each home game held at the 56-year-old stadium.
I've heard RV speak several times this semester about the new stadium, and he always mentions this.

Alright, so can someone explain to me why every building on the campus, even ones that are extremely old, are not running on generators but our football stadium is? I guess I need someone to explain this more in depth, because I have been in many buildings that are well over 50 years old that are not run by generators.

greenminer · September 19, 2008

Alright, so can someone explain to me why every building on the campus, even ones that are extremely old, are not running on generators but our football stadium is? I guess I need someone to explain this more in depth, because I have been in many buildings that are well over 50 years old that are not run by generators.

For what it's worth, you probably were not pissing on their walls either.

GoMeanGreen1999 · September 19, 2008

For what it's worth, you probably were not pissing on their walls either.

You are right, I wan't.

But I think I have brought this up now 3 or 4 times and no one seems to know the answer to this question, so who knows.

September 19, 2008

This is an outdoor facility and has no breaker box and outlets as indoor facilities do. It takes a lot more electricity to power such things as the lighting, scoreboards, especially the diamond-vision scoreboard, concession stands, tv cameras, etc.

NT80 · September 19, 2008

Alright, so can someone explain to me why every building on the campus, even ones that are extremely old, are not running on generators but our football stadium is? I guess I need someone to explain this more in depth, because I have been in many buildings that are well over 50 years old that are not run by generators.

The electrical problems at Fouts I believe have been around for several years, dating to when the field lighting was upgraded. Old wiring, panels, etc., and plumbing issues too. Fouts is on bandaid-status, seriously. Not even lipstick can help this pig much longer! These are just some of the reasons why renovating Fouts was not seen as feasible from the beginning...too much cost and you could build new vs. the expense to renovate.

Edited September 19, 2008 by NT80