University of Alaska Sports in danger of elimination

[Wolfman]

How's life D?

I don't know. I feel like this whole thing will not be good on our Athletics program. I will always support my school, but I think I have just resigned to the fact we will always be small potatoes. It is what it is. I really hope for positive news in all this. If our hockey team is cut then I guess that will be it. Not sure what else can be done.

[uaafanblog]

Re: University of Alaska Sports in danger of elimination

How's life D?

It's going along. Finally have my big surgery this Friday (under the knife for like 8 hours). It'll be nice to not have to pee in pain every 45 minutes.

[Suze]

Size, unfortunately, it's going to happen. The Universities are going to merge, it is not speculation and athletics is in danger. There are many news stories on this subject. It is really sad obviously, not sure what can be done.

Please post a link to any article stating that it is a certainty that there will be a merger of the UA schools. Because all I have read says the President is "pushing" for it. Regents will be involved. It's not a done deal by any means, and like I said, IF it happens it will take two years to implement it.

[Suze]

Re: University of Alaska Sports in danger of elimination

It's going along. Finally have my big surgery this Friday (under the knife for like 8 hours). It'll be nice to not have to pee in pain every 45 minutes.

Been thinking about you DD. Keep us up to date on your progress.

[Tipsy McStagger]

Re: University of Alaska Sports in danger of elimination

Nolan Walker leaving is simply a factor of getting the kid early. Him committing to UAA is what got him looked at by other schools. And since Bob effing Motzko has zero integrity as a human being and as a hockey coach you end up with crappola like talking to a kid who already made a verbal commitment to another school. It's sleazy crappola that we've seen from Mini-Soda schools before.

So eff Nolan Walker. Hopefully, UAA has SCSU on the schedule when he plays for them and someone reminds this low character punk what giving your word means.

That's an interesting take.

[davyd83]

No. UAA got Ege when nobody else bothered looking at him (leastwise ... anywhere he wanted to go). Most of us knew at the beginning of this season that he'd be gone after one year.

Nolan Walker leaving is simply a factor of getting the kid early. Him committing to UAA is what got him looked at by other schools. And since Bob effing Motzko has zero integrity as a human being and as a hockey coach you end up with crappola like talking to a kid who already made a verbal commitment to another school. It's sleazy crappola that we've seen from Mini-Soda schools before.

So eff Nolan Walker. Hopefully, UAA has SCSU on the schedule when he plays for them and someone reminds this low character punk what giving your word means.

So can you guarantee that all players currently recruited will get four years in Alaska? It's sad to see, but if players sense problems, some look for a bit more certainty. I saw it working in the front office at the minor pro level. Team's financial difficulties became known. Players wanted out and it was tough to recruit as well. I know the feeling far too well. I hope all works out for both Alaskas and look forward to visiting Anchorage this season. And best of luck on the surgery! Hope all goes well.

[gfmorris]

Re: University of Alaska Sports in danger of elimination

Been thinking about you DD. Keep us up to date on your progress.

Same here.

GFM

[RapidsCity]

So can you guarantee that all players currently recruited will get four years in Alaska? It's sad to see, but if players sense problems, some look for a bit more certainty. I saw it working in the front office at the minor pro level. Team's financial difficulties became known. Players wanted out and it was tough to recruit as well. I know the feeling far too well. I hope all works out for both Alaskas and look forward to visiting Anchorage this season. And best of luck on the surgery! Hope all goes well.

I think there are coaches that will play upon this. I can't believe there were no discussions between Ege and OSU prior to him announcing his departure from Alaska. It wouldn't be shocking to think his advisor did a little shopping prior to the end of the semester and examined some hypothetical scenarios.

[Wolfman]

Re: University of Alaska Sports in danger of elimination

Please post a link to any article stating that it is a certainty that there will be a merger of the UA schools. Because all I have read says the President is "pushing" for it. Regents will be involved. It's not a done deal by any means, and like I said, IF it happens it will take two years to implement it.

I want to be optimistic just like you Suze. We are both passionate (and others on here too) about UAA Athletics. I asked a close friend who works at the Athletics department about how likely will the BoR adopt this "one university" initiative in June. They said "very likely." Even if it takes two years to implement, what will be done is what will be done.

As an Alum, I am very opposed to losing our autonomous accreditation at UAA. But, apparently "lots" of people are for this in Alaska. If sports get cut at UAF so that UAA gets all the sports, it is still a lost cause. If it is a "split" sports situation where Fairbanks gets hockey and Anchorage gets Basketball to represent one "Alaska" then it will be hard to support a hockey team not in Anchorage. These are tough time For Alaska.

Interestingly, the University of Maine is doing something similar and Maine is Division I. So, who knows how this will turn out.

[Suze]

Re: University of Alaska Sports in danger of elimination

You have told me numerous things that you heard from someone in Athletics, and they turned out to not be true.

BTW, aren't the Gophers, Duluth and Mankato all part of the University of Minnesota system?

[tape]

Re: University of Alaska Sports in danger of elimination

BTW, aren't the Gophers, Duluth and Mankato all part of the University of Minnesota system?

Mankato is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, which is separate from the U of M system. St. Cloud and Bemidji are also members of the Minnesota State system.

[Suze]

Re: University of Alaska Sports in danger of elimination

Mankato is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, which is separate from the U of M system. St. Cloud and Bemidji are also members of the Minnesota State system.

Thanks. What about Duluth?

[The Sicatoka]

Re: University of Alaska Sports in danger of elimination

You have told me numerous things that you heard from someone in Athletics, and they turned out to not be true.

BTW, aren't the Gophers, Duluth and Mankato all part of the University of Minnesota system?

The U of M system is Twin Cities, Duluth, Morris, and Crookston.

The MnSCU system includes Mankato, Bemidji, St. Cloud, Moorhead, Winona.

Know thy enemy.

[The Sicatoka]

Re: University of Alaska Sports in danger of elimination

The Minnesota systems (Uof or MnSCU) run as independent, autonomous campuses each with a president.
North Dakota runs the same way under the State Board of Higher Ed.


What Alaska is proposing is consolidation under a single president.

[Jimjamesak]

Re: University of Alaska Sports in danger of elimination

The Minnesota systems (Uof or MnSCU) run as independent, autonomous campuses each with a president.
North Dakota runs the same way under the State Board of Higher Ed.


What Alaska is proposing is consolidation under a single president.

Actually what it really is UAF forcing UAA (and UAS) into their control and taking their budget in an effort to save themselves. Watch as most things will end up in Fairbanks: the marquee programs like engineering, education, and business, the research money, the marquee athletic team etc. Like I said, this is people in Fairbanks saving their skin and forcing it down other people's throats. If the UA system really wanted to consolidate they do it properly: UAF keeps the research and science related programs while everything else, business, education, engineering, aviation, and yes athletics, goes to UAA along with massive cuts at the administration level (as in the system doesn't need four billion Vice Chancellors and Regents). But since the majority of the mucky mucks in the UA system are in Fairbanks that's where they want things.

tl;dr It's basically "UAA gets the students, UAF gets the funding" just being codified.