Stadium Funding and UAlbany Flagship

[uofalbany]

This paper makes me sick. Who the hell would publish this letter to the editor.

There is absolutely no substance to it. A fourth grader could have written a more thought provoking letter than this joker.

 

Unbelievable, a former UAlbany coach and faculty member.

 

Obviously, this paper has a major grudge against us.

 

 

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp...sdate=4/13/2008

 

 

 

I seldom buy newspapers, but I will never buy one of theirs... I'll stick to the Daily Gazette, the real newspaper of Albany and the capital district.

 

 

This was posted at the end of the scribble(article):

ROBERT LEWIS

Voorheesville

RJL176@aol.com

[UAalum72]

Bob Lewis was a long-time tennis coach, also freshman or JV basketball, and probably other sports.

 

It's not like, if the money isn't spent on a stadium, we'll get it back. It'll get spent on something else instead.

[Dane Pound]

I wasn't thrilled with the letter either but it's a forum for ideas (even bad ones) just like this one is. I expect we'll see some opposing letters in the future as this will likely go one for a while.

 

I don't mind the public scrutiny of things that are publicly financed but I don't always understand what gets scrutinized and what doesn't. Sport stadiums in particular always draw a lot of interest but things like the Vapor nighclub in Saratoga ($15 million) seem to go through without a peep. Maybe I just notice the scrutiny against the things that I want to see suceed.

[uofalbany]

Stadium :

 

(good for)

 

Athletics:

Quality recruits and athletes (who want quality facilities) - may be the deciding factor for choosing UAlbany.

UAlbany's Competition (who won't come to Albany unless we have quality facility) - which would bring in money into Albany.

Better facilites and better athletes bring Much More Athletic Success.

Success brings better competition and more National Media Coverage for UAlbany

 

(good for)

 

University of Albany:

Quality Students (athletics: a source of pride and entertainment for students) - may be the deciding factor for highly intelligent students for choosing UAlbany.

A higher intellect elevates the overall academic success of the University.

Academic success brings national recognition to the University: media, etc.

 

and

 

City of Albany:

For having a top notch SUNY University Center, both academically and athletically representing New York State and its governement.

For having a facility for hosting the New York Giants, Special Olympics, Regional championships, and possibly a professinal sports team which are all immensely beneficial for Albany's economy

 

(good for)

 

State University of New York SUNY:

University Centers having success in athletics and academics draws much attention to the State University system,

boosting national recognition and pride for New York State.

National exposure brings many more Out of State Students to New York

Out of State students bring and spend significant amounts of money, adding to NY's economy.

Out of State students naturally are a fantastic source of advertising SUNY back in their home states.

 

(good for)

 

New York State:

All success by SUNY's University Centers is powerfully beneficially to the State of NY.... the benefits are countless.

NY finds recognition through our University Centers and their success.

 

Conclusion:

 

The University Centers are State Schools and they are funded by New York State. The State should have four University Centers that are powerhouses Nationally, and this needs to include Athletics. If NY continues to ignore and neglect important aspects of University Sectors, including athletics and their facilities, then we continue to have a mediocre State University System.

 

There are millions of pork dollars going out through the NY State budget every year. If our government and constituents think building our Universities is useless, then we are in a sad state of affairs.

[UAalum72]

Saying the benefits to NYS are 'countless' doesn't specifically address his objection

but what are the benefits of a stadium in Albany to citizens of distant hamlets in New York state? Why should their tax dollars be used to fund such a project?

The benefits of sports stadiums to the community are often exaggerated. It may help recruiting athletes for the sports teams, but does it really have a substantial impact on the economy of a community? More importantly, what are the benefits to the taxpayers of Massena, Middletown or other communities in the far reaches of the state who are helping to fund the stadium?

These objections are often raised to public funding of sports facilities, and the results of studies are mixed; one difference is that a college isn't going anywhere, while professional teams (especially minor leagues) often don't last the length of time it takes to pay off the construction bonds.

[uofalbany]

Saying the benefits to NYS are 'countless' doesn't specifically address his objection

but what are the benefits of a stadium in Albany to citizens of distant hamlets in New York state? Why should their tax dollars be used to fund such a project?

