At this point we have no idea who is being retained or what the schools plan is going forward. However, it does at least appear that our little fan/alumni insurrection has gotten the attention of regents and a little play in the media. Regardless of how this turns out I think we need to continue to keep the pressure on while everyone is still motivated.
My suggestion is that everyone who wrote a letter to the leadership (plus those who haven't already) send another letter about the structural issues at CU and the athletic department. We keep hearing about "how hard it is to win at CU," well every single one of those issues is fixable except for proximity to talent, and there are plenty of examples of schools working around that issue if they make enough effort. The regents need to know that this isn't an issue that can just be dumped in Bohn's lap. We need to let them know that more time alone is not the right answer.
Why aren't we demanding that they acknowledge the issue with contracts for assistants, facilities, out-of-state scholarship costs, etc? These are things that could significantly help get this thing turned around but they require a commitment from the school beyond what can be accomplished by the AD working on its own. Let the Regents know that there are things that THEY can do to affect change, and that we expect them to be held accountable as well, not just Bohn and Embree. These are leadership functions that should fall within their ability to affect change. These are elected officials, if enough of their constituency demands action they will at least have to address the issues. Sure they can't wave their hand and fix the assistant contract issue...but they sure as hell can direct the school's legal / legislative relations to take a look at it and develop a plan for it. They can request that the school evaluate its degree programs and determine if there are programs that are offered by other peer institutions that it is reasonable to expect CU to offer as well, e.g. general studies, criminology, physical education. They can direct the school to revise its admission criteria to match other peer institutions in the conference - we're not asking for KSU level criteria, but I don't see the issue with patterning ourselves after Cal. They can direct staff to evaluate what can be done to improve fundraising coordination between departments and campuses. They can evaluate whether the hell BenStephano are NOT doing their job in this area.
Whether we keep Embree or bring in a new guy, these issues aren't just going to magically go away without some level of commitment from the administration. They can't continue this hands off policy for the AD, if they truly have a commitment to athletics like they have been claiming in these email responses then they need to address these structural issues. Maybe I'm tilting at windmills here, but I don't think it is too much to ask of our leadership to give the AD the resources and environment it needs to at least compete on an even playing field.
My suggestion is that everyone who wrote a letter to the leadership (plus those who haven't already) send another letter about the structural issues at CU and the athletic department. We keep hearing about "how hard it is to win at CU," well every single one of those issues is fixable except for proximity to talent, and there are plenty of examples of schools working around that issue if they make enough effort. The regents need to know that this isn't an issue that can just be dumped in Bohn's lap. We need to let them know that more time alone is not the right answer.
Why aren't we demanding that they acknowledge the issue with contracts for assistants, facilities, out-of-state scholarship costs, etc? These are things that could significantly help get this thing turned around but they require a commitment from the school beyond what can be accomplished by the AD working on its own. Let the Regents know that there are things that THEY can do to affect change, and that we expect them to be held accountable as well, not just Bohn and Embree. These are leadership functions that should fall within their ability to affect change. These are elected officials, if enough of their constituency demands action they will at least have to address the issues. Sure they can't wave their hand and fix the assistant contract issue...but they sure as hell can direct the school's legal / legislative relations to take a look at it and develop a plan for it. They can request that the school evaluate its degree programs and determine if there are programs that are offered by other peer institutions that it is reasonable to expect CU to offer as well, e.g. general studies, criminology, physical education. They can direct the school to revise its admission criteria to match other peer institutions in the conference - we're not asking for KSU level criteria, but I don't see the issue with patterning ourselves after Cal. They can direct staff to evaluate what can be done to improve fundraising coordination between departments and campuses. They can evaluate whether the hell BenStephano are NOT doing their job in this area.
Whether we keep Embree or bring in a new guy, these issues aren't just going to magically go away without some level of commitment from the administration. They can't continue this hands off policy for the AD, if they truly have a commitment to athletics like they have been claiming in these email responses then they need to address these structural issues. Maybe I'm tilting at windmills here, but I don't think it is too much to ask of our leadership to give the AD the resources and environment it needs to at least compete on an even playing field.