Please Read This

[stebo]

This ass clown came to Denton as a grad student and dropped out. He claims to be an alumnus but he never graduated. His undergrad is from Auburn and he is not in school nor is he an alumni. He has put together a website and is soliciting people to fax in an already filled out legal form to try and get the Senate to deny the fee. I have never called a State or National Congressman in my life - but today I am going to. After reading all of his comments and reading his new website - I believe that this person will go to any length to try and stop the stadium from being built. I implore you all to take a moment and print a form off from his website - put a big "X" across it - and write - I SUPPORT UNT AND OUR NEW STADIUM and then fax it to the numbers he has provided. If he is going to flood the Senator with negative faxes, I believe that we should have our voices heard too. If you can please do this - and call as well - to make sure that these Congressmen know the truth about this guy, I think it could do nothing but help our cause. The students did their part with the vote - we cannot expect them to be faxing and calling State Reps now... this is something that our alumni and supporters of NT can help with. Thanks.

http://www.friendsofunt.org/

[KRAM1]

DONE!

This guy is so very misguided. I do, however, believe that his "effort" will have absolutely ZERO effect on the stadium project!

GO MEAN GREEN!

[good_ken]

Stebo - Just sent you an email.

Gonna go fax my petitions showing support now.

[bstnsportsfan3]

he says the stadium could end up costing over 100,000,000$ this guy is so stupid with his made up facts, its not going to cost 100,000,000 to build the stadium.

[houstonmeangreen]

I emailed support for the UNT stadium to both Crownover and Estes...even though I am from Houston.

[LongJim]

I emailed support for the UNT stadium to both Crownover and Estes...even though I am from Houston.

So did I.

Here's something to cut and paste if desired:

***********************************************************

Please consider this note my agreement in your SUPPORT of this bill, and SUPPORT for the students of UNT, who fairly and democratically chose to improve the infrastructure of their university by supporting the new football stadium, and did their part by shouldering some of the fiscal responsibility.

I urge you to support this bill, which provides for the replacement of a 5 decades old facility which is in bad repair and not a candidate for renovation, with a new edifice that UNT students and the communities of north Texas can be proud of.

Thank you.

************************************************************

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Why would someone from Auburn even care what was happening at UNT? Answer: Troy is Auburn Lite. Very close in geography. Where Troy's head coach came from.

Just another reason to hate Auburn. Other than Bo Jackson, Auburn can perpetually suck it.

[bstnsportsfan3]

I emailed support for the UNT stadium to both Crownover and Estes...even though I am from Houston.

i also emailed them as a current student...and thanked them for their support!

[SilverEagle]

You know, once again I lay a lot of the blame for this SNAFU at the feet of the North Texas administration. How in God's name did this guy get on the President's council? And how in hell did they not know that he would be so opposed to the stadium project? Plus, IHMO, the students who are raising all the fuss (SDS etc) are the very ones who were attracted to North Texas because of that "North Texas is a great bargain" ad campaign that our brilliant administration came up with.

[UNTLifer]

You know, once again I lay a lot of the blame for this SNAFU at the feet of the North Texas administration. How in God's name did this guy get on the President's council? And how in hell did they not know that he would be so opposed to the stadium project? Plus, IHMO, the students who are raising all the fuss (SDS etc) are the very ones who were attracted to North Texas because of that "North Texas is a great bargain" ad campaign that our brilliant administration came up with.

$1,000 donation, and unfortunately that is all it took.

Edited April 15, 2009 by UNTLifer

[UNT90]

I sent both reps an email. I would suggest taking 5 minutes to write a thoughtful 5 lines or so in your own words. The cut and paste, while efficient, lacks a personal touch.

[GoMeanGreen1999]

Does this guy protest against Auburn too? I don't get people some times. What does he care?

