You’d be surprised who reads this board and even occasionally posts on it. Community elected leaders, current and former administrators, current and former trustees, senior university staff and volunteers, boosters from $1 to over $1 million, current and former coaches, former players, even at least a couple of faculty with varying motivations and support for athletics. Most of them think we are all mentally ill fools.
The University is well aware of who most of us are and our views. Keep the communication classy and concise and occasional and you’ll be surprised at the supportive feedback you’ll get beyond normal lip service.
The University posts videos and podcasts here. They have had in the past paid monitors who regularly briefed administrators and I assume still do. If so, they have a tedious job I appreciate.
Flooding an email account or voice mail box won’t be productive. Have two dozen of your close friends send you emails you have to respond to the first thing on a Monday morning, see how long that takes you, how much time you have left in the day, and whether you are temporarily still as fond of them as you were on Saturday.
Also, be prepared to listen as well as speak. TU generally shares your goals, but not all of TU’s goals for the athletic department are going to be the same as yours. Do your best to understand the exchange of information and respect the differences in direction desired. The differences are often very subtle nuance but important.
Especially those goals whose aspirations are not resource based. The school really is concerned about things other than winning or what something costs, or keeping a hundred or so people employed. Things that were important long before money took over the sport.
Things like making sure the program is sustainable so kids with nothing have a chance to get an education. The most insulting thing is the discussion about dropping football or lowering divisions. That implies that TU would be willing to compromise its century old commitment to thousands of future students with few or no opportunities to be educated elsewhere. To do that to win a few games for a few years until the money ran out or save a little in the grand scheme of things is the height of foolishness. Dont be a fool and bring that up.
TU has never been OU, who has millions of back seat drivers. Demands or commands will be as welcome as listening to a 5 year old in your backseat demand McDonald’s instead of Chik-fil-A when you are already blocked in waiting in the drive through. Threats of pulling donations will be met with the same level of frustration but professional response.
Be nice. Be supportive. Listen.
Communicate a desire that those you aren’t able to contact directly are held accountable. Your message will get through, as many on here can testify from telephone calls and email exchanges with senior administrators.
I love TU sports, in part, because of its small community.
TU might be the only program in the nation where an average fan with no donor history can have an ongoing personal relationship with the athletic department personnel and even some coaches. Think twice before you abuse that privilege because it reflects on all of us.
