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Post by jerseyhoya34 on Mar 1, 2005 20:22:48 GMT -5
DFW, if you could make a scan of the 10 story tall crucifix picture, I would love you forever. That would be unbelievable. It reminds me of a letter I read in the NY Daily News about what to build at ground zero that suggested a 100 story tall red-white-and-blue statue of Christ. I would have voted for that! More seriously, it seems the impetus for any movement on this issue is going to have to come from outside the administration. Given the other large projects on the ledger, and the very serious financial crunch, there's just no way that this is going to happen in the next decade. But in the future, people outside Healy with big wallets are going to have to move towards getting this done. Presumably someone paid for this artist's rendering - firms don't just make up relatively staid projects to stir up interest. Someone put up some cash. Is there any real money behind the push for a new arena right now? The folks in Healy have put the kill order out on McDonough renovations. Nothing is on the table until a single donor steps up with an 8 figure donation. Essentially, they're trying to prevent it from happening by making this initial step prohibitive.
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Mar 1, 2005 20:24:32 GMT -5
The folks in Healy have put the kill order out on McDonough renovations. Nothing is on the table until a single donor steps up with an 8 figure donation. Essentially, they're trying to prevent it from happening by making this initial step prohibitive. Which is exactly why I refuse to donate to anything BUT athletics. If they are going to funnel other donations away from it, and refuse to support them, then I refuse to support what they want. Childish, I know.
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Post by jerseyhoya34 on Mar 1, 2005 20:25:37 GMT -5
Which is exactly why I refuse to donate to anything BUT athletics. If they are going to funnel other donations away from it, and refuse to support them, then I refuse to support what they want. Childish, I know. LOL. Have you let them know that?
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Mar 1, 2005 20:27:28 GMT -5
LOL. Have you let them know that? Jersey, unfortunately, the amounts I donate guarantee that I would only elicit a condescending chuckle were I to do so.
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CAHoya07
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Post by CAHoya07 on Mar 1, 2005 20:27:43 GMT -5
Which is exactly why I refuse to donate to anything BUT athletics. If they are going to funnel other donations away from it, and refuse to support them, then I refuse to support what they want. Childish, I know. When I graduate from Georgetown, all of my money will be going towards athletics too, at least until we get decent facilities. This may be selfish and childish, but I'll donate money where I think we need it the most, and right now, it's athletics facilities.
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Cambridge
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Post by Cambridge on Mar 1, 2005 20:35:01 GMT -5
At the turn of the century Georgetown made a conscious decision to embrace athletics -- specifically baseball and football -- in an effort to help integrate Catholics into the predominantly Protestant college-educated society of the era and to give these young men a chance to gain opportunities that would have often been denied them because of their background.
It was such a radical concept that the Church began to become concerned and instated restrictions on Jesuits and catholic athletes. They did so because they thought they were protecting tradition. However, they later realized the powerful effect athletics could have on opening doors and relented.
JT2 beautifully dovetailed that vision with his efforts to transition that opportunity to other groups that who could use athletics to get opportunities they would more than likely have been denied.
It is a travesty if GU has turned against this noble and historic tradition.
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on Mar 1, 2005 20:39:46 GMT -5
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Post by reformation on Mar 1, 2005 20:57:01 GMT -5
My sense is that the next major bldg project that the University is focused on is the science center--assuming that the bschool bldg is in the bag from a fundraising perspective. I think that they are targeting the science bldg for 2010-2011. The athletics stuff would be realistically after that, unless some big donor steps up earlier or there is a change at the top, i.e., new president with different view on the matter
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YB
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Post by YB on Mar 1, 2005 21:07:08 GMT -5
I don't think it's so much that Jack doesn't want a new facility, it's that the U is 700 million in debt and MCI seems like a palatable short-term solution and the neighbors would descend on Healy with pitchforks and torches if he considered putting a 7500 seater on campus.
I still think, of course, it's a better long term investment and worth raising $$ for. But that's me.
Ted Leonsis, you out there??? Think we could build the AOL Center?
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TBird41
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Post by TBird41 on Mar 1, 2005 21:08:34 GMT -5
I don't think it's so much that Jack doesn't want a new facility, it's that the U is 700 million in debt and MCI seems like a palatable short-term solution and the neighbors would descend on Healy with pitchforks and torches if he considered putting a 7500 seater on campus. I still think, of course, it's a better long term investment and worth raising $$ for. But that's me. Ted Leonsis, you out there??? Think we could build the AOL Center? As much as I'd love Leonsis' money, it'd still have to be John Thompson Court at the AOL Center. ;D
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on Mar 1, 2005 21:17:56 GMT -5
Debt is not the issue. If you really want something, go out and ASK for the money. Visited the Law Center lately? That's an example of what alumni can do when asked.
