2024 SMSU Mustangs: Year 3 of Underwood

[MrMustang]

Watching the Iowa State/Lipscomb game and the ISU point guard Lipsey’s dad, Robert, apparently played football for SMSU as a running back per the broadcast. Anyone know the dad?

Yep, went to SMSU with Robert. Married a local woman and they are still married today. nice family.

[SW_Mustang]

Yep, went to SMSU with Robert. Married a local woman and they are still married today. nice family.

I believe they both work at ISU too

[SW_Mustang]

Not sure if anyone here cares about baseball - but it was just announced that the road series with Minot was instead moved to Milroy (Yankees).

Just thought I'd mention it in case anyone was interested. I'd go if it weren't for the fact already took work off to see them play yesterday.

[SW_Mustang]

Anyone going to the scrimmage tonight? I would but it starts at 4:30 so I can't get to town in time. Would like to know thoughts about OLine, QB, and RB.

Did spend last night with the Mustang Faithful at FB&T Arena in Brookings. That was a lot of fun. VB team looked great.

[34blast]

Isn't it about time for you Mustangs to start your 2025 thread / Year 4 under Underwood?

[SW_Mustang]

I know I'm going to regret posting this - but Jayasuria is retiring at the end of this year.

This board loves a good conspiracy theory - but the average length of a university tenure is about 6 years, this was expected.

Just hope we can find someone who can continue pushing back against the community to allow the university to continue to grow.

aaaaaaand begin...

[Stanger86]

Isn't it about time for you Mustangs to start your 2025 thread / Year 4 under Underwood?

We are reveling in all of our success from last year, leave us alone!

[CollegeFBGuy]

We are reveling in all of our success from last year, leave us alone!

Brilliant response! 🤣 well played

[MrMustang]

I know I'm going to regret posting this - but Jayasuria is retiring at the end of this year.

This board loves a good conspiracy theory - but the average length of a university tenure is about 6 years, this was expected.

Just hope we can find someone who can continue pushing back against the community to allow the university to continue to grow.

aaaaaaand begin...

He was better than Connie Gores, but not even close to as good as Doug Sweetland, David Danahar, or Ron Wood.

[MrMustang]

Not sure if anyone here cares about baseball - but it was just announced that the road series with Minot was instead moved to Milroy (Yankees).

Just thought I'd mention it in case anyone was interested. I'd go if it weren't for the fact already took work off to see them play yesterday.

Great to play at Milroy too. 3 great options for SMSU baseball between Legion, Yankee, and Irish Yard

[MrMustang]

I know I'm going to regret posting this - but Jayasuria is retiring at the end of this year.

This board loves a good conspiracy theory - but the average length of a university tenure is about 6 years, this was expected.

Just hope we can find someone who can continue pushing back against the community to allow the university to continue to grow.

aaaaaaand begin...

Interesting way to put it "push back against the community". I know you don't live in Marshall nor like it, and I know when you lived here it was only as a student, but there has never been a president less involved in the "Community" than this guy. Not involved in any way. Knows nobody and hardly anyone off campus knows him. I'll leave it at that.

I will say this without argument, he has done a GOOD job on enrollment - whether it is his doing or not, debateable, but the numbers speak for themsleves. I also think he has a GOOD sense of budgeting which is actually highly underrated. I suspect once he leaves we will have a big budget deficit left for us, but that would not make him unique. and he would be a great # 2 guy at many colleges in charge of the books. so he has not been a total failure despite his total lack of community involevment. Now why you think alienating the community in town is a good fundraising plan, I can't speak for you, but that's where we sit.

He has not upped football scholarships at all, nor the football budget at all, or fixed the lousy football locker rooms at all, and since this is a football board, I think it is relevant to point this out.

But since he made people mad about Hawaiian Night, you think that makes him a good president. I think it is more nuanced than that. I don't think that alone makes him a bad president, but there is plenty there to make my argument he has not been good , starting with what you think (making the community mad at him and the coollege) is a good strategy

[SW_Mustang]

Interesting way to put it "push back against the community". I know you don't live in Marshall nor like it, and I know when you lived here it was only as a student, but there has never been a president less involved in the "Community" than this guy. Not involved in any way. Knows nobody and hardly anyone off campus knows him. I'll leave it at that.