Edited April 16, 2009 by GoMeanGreen1999

[NTEdgex2]

This is what I sent to both:

I am a proud alumna of the University of North Texas ('74), as is my daughter ('05). I would like to like you to know that we both firmly support (insert appropriate bill) authorizing a woefully overdue athletics fee for the University. This fee would enable the replacement of a 57 year old stadium that is beyond repair. The students of UNT voted to authorize this fee and improve their University. Please support this bill allowing the building of our new stadium, a much needed addition to the UNT community. Thank you.

Who IS this nut case and what does he care? Not even an alum?!?!

GMG!

[NT03]

Other than Bo Jackson, Auburn can perpetually suck it.

Can I add Frank Thomas , but yes they can suck it !

[NTEdgex2]

Maybe he thinks this will get him some free advertising/notoriety. What a (insert favorite derogatory word)!

GMG!

[FirefightnRick]

The fee, which would amount to $300 per year for a fulltime student, would impose an unconscionable burden upon those students already struggling financially to stay in school, and would be grossly unfair to those students who are not interested in attending UNT football games, and who may wish to use their limited resources for other things - for example, season tickets to the Dallas Opera.

Season tickets to the Dallas Opera? These poor, goofy bastards!. Would anyone here like to see what season tickets for the Dallas Opera costs... during these "TROUBLED" times?

http://www.dallasopera.org/tickets/seating.php#prices

The floors seats range from $1875 to $475, each. As you go up the prices reduce. Nose bleed is $125 each, plus the fees. Add the expense of getting there each time from Denton and you begin to understand how far this group has their heads up their rear ends.

Rick

[SilverEagle]

Season tickets to the Dallas Opera? These poor, goofy bastards!. Would anyone here like to see what season tickets for the Dallas Opera costs... during these "TROUBLED" times?

http://www.dallasopera.org/tickets/seating.php#prices

The floors seats range from $1875 to $475, each. As you go up the prices reduce. Nose bleed is $125 each, plus the fees. Add the expense of getting there each time from Denton and you begin to understand how far this group has their heads up their rear ends.

Rick

It's even more absurd than that. Why in hell would students even think about season tickets to the Dallas opera, when we have the finest school of music in the nation, including opera (yuk) AND THE PERFORMANCES ARE FREE TO STUDENTS.

What a dumbass.....make that an absolute dumbass.

[eulessismore]

It's even more absurd than that. Why in hell would students even think about season tickets to the Dallas opera, when we have the finest school of music in the nation, including opera (yuk) AND THE PERFORMANCES ARE FREE TO STUDENTS.

What a dumbass.....make that an absolute dumbass.

And my wife and I gladly PAY (as we are also willing to do for North Texas athletic events) to drive to Denton from Euless and see musical performances at the Murchison. This fellow is not only interested in killing any chance of improving the North Texas football program, he's piling on by completely disrespecting the already world class College of Music. Really, this sounds like a guy who spent a thousand dollars to tear down a great institution, for the sake of building up his own sense of superiority, based on...being an Auburn alum?

[UNTflyer]

Why would someone from Auburn even care what was happening at UNT?

Oh, it is much simpler that that. He manages a retirement fund "conceived in response to a need for more comprehensive retirement planning for employees of educational institutions."

In other words, he sees the stadium as a threat to his business because he stupidly believes it will somehow reduce the number of professors.

[Cr1028]

Make sure your send an a email or whatever to your local senator/rep too. While it is important to express our appreciation to the sponsor of the bills, we must also remember they still only have one vote each.

This guy is grasping for straws. He gets on my nerves with his manipulation of facts. While it is a "$10" fee, the net increase is only $7, which would only be $105 a semester for a 15hr course load. The sad part is, he is so concerned about this small increase when the reality is, many students will spend more than this on alcohol per semester.

It also bothers me that he insists that we are trying to make football the focus of our university. This is not the case. This is supposed to be an entertainment venue available for our music programs and others to use on top of its football use.

The stadium is supposed to be LEED-certified which will not only help our "green" image and our environmental science/engineering programs, but at the same time remove an eyesore that is not accomodating to our disabled community.

