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This LSU bankruptcy thing, the Lazy River and all, is it bad PR for the SEC?
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:04 pm
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:04 pm
In the competitive world of college athletics and the programs in which they endeavor ... does this LSU BK thing, does it begin to become a black mark on the conference as a whole at some point?
"LSU" is an important SEC brand. When the rest of the country reads "LSU" they think college football, college baseball, Shaq and, more importantly, the SEC.
Will it come to a point where the SEC, the rest of the SEC programs, need to step-in and bail-out LSU before it gets completely out of hand ... sorta like the EU bailing-out Greece for instance?
LSU builds $84 million L-S-U-shaped ‘lazy river’ as school considers bankruptcy
Some austerity measures are obviously in order ....
"LSU" is an important SEC brand. When the rest of the country reads "LSU" they think college football, college baseball, Shaq and, more importantly, the SEC.
Will it come to a point where the SEC, the rest of the SEC programs, need to step-in and bail-out LSU before it gets completely out of hand ... sorta like the EU bailing-out Greece for instance?
LSU builds $84 million L-S-U-shaped ‘lazy river’ as school considers bankruptcy
quote:
Fair Use:
BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana State University is taking heat for a $84.75 million “lazy river” taking shape on campus as the university faces “financial exigency.”
Funding for the massive lazy river – which will be in the shape of letters L-S-U – is funded by student recreation fee increased approved by students in 2011, and is part of a larger overhaul of school facilities that also include swimming pools, a sun deck, a 40,431 sq. ft. cardio and weight room, eight lane lap pool, 35-foot climbing wall, nine tennis courts and a fitness assessment center.
“The entire project will be used in recruiting and retaining students,” Laurie Braden, LSU’s director of recreation, told NOLA.com. “The impact of physical activity and play on the brain and students ability to learn is well documented by neuro-biologist and researcher John Ratey and Stuart Brown.”
Construction on the new facilities started in November, and is expected to take two years, according to the news site.
The project is under construction as university officials are working to save the university from financial ruin. Louisiana lawmakers are struggling to fund the state’s universities, and state aid could decrease from about $3,500 per undergrad to $660 if lawmakers can’t find more funding.
That reality prompted LSU President F. King Alexander to announce a plan to declare financial exigency if things don’t change.
Some austerity measures are obviously in order ....
quote:
“Being in a state of financial exigency means a university’s funding situation is so difficult that the viability of the entire institution is threatened,” NOLA reports. “The status makes it easier for public colleges to shut down programs and lay off tenured faculty, but it also tarnishes the school’s reputation, making it harder to recruit faculty and students.”
The whole situation is prompting some at LSU to question how the university can declare bankruptcy while building an unnecessary $84 million lazy river theme pool.
“The fact that we can build this pool on one budget while the university is sinking on another shows that overall there is a problem with the way universities finance their work,” LSU Faculty Senate President and professor Kevin Cope told 103.5 FM.
“To build a swimming pool in the form of the letters L, S, and U is ugly, kitsch, ridiculous, and rather childish.”
Student body president Andrew Mahtook, however, defended the massively expensive pool and said the financial argument doesn’t hold water because student fees and state funding are two different account.
“It doesn’t touch the funding that goes into teachers salaries, funds courses, or anything like that,” Mahtook said. “The funding for ‘lazy river’ was voted on by the student body as an approved self-assessment fee.”
He said Cope is looking at the project all wrong.
“That’s not how the money flow works at LSU. That’s not how student government money flow works,” he said. “So all these kinds of arguments about that and about how we’re spending our money, they’re totally unrelated and really don’t stand up.”
Nearly all taxpayers who commented about the situation on NOLA, however, seem to side with Cope.
“I must be missing something. I have been reading for weeks about LSU having to file for bankruptcy, slash faculty, and classes … yet there is money for a lazy river?” tigerjeffrey questioned. “Sorry, my simple brain just cannot compute. I read the line, ‘state tax money not being used,’ but still, something is amiss.
“There is no way it makes any logical sense that LSU is supposedly in jeopardy, yet there is money for a lazy river. Sounds like rearranging chairs on the deck of the Titanic to me.”
Poster BrainDrainScab was on the same page.
“The theory that a lazy river will entice better quality students to LSU is ludicrous,” BrainDrainScab posted. “Better students are looking for better courses and instructors. If the students voted to pay more fees for a better pool, I think it speaks toward the caliber of student at LSU already. YOLO brah!”
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:07 pm to scrooster
quote:
does it begin to become a black mark on the conference as a whole at some point?
No, not at all. It will only have minor effects on LSU athletics, and this is an athletic conference.
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:08 pm to scrooster
some people can't take a joke...
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:09 pm to scrooster
You really should understand what is going on before you post.
