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Students vote 'NO' on athletics at UNO

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Written by Ken Trahan Friday, 01 May 2009 07:24

Despite a feverish push and campaign by the University of New Orleans Athletic Department, UNO students have placed Privateer athletics on its death bed.

NewOrleans.Com/Sports has learned that UNO students have voted 1,418-1,251 (53%-47%) against funding a tuition increase to support athletics and keep the Division One programs at UNO alive. The student fee increase under consideration would have encompassed $96 per semester.

As a result, barring intervention from the State Legislature, LSU Board of Supervisors or UNO Chancellor Tim Ryan, athletics at the University of New Orleans may be done with. Ryan took a neutral approach to the issue and vote. (see Ryan's letter announcing the vote totals).

NewOrleans.Com/Sports has learned that UNO is going to lobby State Senate President Joel Chaisson, a UNO graduate from Destrehan, to help restore the money. Speaker of the House Jim Tucker of Terrytown, another UNO graduate, may also be called upon for support in the Louisiana House of Representatives.

UNO began participating in athletics in the late 60's and moved up to Division One status in the late 70's. A severe drop in the student population and damage to facilities following Hurricane Katrina crippled the effort at UNO. Most recently, severe budget cuts mandated by the state of Louisiana placed the UNO athletic department on life support, producing the student vote.

Currently the school's athletic department is in the fourth year of a five-year waiver granted by the NCAA after Hurricane Katrina. The waiver allows UNO to retain Division I status without having the mandated minimum of 14 teams in sanctioned sports.

UNO Athletics currently fields nine teams: men’s and women’s basketball; men’s and women’s swimming and diving; men’s and women’s tennis; baseball; men’s golf; and women’s volleyball.

Women’s golf, women’s softball, women’s soccer and men’s and women’s cross-country were to be added and bring the number of teams to 15, the minimum required for UNO to retain membership in the Sun Belt Conference.

UNO's student population was officially listed at 11,428 for the fall semester of 2008, meaning that only 23 percent of the students participating in the vote. UNO athletics will hold a press conference this afternoon at 2 p.m. to discuss the matter.

• Plus: It's distress, not celebration, at UNO

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Comments (17) Add Comment

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written by NOLA1998, August 10, 2009

I have lived in New Orleans my whole life and graduated from the University of New Orleans in '98. I am tired of UNO students and alumni who are from the New Orleans area rooting against UNO or rooting for LSU. I do not seperate the New Orleans Privateers from the New Orleans Saints, Hornets, or Zephyrs. They all represent the city I am from; therefore, I cheer for them and attend their games. I am also sick of LSU bandwagon fans mocking UNO athletics. How can you not root for your own city? UNO wears New Orleans across their chest and residents, students, and alumni around the city are still not fans. I am glad to see UNO starting a football team (even if it is just a club team) because this makes it a little easier to root for the Privateers. CHEER FOR YOUR HOMETOWN TEAM NEW ORLEANS!!

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written by D, August 05, 2009

New Orleans students are just so *^&%$## stupid. Baton Rouge has brain washed New Orleans for years. Their is no reason for UNO not to have a football program.

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written by Media Man, May 01, 2009

Did anyone cover the 2pm Press Conference?
If so, what's next?

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written by Richard, May 01, 2009

another point related to my first two about the type of institution that UNO is: if a school is, say, the Univ. of Memphis, as opposed to the Univ. of Tennessee, or the Univ. of Louisville, as opposed to the Univ. of Kentucky, or the Univ. of Cincinnati, as opposed to Ohio State, then there is that much more burden to be winning and winning against high-level competition -- and that is exactly how Memphis, Louisville and Cincinnati have built their identities and fan followings.

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written by Richard, May 01, 2009

Both the end result of this vote and the low numbers who voted are, one suspects, a product of two things. One is the type of institution that UNO is, i.e. a mostly commuter school that is also not the main state school for the state. The second is perhaps even more meaningful. It's all about winning and more so than ever. No one has to attend anything or even leave the comfort of their living room to see whatever they want in terms of sports and, of course, fans want to watch winners. The proliferation of televised sports has been in place for more than a generation now and of course this phenomenon is bound to be an issue for all schools in generating attendance. Either a school has a tradition of winning with which to draw attendance or they don't. People will stay home to see what's more entertaining to them. Why shouldn't they, especially when money may be tight? This is a problem for Tulane, too. If there were a similar vote at Tulane there very well might be a similar percentage of students voting and a similar outcome. The bottom line is that students make for the most discerning customers and college sports in the 21st century is, if anything, the most cutthroat-competitive capitalistic type of environment there is.