The benefits of sports stadiums to the community are often exaggerated. It may help recruiting athletes for the sports teams, but does it really have a substantial impact on the economy of a community? More importantly, what are the benefits to the taxpayers of Massena, Middletown or other communities in the far reaches of the state who are helping to fund the stadium?

These objections are often raised to public funding of sports facilities, and the results of studies are mixed; one difference is that a college isn't going anywhere, while professional teams (especially minor leagues) often don't last the length of time it takes to pay off the construction bonds.

 

That specific line doesn't, but all in all, I did present why a stadium at UAlbany is a wise tax dollar investment. I went into great detail breaking down each point I made, supporting an argument that a stadium does ultimately impact small town New York in a positive manner, in my letter to the editor, countering this alumnus' letter. I don't expect to see it.

 

It all ties in together for a strong NY which benefits all residents, including small towners. It's plain to see.

 

Residents of small town NY benefit from a strong SUNY system. Its a place where their children and grandchildren attend University. A strong SUNY system includes strong University centers. Strong university centers have all of the proper facilites, athletics included. The stronger our suny system, the better image for NY. The better image, the more attractive for people to relocate to our state, including smaller town NY. The better image and more residents, the more attractive the state is for business development, investment, and relocation.

 

 

It's hard for me to see how improvements in our University and our facilities does not benefit the following:

UAlbany

City of Albany

SUNY

NY State

Small town NY

 

A university may not be going 'anywhere', but it certainly may NOT thrive or grow or become nationally recognized when it isn't given priority.

[alum73]

I just read the letter and I have to agree that it is almost too silly to publish. The point he tried to make was the state shouldn't fund the stadium as it wouldn't "help" everyone in the small hamlets of NYS. If that were the criteria, the state budget would indeed be small. Very few expenditures help all taxpayers equally. When the state builds stadiums in Platsburgh, Cortland, etc. it doesn't help Albany taxpayers, but we all chip in anyway. Albany has fallen quite a bit behind most of the campuses on SUNY on athletic facilities and it is our turn to benefit.

[ATL_DANE]

I have been Googling 'SUNY' for a few years in order to track UAlbany and it's progress (or lack there of) against it's peer university centers. I can honestly say, I haven't seen one article complaining about tax dollars being spent on other SUNY athletic projects around the state. I do not recall a single story against Buffalo or Stony Brook's stadium. I don't recall any complaints about the expansion of Stony Brook's NEW stadium in this year's budget. This year's budget even included money for athletics for D3 campuses that bill themselves as SUNY liberal arts colleges.

 

Which campus is the only one to be the target of complaints: UAlbany. I just want some damn fairness and equity! Is that too much to ask? Why are all the complainers in Albany?

 

Objectively, we have terrible facilities. When it comes to football facilities, we are certainly in the bottom 2% of the country's D1 colleges. Why pick on the school with the worst facilities? Why doesn't anyone complain about Stony Brook, Buffalo, Genesseo etc?

 

The state money argument is just an excuse. There is an underlying hostility against UAlbany and athletics specifically. We all know that. This is NOT a small teachers college. UAlbany will never go back to being a small teachers college. It's not going to happen. Modern UAlbany never should have been founded off the existing teachers college. We will hear the complaints and feel the resistance until the last of these malcontents die in 30 years.

 

We are our own worst enemy.

[Ruler 2]

Whatever the status of the stadium is we need to go forward with University Feld upgrades and SOON!!!!Get the financing for the stadium next year. Forget plan A for now and focus on Plan B for next year.

 

UF could be fully enclosed and have seats on all sides with the lights and scoreboard, it would look great. We need to do this to stay in the race with many FCS programs. If we ever want consideration for the CAA we need something that resembles an FCS facility and soon!!!!

 

It must be reasonable so that home and home series can be set up with Montana, GA Southern, UMASS, Delaware, and an occasional date with Army.

 

Several things have to happen in the next 2 years or sooner or interest will begin to wane for UA football unfortunatly. People will only wait for so long for the promise of stadium and full schiolarship football. Almost like the boy who cried wolf!

