Harvard newspaper doesn't want a 4th sorority

[KSig RC]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Shouldn't be about ROI, should be about the benefit of the students, not the benefit of the school.

ROI does equal benefit. Tangible, delicious, dollar-value benefit.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

ROI does equal benefit. Tangible, delicious, dollar-value benefit.

Not necessarily.

[SWTXBelle]

I don't know that the NCAA "hates" them - I think athletic departments and some administrators believe that directional names indicate Podunk U.

I will try again to find the actual numbers, but in the case of my alma mater I believe the fact that the athletic department is NOT talking about all the money football is bringing in for US points to the fact that like the vast majority of programs, it is not self-sustaining or profitible. Yes, you can point to programs that make money hand over fist; you just can't say it is true of most of them.

I am not indulging in hyperbole when I say the Strutters are probably more profitible than the football team. You wouldn't believe what those alumnae give!

As to Texas' top 10 admission rule - yes, I'm aware it applies to all public schools, but as pointed out earlier, it is UT and A & M admissions which it has most affected.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

I don't know that the NCAA "hates" them - I think athletic departments and some administrators believe that directional names indicate Podunk U.

Which may or may not be true. I don't think it's hurt the University of Southern California.

[SWTXBelle]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Which may or may not be true. I don't think it's hurt the University of Southern California.

I think it's ridiculous. One of the points made whilst trying to convince the alumni of Southwest Texas State University that changing the name to Texas State University would bring about Happy Pony Rainbow Land in San Marcos was that we didn't have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and so many of the universities with chapters did not have directional names.

I'm pretty sure that it's not the name standing in our way. Nor is it our lack of a Division One sports program. Yep, I'd stake money on that, and I am not a woman who gambles.

[AOII Angel]

The NCAA really does dislike directional names. USC is different because it's an elite school and a private school. No one knows where Northeast Louisiana University is, but you can figure out where University of Louisiana at Monroe is without going to Google. People also would get confused and wonder if they were watching Northeastern University. The alums of that prestigious university would not be amused. If every state has a Northeast and a Southwestern State University, you can see where the confusion comes in. It's a lot easier to have a gazillion University of (insert state) at (insert city).

[Barbie's_Rush]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Which may or may not be true. I don't think it's hurt the University of Southern California.

USC isn't a directional school in this sense since it's private (and also apparently sits upon a bottomless pot of money!)

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Barbie's_Rush

USC isn't a directional school in this sense since it's private (and also apparently sits upon a bottomless pot of money!)

Very true, though it unquestionably has a directional name, which is what I was really getting at -- the directional name isn't in and of itself a problem for the school. (And I bet lots of people don't know it's private.)

Whatever the NCAA thinks, I've never been convinced that the University of State at Whatevercity is an inherently better name than, say, Eastwestern State University. The former may tell you where the school is without having to consult Google or the Wiki, but it also heightens confusion with and maybe even dilutes the cachet of the other Universities of State at Whatevercities.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Very true, though it unquestionably has a directional name, which is what I was really getting at -- the directional name isn't in and of itself a problem for the school. (And I bet lots of people don't know it's private.)

Whatever the NCAA thinks, I've never been convinced that the University of State at Whatevercity is an inherently better name than, say, Eastwestern State University. The former may tell you where the school is without having to consult Google or the Wiki, but it also heightens confusion with and maybe even dilutes the cachet of the other Universities of State at Whatevercities.

If there is any cachet in the name. University of Louisiana has no cachet, so naming every school in the system that name doesn't dilute anything. It pisses off all the alums that like the name of their school, but makes the sports powers that be happy. The LSU system is completely separate from the University of Louisiana system, so our one flagship school is safe from dilution except for the little known feeder schools LSU-A, LSU-S and LSU-E (but that's always been their names.) Anyway, the name change for many of these schools is not for prestige. It certainly wasn't for ULM. It was to fit the criteria for the NCAA so that more big name schools would pay us to come in for an easy win. We essentially wanted to make money using our student athletes. There was no intention of building a top notch football program or establishing a credible name in sports.


P.S. I don't disagree with you, MC. I'm just arguing the point from the side that is actually running the show. My school's alums lost this battle two years after I graduated. I'm just glad my diploma says NLU. There were rumors that it would change to ULM before we graduated, and I would have been highly pissed off!!

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Very true, though it unquestionably has a directional name, which is what I was really getting at -- the directional name isn't in and of itself a problem for the school. (And I bet lots of people don't know it's private.)

Whatever the NCAA thinks, I've never been convinced that the University of State at Whatevercity is an inherently better name than, say, Eastwestern State University. The former may tell you where the school is without having to consult Google or the Wiki, but it also heightens confusion with and maybe even dilutes the cachet of the other Universities of State at Whatevercities.

I'm glad Illinois hasn't taken the route of stripping directional names. It may be because the UofI (at UC/C/S and maybe soon Peoria) is its own system and so you can't change Eastern Illinois University to U of I Charleston. Additionally there's already an Illinois State U and there are two Southerns. We're too screwed up to change it now.

/not really screwed up

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Which may or may not be true. I don't think it's hurt the University of Southern California.

I don't know about the NCAA, but from dealing in college admissions for a hot minute, the directional schools (with the exception of USC because it's private and has a storied history) indicate a second-tier status. I find myself guilty of it as well--UF: flagship! UCF: safety school. (I know it's totally not the case anymore, but I grew up in Florida during a time when UCF was NEVER anyone's first choice. It was UF, FSU, or out-of-state.) Let's not forget about USF, UNF, UWF.

There's a book--I think it's Snobbery by Joseph Epstein that discusses the curse of the directional school (with USC as the rare exception).