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written by Miller the Killer, May 01, 2009

Jim Miller is so out of touch he needs to go immediately.
Read his comments before the vote...........
UNO Athletic Director Jim Miller said he has never before heard of a university placing so much of the future of its athletic funding in the hands of its students.

"When students go in front of their computer to vote they have to ask themselves if the value that the athletic program delivers to the university is important to them," Miller said.

"I would hope that (the students) look at what athletics has done for the university," he said.

Miller said he thinks that students will support the athletic program.

"You're nervous anytime there is some kind of uncertainty, but I'm confident in the points we've been making and the value of our athletic program," he said.

Miller has had UNO athletes go on a major push for votes in the past few days.

He has urged all athletes not only to vote for the increase, but to try to get other people on campus to vote for it as well. He scheduled a meeting with students Monday afternoon to reiterate the pros of the athletic fee increase.

"I'm 100 percent salesman," he said. "We've all had to put our salesmen's hats on."

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written by Mister Know-it-All, May 01, 2009

Its hard to believe that after all theses years of UNO athletics it takes just two dummies like Ryan and Miller to actually think that this measure would pass and put the final nail in the coffin. Surely there must be someone with a little more intelligence at the school to come up with a plan to fund athletics without placing a burden on taxpayers and students. How about a UNO Athletic Fund to begin with?

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written by UNO_in_mourning, May 01, 2009

Ryan is a coward. Miller is an incompetent jerk. But apathy on campus - a school with far too many self-loathers - is to blame for the voting results. Still, Ryan will end up on the street regardless of the fate of UNO sports.

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written by Realist, May 01, 2009

How does Tim Ryan have a job? Mr. Ryan, I want to see the economic impact on the 200 student athletes that leave campus, the teams that come to play UNO who stay at hotels and spend $$$ in this broke ass town, the brand name that is displayed across America that UNO carries during athletic events? Congrats Mr Ryan, on your tombstone will be Awful chancellor who turned UNO into the University of Phoenix on the Lake!

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written by UNO 2010, May 01, 2009

I voted for the increase. But why would the state want to support these programs if the students don't care? My diploma just became less valuable. I bet this vote at LSU would have been 90% in favor.

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written by UNO '96, May 01, 2009

How do you let it get to this? Why didn't the Chancellor step up and simply pass the measure? You are talking about less than $200 per year. Very, very sad.

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written by Jason W, May 01, 2009

You're not too bright are you, -- (nice name, shows courage)!

The vote was not placing academic programs at risk. It was to continue funding athletics. It's a shame that UNO results in students 'enjoying' a second tier education at bargain basement prices.

UNO just became more irrelvant. Who knew that was even possible?!?

-1

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written by --, May 01, 2009

Actually its kinda nice letting students decide...and cutting funding for athletics before, I dunno...academics...because that's the real reason students go there anyway...

-3

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written by Basketball Bob, May 01, 2009

I can remember when Joey Stiebing was our head coach in basketball. The attendance was so bad that UNO had Free Night for the public and no one showed up anyway. This isn't anything new and has been going on for years. Sad to see it finally get to this point.

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written by Dickie, May 01, 2009

Bad decision by UNO AD to put a vote like that in students hands at a commuter college. Nobody today, especially struggling New Orleans commuter students, want to tax themselves for anything. Jim Miller will go down as the AD on watch when this happened. A small increase may have been approved, but to get greedy and double it was suicide!

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written by E.J.Martinez, Gonzales La, May 01, 2009

It is hard for me to believe that 11,500 students are going to let 2,650 have control over athletics at UNO.
It is like everything else in politics....if you don't vote you ought not complain

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written by UNO Fan , May 01, 2009

Sad Sad day for me. I think all schools should support some form of athletics. The facilities at UNO are 1st class especially Lakefront Arena. I hope some these kids can find a home at Tulane, Xavier, Loyola, LSU, or Southeastern.
Its time to merge UNO and SUNO and that may save the program.

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