Noisy, fuel guzzling generators is not the way of the future. The new stadium and convention center will be our window to the world sitting alongside I-35. What kind of image do we want to portray? A bargain basement university willing to accept a decaying relic as its most visible structure or a University on the rise exhibiting a committment to innovation.

How many I-A LEED-certified stadiums are there again? Oh yea, none.

Edited April 16, 2009 by Cr1028

[EagleMBA]

Flyer has busted the jerk! This is the type of oily self-promoter who weasels his way into a circle of people with a minimal donation in order to peddle expensive products to naive consumers. It is all about his own profits. The Bernie Madoff school of thought.

[andrewrozell]

I wrote Mr. Young an email and thought it would be just as simple to post that as it would to write out my thoughts as they are one and the same. More to come if more comes:

Phillip -

I came across your website today and can appreciate your concern for the stadium. We surely all have the right to say our side. I, personally, am for the stadium and will not be participating in your petition. However, I am curious about your interest in the University. Did you graduate from UNT and feel your college was unfunded? Do you currently have a child attending and do not want to pay fees? I think knowing you disposition to the stadium would help me better understand your cause.

Thanks in advance for your reply.

andrew rozell

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Andrew:

I spent several years as a continuing education student at UNT doing

graduate work in piano, without actually completing a master's

degree. Having graduated from Auburn University -- the top football

school in the country at the time -- I was very happy to find a

culture in which one did not have to attend football games in order

to demonstrate school spirit. You can see my editorials on the

subject on the NT Daily website, last Wednesday, and today, 4/8/09

and 4/15/09, for more detail.

I live a few blocks from campus, I am on the UNT President's Council,

and I have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship

funds for UNT students. My concern is primarilly for the students

who cannot afford to pay a $300 per year fee, on top of a 75%

increase in tuition costs, since tuition deregulation. I also feel

that it is morally reprehensible for one person to be forced to pay

for another person's entertainment. Police and fire protection are

one thing; a football stadium is quite another.

Thanks for your feedback!

Phillip W. Young

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Philip -

Thank you for your reply to my email and a thoughtful response.

I, myself, began my collegiate career at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville before transferring to North Texas. I understand what you experienced at Auburn. However, in my opinion, football was life at Tennessee and demonstration of school spirit was typified by wearing Orange.

In contrast, North Texas, maybe in spite of the lack of an established football program, has been able to produce exceptional school spirit across the gamut of school activities. We boast the top public music school in the nation as well as a growing college of business among others. Just this morning DFW radio shows were discussing the future of UNT Law, the first public law school in the metroplex.

I disagree with the theory that an additional $300 dollars (if it is even that high) will create a financial panic for our students and families at North Texas. In fact, the students voluntarily voted to have the fee in place, so I don't think the resistance was too high.

I agree with you in that one person shouldn't pay for another person's entertainment. I mean, I don't voluntarily pay for the movie ticket of a stranger behind me in line at the theater. However, I feel that the stadium is not simply a large population of people paying for a small population's entertainment. A new stadium could ultimately generate millions of dollars back to the university by creating revenue from attendance not just to football games but concerts as well, new and unprecedented visibility to traffic, Sun Belt winnings from increased recruiting opportunities, etc. I believe Auburn's (just like UT) student school pride is in large part because of its football program, regardless of game day attendance and UNT school pride could greatly increase with a new stadium, not to mention the absolutely horrendous conditions of Fouts and the pollution to run that place.

I too live a stone's throw from campus and am involved with the school and my brother works for Denton Fire/Rescue (don't see the relevance of that). My wife has raised hundreds of thousands as well for the school (no scoreboarding needed).

Do you think the majority of UNT students are not going to be able to afford an additional $150.00 a semester? Maybe you and I could work together to provide private scholarships to help mitigate the tuition increases if that is cause for concern. That way we are both being productive to the school instead of using extraneous energy to argue a point.

andrew rozell

[Mean Green 93-98]

Andrew and others,

Great responses. To be honest, I don't see a lot of people taking this windbag all that seriously. I watched the video of his testimony, and he just repeated the same "facts" (the untrue kind) over and over.