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:09 pm to scrooster
That lazy river is going to be sweet
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:09 pm to scrooster
quote:
does it begin to become a black mark on the conference as a whole at some point?
Only to the perception is reality idiots
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:12 pm to BayouBengals03
quote:
You really should understand what is going on before you post.
He cited 2 recent articles. Pretty as good as it gets for the Rant. Care to explain what is really going on becuase from the outside its a bad look for LSU and Louisiana.
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:13 pm to Agforlife
quote:
Only to the perception is reality idiots
There is an optics problem for the LSU AD and LSU in general. Hence why they held back building AD facilities- that endeavour might be getting the same heat the lazy river is getting today.
But that isn't LSU's fault, state politics have long prioritized what is best for individual groups over what is right. Sometimes it is just better to keep your head down so that legislators don't force you to kick back most of that SEC Network money to pay for things they should be paying for.
At the worst the overall effect on the SEC will be minimal.
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:14 pm to scrooster
Two somewhat related thoughts on the subject.
1) That may be the ugliest pool design I've ever seen.
2) It is being built with student recreation fees. If they want to spend their money on an ugly-arse pool, it is nobody's business but theirs.
1) That may be the ugliest pool design I've ever seen.
2) It is being built with student recreation fees. If they want to spend their money on an ugly-arse pool, it is nobody's business but theirs.
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:14 pm to Farmer1906
So you're concerned that this could damage the Southeastern Conference reputation of putting academics ahead of athletics?
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:17 pm to Farmer1906
quote:
He cited 2 recent articles. Pretty as good as it gets for the Rant. Care to explain what is really going on becuase from the outside its a bad look for LSU and Louisiana.
It's just politics. They already worked it out. Like anyone with a brain/pulse on the situation knew they would. LSU of course was just campaigning for it's interest. You don't have to be James Carville to get that and no they werent actually going bankrupt.
This post was edited on 5/13/15 at 1:18 pm
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:18 pm to JustGetItRight
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1) That may be the ugliest pool design I've ever seen.
Opinions vary. I personally think it's badass.
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:18 pm to JustGetItRight
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That may be the ugliest pool design I've ever seen.
quote:
Alabama Fan
Checks out
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:24 pm to scrooster
Our next project
This post was edited on 5/13/15 at 1:25 pm
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:25 pm to scrooster
quote:
Student body president Andrew Mahtook, however, defended the massively expensive pool and said the financial argument doesn’t hold water because student fees and state funding are two different account.
“It doesn’t touch the funding that goes into teachers salaries, funds courses, or anything like that,” Mahtook said. “The funding for ‘lazy river’ was voted on by the student body as an approved self-assessment fee.”
He said Cope is looking at the project all wrong.
“That’s not how the money flow works at LSU. That’s not how student government money flow works,” he said. “So all these kinds of arguments about that and about how we’re spending our money, they’re totally unrelated and really don’t stand up.”
This part is of course completely spot on but most people are too dumb to understand this. Case in point:
quote:
Nearly all taxpayers who commented about the situation on NOLA, however, seem to side with Cope.
“I must be missing something. I have been reading for weeks about LSU having to file for bankruptcy, slash faculty, and classes … yet there is money for a lazy river?” tigerjeffrey questioned. “Sorry, my simple brain just cannot compute. I read the line, ‘state tax money not being used,’ but still, something is amiss.
“There is no way it makes any logical sense that LSU is supposedly in jeopardy, yet there is money for a lazy river. Sounds like rearranging chairs on the deck of the Titanic to me.”
Poster BrainDrainScab was on the same page.
“The theory that a lazy river will entice better quality students to LSU is ludicrous,” BrainDrainScab posted. “Better students are looking for better courses and instructors. If the students voted to pay more fees for a better pool, I think it speaks toward the caliber of student at LSU already. YOLO brah!”
Pure gold. I like how the article (probably unintentionally) just showed how stupid those two people are.
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:27 pm to nebraskafaninwi
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No. Next question.
Okay ...
Do you swallow or are you a spitter? Or does it just depend on if you really like the guy?
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:29 pm to scrooster
Stupidest thing I've ever seen.
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:29 pm to Farmer1906
quote:
He cited 2 recent articles. Pretty as good as it gets for the Rant. Care to explain what is really going on becuase from the outside its a bad look for LSU and Louisiana.
LSU will never file for bankruptcy. It was just a threat on the state.
Besides, all of the other little minion schools in the state would meet that fate first, if it ever came to that.
This post was edited on 5/13/15 at 1:31 pm
Posted on 5/13/15 at 1:29 pm to JustGetItRight
quote:
2) It is being built with student recreation fees. If they want to spend their money on an ugly-arse pool, it is nobody's business but theirs.
I agree but I think it looks cool
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