I will say this without argument, he has done a GOOD job on enrollment - whether it is his doing or not, debateable, but the numbers speak for themsleves. I also think he has a GOOD sense of budgeting which is actually highly underrated. I suspect once he leaves we will have a big budget deficit left for us, but that would not make him unique. and he would be a great # 2 guy at many colleges in charge of the books. so he has not been a total failure despite his total lack of community involevment. Now why you think alienating the community in town is a good fundraising plan, I can't speak for you, but that's where we sit.

He has not upped football scholarships at all, nor the football budget at all, or fixed the lousy football locker rooms at all, and since this is a football board, I think it is relevant to point this out.

But since he made people mad about Hawaiian Night, you think that makes him a good president. I think it is more nuanced than that. I don't think that alone makes him a bad president, but there is plenty there to make my argument he has not been good , starting with what you think (making the community mad at him and the coollege) is a good strategy

You're angry that he boosted enrollment and fixed critical infrastructure. Maybe that's why I don't think the Marshall crowd should have a say. Maybe making people who hate higher ed angry is a good thing when trying to run a university. You guys vote against it every two years, so why should I consider your opinions? What is so scary about college? Is it the idea that people will see that life exists beyond the farm? Let's be honest here though - nobody locally has any money to give. By definition a rural community can't be affluent. There are other ways to raise money, I submitted some in my official proposal to the university.

So let me ask you, Mr. Attorney - what do you want the university to be? Because you don't seem to like it when it grows, don't like it when it shrinks, don't like it when education gets propped up, don't like it when the buildings get much needed attention... Would you be happy if we cut all the education and just ran sports? All we ever hear from you is how awful things are. You were the one who was adamant the college would close permanently during COVID, now you seem to be upset that it isn't headed that direction.

I don't care about Hawiian Night. It's in the middle of hockey season, so I can't go anyway, and it's not like we ever win on that night. I just love that it made the salt-of-the-earth types have an absolute meltdown, and I was absolutely there to throw gas on that fire in any way I could (even beyond this board). It's fun watching the "facts don't care about your feelings" crowd express their feelings in such a toddler-ish manner.

Another thing you're wrong about - I lived there twice. We moved in my childhood because it's an awful place to raise a family. I didn't fully understand it until I moved back, and I was always local to the town, so I know more about it than you think I do. You've been quick to tell people in Mankato, Sioux Falls, and the Twin Cities how awful their lives must be, but get upset when I do it back.

Don't get me wrong - I think you're a swell guy, you're just wrong on a lot of things. That's all. I agree with you about the football team though.

[SW_Mustang]

He was better than Connie Gores, but not even close to as good as Doug Sweetland, David Danahar, or Ron Wood.

Gores was the worst as far as I'm concerned. She did a couple of things I don't entirely disagree with, but it wasn't anywhere near enough.

Wood was an interim, and interims don't really do anything. Not saying he's a bad guy or he didn't care, but it's hard to make changes in that position. Don't know about Danahar or Sweetland since I wasn't around, but Sweetland seemed to have made a big impact on things.

Never said Jayasuria was or was not the best, just that I liked his growth mindset and it scares me that we'll get another Gores who wants to shrink the college.

[SW_Mustang]

Great to play at Milroy too. 3 great options for SMSU baseball between Legion, Yankee, and Irish Yard

Lots of great options - there's also the ballpark on campus which isn't terrible, not as nice as those three but not awful. Then there's Granite and Redwood which are a little farther out. Would love to see us play at Irish Yard, maybe rotate a non-con series between Irish and Yankees every other year, weather permitting. Could be a nice little fundraising opportunity.

I went to the SDSU matchup, was not excited to see the Jacks pull of the upset, but it was still a fun afternoon. Way too many walks.

[Stanger86]

You're angry that he boosted enrollment and fixed critical infrastructure.

That's not at all what he said. It's fine to debate things and have disagreements about the university and how it should be run, but at least argue in good faith. This just makes you look like a sad, angry man.