[TIgreen01]

I wrote Mr. Young an email and thought it would be just as simple to post that as it would to write out my thoughts as they are one and the same. More to come if more comes:

Phillip -

I came across your website today and can appreciate your concern for the stadium. We surely all have the right to say our side. I, personally, am for the stadium and will not be participating in your petition. However, I am curious about your interest in the University. Did you graduate from UNT and feel your college was unfunded? Do you currently have a child attending and do not want to pay fees? I think knowing you disposition to the stadium would help me better understand your cause.

Thanks in advance for your reply.

andrew rozell

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Andrew:

I spent several years as a continuing education student at UNT doing

graduate work in piano, without actually completing a master's

degree. Having graduated from Auburn University -- the top football

school in the country at the time -- I was very happy to find a

culture in which one did not have to attend football games in order

to demonstrate school spirit. You can see my editorials on the

subject on the NT Daily website, last Wednesday, and today, 4/8/09

and 4/15/09, for more detail.

I live a few blocks from campus, I am on the UNT President's Council,

and I have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship

funds for UNT students. My concern is primarilly for the students

who cannot afford to pay a $300 per year fee, on top of a 75%

increase in tuition costs, since tuition deregulation. I also feel

that it is morally reprehensible for one person to be forced to pay

for another person's entertainment. Police and fire protection are

one thing; a football stadium is quite another.

Thanks for your feedback!

Phillip W. Young

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Philip -

Thank you for your reply to my email and a thoughtful response.

I, myself, began my collegiate career at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville before transferring to North Texas. I understand what you experienced at Auburn. However, in my opinion, football was life at Tennessee and demonstration of school spirit was typified by wearing Orange.

In contrast, North Texas, maybe in spite of the lack of an established football program, has been able to produce exceptional school spirit across the gamut of school activities. We boast the top public music school in the nation as well as a growing college of business among others. Just this morning DFW radio shows were discussing the future of UNT Law, the first public law school in the metroplex.

I disagree with the theory that an additional $300 dollars (if it is even that high) will create a financial panic for our students and families at North Texas. In fact, the students voluntarily voted to have the fee in place, so I don't think the resistance was too high.

I agree with you in that one person shouldn't pay for another person's entertainment. I mean, I don't voluntarily pay for the movie ticket of a stranger behind me in line at the theater. However, I feel that the stadium is not simply a large population of people paying for a small population's entertainment. A new stadium could ultimately generate millions of dollars back to the university by creating revenue from attendance not just to football games but concerts as well, new and unprecedented visibility to traffic, Sun Belt winnings from increased recruiting opportunities, etc. I believe Auburn's (just like UT) student school pride is in large part because of its football program, regardless of game day attendance and UNT school pride could greatly increase with a new stadium, not to mention the absolutely horrendous conditions of Fouts and the pollution to run that place.

I too live a stone's throw from campus and am involved with the school and my brother works for Denton Fire/Rescue (don't see the relevance of that). My wife has raised hundreds of thousands as well for the school (no scoreboarding needed).

Do you think the majority of UNT students are not going to be able to afford an additional $150.00 a semester? Maybe you and I could work together to provide private scholarships to help mitigate the tuition increases if that is cause for concern. That way we are both being productive to the school instead of using extraneous energy to argue a point.

andrew rozell

Good responses, but this guy needs to understand that students ARE paying for other students "entertainment" in avenues other than sports. Unless something has changed in the last 5 years or so, the music and arts departments (where he's obviously concerned with from his piano days) get money from all students---not just those participating in their degree programs. Why is it ok for every student to pay for the music and arts as a form of entertainment, but not athletics??

Edited April 16, 2009 by TIgreen01

[andrewrozell]

that is a great point T.I. (didn't you go to prison recently?).

i also don't think this guy has much "steam", never the less I think anything that brings UNT supporters together should be embraced and talked about.

polarization strips complacency.