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Post by kirky313 on Feb 17, 2022 13:18:18 GMT -5
What the issue is going to be that's only going to get worse is we are looking at alums who are a decade out from starting undergrad with no connection to the University. I legitimately know less than 5 people younger than me who pay any attention to what udm does. So when people start calling for gifts from a lot of these alumni, what is there insensitive to give? Kirky, any ideas on how to get students engaged? I think a whole bunch of wins on the floor would help. But beyond that? I've long thought the Titans should provide free food and drink for Section 313 (but perhaps only in the second half). I don't know--there must be some ideas. What do you think? The problem when I was there were no funds to do food give-aways or support a student section post-2011-12. The real issue is a large number of people who live on campus are in dental and other rigorous academic programs and would much rather study than watch basketball. Combine that with there not being a ton of people living on campus to begin with that's an issue. Everyone local goes home on the weekends, there is little to no "campus life". So unless we really start winning, why would people come?
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Post by motorcitysam on Feb 17, 2022 14:03:00 GMT -5
Kirky, any ideas on how to get students engaged? I think a whole bunch of wins on the floor would help. But beyond that? I've long thought the Titans should provide free food and drink for Section 313 (but perhaps only in the second half). I don't know--there must be some ideas. What do you think? The problem when I was there were no funds to do food give-aways or support a student section post-2011-12. The real issue is a large number of people who live on campus are in dental and other rigorous academic programs and would much rather study than watch basketball. Combine that with there not being a ton of people living on campus to begin with that's an issue. Everyone local goes home on the weekends, there is little to no "campus life". So unless we really start winning, why would people come? When I was a student back in the 80s, we had the same questions about how to get more students to the game. Of course, attendance was much better than it now, even among students, but it should have been better. We had the same issues that Kirky describes above, but today's challenges are even greater. It seems like young people are less likely to go to sporting events these days. That doesn't impact schools like Michigan State and Duke, with large numbers of students on campus and basketball traditions so strong that it's the reason some people choose to go to school there, but it hits smaller commuter schools hard. Also, we have become a society that goes out less in general. Want to see the Titans play? You can order a meal on Door Dash and bring up the game online. I've said it here before, but I think one major mistake the University made (among MANY) is not treating the City of Detroit, especially the surrounding neighborhoods, as a true fan base. There are thousands of basketball fans living in the University District, The Bagley Community, Sherwood Forest, Green Acres, Palmer Woods, most of which are about a five minute drive (or walking distance) from Campus. That's not counting other nearby West Side neighborhoods with sufficient disposable income like Rosedale Park, Grandmont, North Rosedale, Boston-Edison, etc. Anywhere in the City you're about a twenty minute drive, at most, from Livernois and Six Mile. We've never had a coordinated, public effort to connect with those fans and get them to come to the games. Heck, we don't even do the simple things like making sure we have a local high school pep band at every game, even though they ALWAYS improve the game day atmosphere and bring family members and friends along with them. The University leadership makes decisions that indicate that they are happy with a less than a thousand fans in the stands for games.
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Post by upbasketballfan on Mar 6, 2022 11:14:11 GMT -5
Bellarmine has had a ton of success over the last 10 - 12 yrs. That I looked up who their AD is. It’s one of their ex-athletes who pitched in mlb. He does not have is masters just. His undergrad degree from Bellarmine. Everything there seems to be going in the right direction and all teams are competitive. It’s surprising what can be done when you hire someone who cares. We have such a wealth of competitive ex athletes to draw from. I started this discussion with that in mind. BA came to mind because I have always felt he was more of a politition than a coach and he does have strong local ties an is proud of his time at UD and proud that he is a Titan. There are plenty of others who are competitive individuals and proven leaders who would and could still drag this University out of the doldrums. I hope the new President addresses the position of AD immediately and does tape the proud Titan pool rather than the good buddy pool that Garibaldi selected from.
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