Tarleton to WAC

[gruesome]

The Next Level Ready townhalls are today. To my knowledge, the only students currently paying athletic fees on those based on the Stephenville campus.

I didn't realize that was live a few hours ago! I'm listening to it in the background now.

The athletics fee is all students at all campuses: https://www.tarleton.edu/business/st...e-changes.html

[Vulpes88]

Why would they leave? NMSU won't drop down, so at least 3 more schools would need to join to automatically qualify for playoffs.

[Vulpes88]

In the end, it's a D1 move for D1's sake. Lonn is now officially a D1 athletic director and will be forever enshrined as the AD that brought TSU out of D2 and into D1. How that fares for the university long term is anyone's guess.

This is why I've always been against a move to the WAC. No regional rivals, increased expenses to travel to play schools that want to leave yesterday. While I am excited about the move up, I would've rather stayed in the LSC and be nationally competitive as opposed to joining the WAC with no home for football and getting run over by schools in P5 conferences. SFA could've developed into a good rivalry, and there's history with ACU. Can't get interested in traveling to St. George Utah or playing UTRGV.

The SLC is going to implode? Based on what? We should've been patient but wanted to go D1 just for the sake of being D1. This will set our athletics back by a lot. Hope I'm wrong, concerned I'm not.

[TexanFan]

Isn't there another fee increase in the works? Didn't I read that somewhere?

Edit: It was the "Next Level Ready" townhall meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGRhfm6lWjs

The Next Level Ready townhalls are today. To my knowledge, the only students currently paying athletic fees on those based on the Stephenville campus.

[TexanFan]

[gruesome]

They have always used the satellite campuses in the overall enrollment.

Isn't there another fee increase in the works? Didn't I read that somewhere?

Edit: It was the "Next Level Ready" townhall meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGRhfm6lWjs

[WT_ALUM08]

I am worried about WT. I dont see a move to D1 unless Sharp and his cronies put some immense pressure on WT and force them. McBroom has never seemed interested in even entertaining the idea. So I think it will take the Mothership demanding it for that to be a consideration. 8 football schools is going to make scheduling a nightmare to find 4 OOC games in the LSC dang near impossible. Is it time to consider a move to the RMAC? WT fits the footprint of the RMAC and would replace Dixie State leaving. Would give the athletic program stability. RMAC is fully scholarship funded now. Yes we lose some of our natural rivals, but gain complete security and still have some relatively close opponents. Could schedule ENMU every year as our 1 OOC game.

I can just see a day where WNMU shuts down their football program. When that happens, the LSC football wise is one step away from being the GNAC. And if UTPB and UT Tyler follow the paths of their family brethren, they wont be D2 forever.

[wisdomgymrat]

They have always used the satellite campuses in the overall enrollment.

[gruesome]

Is the enrollment increase for on campus enrollment? Or does it include enrollment at satellite sites such as mclennan community college in Waco and/or online programs? On campus undergrad enrollment is where support will come from for athletics.

I think that's total enrollment including the satellite campuses. The athletics fee goes to all students regardless of campus location. At the current enrollment, assuming 12 hours per student, that amounts to $3.4 million. Maybe one of the TSU guys could straighten me out, but I think there's at least talk of another fee increase. I feel like I saw a quote from Hurley about being against it unless D1 happens.. Can't seem to find the source on that at the moment.

[catatonic]

Enrollment increased from 13,011 to 13,122 from 2017 to 2018. Couldn't find 2019 numbers, but I'm sure they're out there. Granted, the purported 5-8% increase in previous years has helped boost that overall number, I've heard from several sources that enrollment for 2019 is down. Additionally, with student loans becoming an increasing burden, I think we'll see enrollment numbers flatten or decline over the next decade.

I think TSU is skating on thin ice with regards to the student population growing and supporting a D1 athletic budget. The travel alone in the WAC will cost millions and I don't think the media money (as many have already mentioned) will be anything close to supporting those increased travel costs and expenses.

In the end, it's a D1 move for D1's sake. Lonn is now officially a D1 athletic director and will be forever enshrined as the AD that brought TSU out of D2 and into D1. How that fares for the university long term is anyone's guess.

Is the enrollment increase for on campus enrollment? Or does it include enrollment at satellite sites such as mclennan community college in Waco and/or online programs? On campus undergrad enrollment is where support will come from for athletics.

[gruesome]

I would agree. I have been excited about this move, but also a little worried. We are just now getting our football program back to a National contender in D2, Basketball has been there for two decades, Women's golf has always been good, while our other sports are still doing "ok." Now at the D1 level it will be tough. With the continuously increasing enrollment numbers at TSU, it seems like the right time to make the move. Guess we will wait and see.

I know one thing, I will miss this board once it is all said and done. I was a user on the old site starting back in 2003. Lived through getting our butts kicked by Darnell Henson at Northeastern in Basketball, lived through the Steve Kelley run in 2001, and etc. This board has been a great part of my memories of the LSC and I have enjoyed the conversations on here.

Enrollment increased from 13,011 to 13,122 from 2017 to 2018. Couldn't find 2019 numbers, but I'm sure they're out there. Granted, the purported 5-8% increase in previous years has helped boost that overall number, I've heard from several sources that enrollment for 2019 is down. Additionally, with student loans becoming an increasing burden, I think we'll see enrollment numbers flatten or decline over the next decade.

I think TSU is skating on thin ice with regards to the student population growing and supporting a D1 athletic budget. The travel alone in the WAC will cost millions and I don't think the media money (as many have already mentioned) will be anything close to supporting those increased travel costs and expenses.

In the end, it's a D1 move for D1's sake. Lonn is now officially a D1 athletic director and will be forever enshrined as the AD that brought TSU out of D2 and into D1. How that fares for the university long term is anyone's guess.

[Turbonium]

Every single time a program is going to move up the posters get so arrogant and think anyone saying it's a bad idea in their opinion gets called jealous or angry. Welcome to that club.

[Herb Street]

ACU's situation isn't Tarleton's. ACU had an invitation from a D1/FCS conference that had several potential natural rivalries built-in. While it is a different footprint than the LSC, it is still very much a regional conference that is Texas/Louisiana-centric. Their travel costs likely didn't double or triple - most of these schools are a bus ride. Added to that, ACU is private and wanted the panache that D1 brings. It made a lot of sense.

Tarleton State didn't get an invitation from the Southland. It got invited to a conference that has obscure members in CA, AZ, Utah, Missouri, Illinois, Washington State, and one school in New Mexico. Those schools are members because they have no better option. Cal State Bakersfield's first choice is not to be traveling to Las Cruces or Stephenville. The WAC is an uneasy alliance at best.

[ASURAM2010]

Maybe Catatonic can divulge some benefits of moving up. ACU Men's basketball run was all over the news.

I would agree with that on a regional level, but does it actually move the needle? Did ACU receive a substantial increase in student applications as a result of the first round romp with Kentucky? I bet one thing that did happen was Google received a lot of searches from people outside of this region to figure out who ACU was.

I guess for me, it comes down to be being a big fish in a smaller pond, or being the tiniest of fish in an ocean.

[wisdomgymrat]

Maybe Catatonic can divulge some benefits of moving up. ACU Men's basketball run was all over the news.