[danefan]

Whatever the status of the stadium is we need to go forward with University Feld upgrades and SOON!!!!Get the financing for the stadium next year. Forget plan A for now and focus on Plan B for next year.

 

UF could be fully enclosed and have seats on all sides with the lights and scoreboard, it would look great. We need to do this to stay in the race with many FCS programs. If we ever want consideration for the CAA we need something that resembles an FCS facility and soon!!!!

 

It must be reasonable so that home and home series can be set up with Montana, GA Southern, UMASS, Delaware, and an occasional date with Army.

 

Several things have to happen in the next 2 years or sooner or interest will begin to wane for UA football unfortunatly. People will only wait for so long for the promise of stadium and full schiolarship football. Almost like the boy who cried wolf!

 

I am all for upgrading UF. The only thing I see stopping such an upgrade is that fact that we are sort of in limbo land ride now. If we do upgrade, using all private money, then the legislature may use that as an excuse to not give us money in the future. In hindsight, UF should have been upgraded in 1999 when we went to DI. There should have never been a move to DI athletics without DI facilities.

 

We will hit a wall with recruiting and it is going to happen very soon. We are on the verge of no longer being able to recruit against Stony Brook. Stony Brook is recruiting against Hofstra and the rest of the CAA, and also in the game for kids looking at MAC schools and other low-end FBS leagues. Waiting another 3 or 4 years before playing somewhere other then UF, in the NEC, and without 63 rides will only put us further behind Stony Brook. God forbid Coach Ford retires before we have a stadium. The reason we get the kids we do is because of him.

 

There's a reason Coach Ford said he didn't want to play SBU again until he had at least 45 scholarships.

[alum73]

The track team needs the track to practice. I can't see wasting money on an upgrade for the current field. I'd hate anyone to say the "upgrade" was good enough, so you don't need the stadium.

[UA_MA_2000]

NYS's revenue comes from, inter alia, taxes paid by citizens throughout the state. Then, that money is spent on projects throughout the state, with much of that money going to our very own fiscal blackhole known as New York City. The principal rationale for the author's objection to the stadium was that persons from other parts of the state pay taxes, and those taxes, to some degree, would -- of course -- be used for the Stadium. How is this different than ANY other expenditure in the NYS Budget? Indeed, we hear references to "pork spending" all the time in the media.

 

If you follow the author's logic to its natural conclusion, he -- a local resident -- would be opposed to funding ANY project outside of the Albany area. That is absurd and not how the 50 states work.

 

So, I suspect that the author of that editorial is simply opposed to the state funding capital projects that are athletic facilities. If so, where was his objection when the other 3 University Centers (and perhaps the various colleges too) requested and received funding for some of, or all, their facilities?

 

Is this author opposed to taxes being used for projects outside of a particular tax payer's geographic home and surrounding area, or is he simply opposed to state funding for any and all athletic facilities? What about non-athletic facilities? Where does he draw the line? What about funding to build trails in the Adirondacks? Don't the Catskills deserve funding too? I live in the Catskills, not the Adirondacks, so must I oppose any funds directed towards the Adirondack State Park? What about all the various spending and projects involving downstate and NYC?

 

AND, finally, what about the fact that a substantial portion of money for higher education in this state is directed towards CUNY? Is that wrong that every NYS resident outside of NYC has to pay for that? Wouldn't that upset the author of that editorial much more than this Stadium issue?

 

I just don't buy the author's argument. The author of that Times Union editorial cited above has a problem with this stadium, but it's not because of the reasons the author gave.

[danefan]

The article was stupid and illogical.

 

The only reason the TU published it was because it had an anti-stadium view from someone who was apparently at one-time affiliated with UAlbany.

 

Just another attempt by the TU to retard the process more.

[UA_MA_2000]

The article was stupid and illogical.

 

The only reason the TU published it was because it had an anti-stadium view from someone who was apparently at one-time affiliated with UAlbany.

 

Just another attempt by the TU to retard the process more.

 

 

Hahahaha! I agree completely (see my post above), but I think you got right to the point better than I did!

[UAalum72]

And yet another one Stories show economic priorities are skewed