Keeping the neighbors happy is not the issue. Georgetown is regulated by square footage, and whether there are 2,000 or 6,000 in McD, if the square footage is the same and is part of the approved campus plan, it passes muster.
The issue is commitment. Will a renovation be part of the new capital campaign? If not, what will that say to people about the future of Division I basketball at Georgetown?
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Post by jerseyhoya34 on Mar 1, 2005 21:22:54 GMT -5
Debt is not the issue. If you really want something, go out and ASK for the money. Visited the Law Center lately? That's an example of what alumni can do when asked. Will a renovation be part of the new capital campaign? If not, what will that say to people about the future of Division I basketball at Georgetown? We can play D1 basketball in McDonough right now, just not BE (or other high major) basketball.
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on Mar 1, 2005 21:24:29 GMT -5
So will McDonough be our home when Georgetown can no longer afford to be a high major program?
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Post by jerseyhoya34 on Mar 1, 2005 21:27:50 GMT -5
I don't necessarily accept that we won't be able to afford the basketball program. Part of the problem is that some previous coaches did not build an entire program but relied on certain elements to satisfice. JT3 is building a program, and, if MCI attendance continues to improve, we can turn MCI into a semi-profitable arrangement. While I don't discount the possibility of the program falling on tough financial times, your question implies a certainty, and I think that takes a few leaps of faith at the moment.
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YB
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Post by YB on Mar 1, 2005 21:33:32 GMT -5
Even with JT3, we cannot rely on MCI, plus even with good crowds it is not a good home court.
DFW is absolutely right, we need a new, on campus home court.
And we do need to go out and ask for it, to anything else is nonsensiscal.
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on Mar 1, 2005 21:35:58 GMT -5
What happens when MCI Center cuts back home dates, doubles the rent, or takes an offer from GW for home games instead? Then what? Move to the Armory?
Georgetown is not a downtown school. Its off-campus arrangements have diluted a generation of fans. A campus needs a campus home. A world class university deserves more than Third World facilities. A suitable home is not too much to ask...if Georgetown will only ask. Otherwise, it's setting itself up for the next generation of leaders to cut its losses with the sport.
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Post by jerseyhoya34 on Mar 1, 2005 21:36:22 GMT -5
Very people will argue that we should not renovate McD. My issue with some arguments is folks overblow what a renovated McD can do for the program. If we finance the thing with corporate donations such that MBNA or whoever gets a cut of every ticket sale, we are not in a great position either. The devil is in the details. In spirit, I am on board with it, but I don't think the benefits of a new McD are as great as folks make them out to be.
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GUHoya07
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Post by GUHoya07 on Mar 1, 2005 21:39:04 GMT -5
We must all realize that if we want Georgetown Basketball to be successful in the long term scheme of things we can't rely on MCI Center or any other pro arena. If for one reason or another we are unable to play there and we are forced back to a McDonough that looks like the current one our days as a major basketball program are over. We need an on campus arena no matter what, even if we are able to use MCI or another pro arena we need it, but it is especially necessary in case we can no longer use such places any longer for whatever reason.
And this is college basketball, we need that homecourt advantage. Not to mention a great facility that is much needed for graduations, concerts and so on.
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Post by jerseyhoya34 on Mar 1, 2005 21:39:48 GMT -5
What happens when MCI Center cuts back home dates, doubles the rent, or takes an offer from GW for home games instead? Then what? Move to the Armory? Georgetown is not a downtown school. Its off-campus arrangements have diluted a generation of fans. A campus needs a campus home. A world class university deserves more than Third World facilities. A suitable home is not too much to ask...if Georgetown will only ask. Otherwise, it's setting itself up for the next generation of leaders to cut its losses with the sport. See, many of the scenarios you point out are based on speculation. A recent discussion suggests that current arrangements are not as bad as people have speculated. Also, I support the construction of a new McDonough, with several caveats. I just disagree with some of the arguments put forth about why it is important to construct it. Among them, this idea that the program is doomed otherwise. High major programs, such as Wake, have managed to be quite successful with an off-campus arrangement even without sponsored bus transportation to the arena for games.
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hoya4ever
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Post by hoya4ever on Mar 1, 2005 21:40:25 GMT -5
Where in that picture would the training room be? we are supposed to be getting a mini one in the MSF but what about the main one? The new bball court seems to be taking all the space
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