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Do you have any ideas or suggestions on expanding the giving and involvement of Marshall's alumni/BG members?
Since you asked, and, for once, didn't either name call or use emojis in place of words, yes I do.
- MU giving was damaged by Satan's Vile Servant, KO Marcum. He lied to my face, and more importantly to BP's face, about the IPF. A lot of people are once burned-twice shy still to this day. We need to come clean about the lies of KO Marcum and assure givers today that it will never happen again. The revisionist story about "mops for props" and other such nonsense needs to end. BP's tenure was ended due to the dishonesty of KO Marcum, and the incompetence of his compliance director, who testified under oath that he had never actually read the NCAA rules. BP should have a statue in front of the IPF.
- Fire Charles Huff. Announcing that what he did was "unacceptable" and then accepting it is just so much ho-ha. Its unacceptable, so he has to go. Get someone in here who can do the job.
- Fire Danny D'Antoni. He is a nice guy. He loves Marshall. He is a career HS coach and is 76 years old. Demand better.
- MU is, by far, the best college in WV. By far. Smart kids know that. We have alumni in every county. We need to exploit that. (As a side note, as WV closes colleges over the next 20-30 years, and we will, integrating the remnants into MU and making alumni of the soon forgotten institutions feel like they are a part of the Marshall family, is important as well).
- The rotten economy, over 80 years, in WV give MU, almost uniquely, an advantage. A lot of people did what the girl at the end of We Are Marshall, or Danny D'Antoni in real life, did. Graduate and GTFO of WV. That means we have a big footprint of alumni of a certain age across the midwest, and another of a younger age across the south, and of both age groups in the Swamp (DC metro). Most schools, particularly those with our mission, have alumni that all just went back home and went to work. Engage those people. Every appearance by a MU team should be a big deal in that town. MU should have events all over the region.
- The Huntington attitude. Arch Moore said that if he gave $20 bills out on a street corner in Huntington, people would complain about which street. A lot of "townie" kids treat MU as the 13th-16 grade. Not acceptable. These are the kids who you see in the WVU crap. Not acceptable. And, a lot of people past college age think of MU, both athletics and generally, as just something some undefined "they" are supposed to fund. Some combination of the state, unnamed rich people, and big companies. Doesn't work that way. You should be proud of your MU credentials. Very proud. And proud to give back.
- Understand that, like it or not, WVU is the enemy. If a green and white rock landed on 5th avenue with a note from space that if the state of WV would spend $3 to research it, cancer would be cured, but if it ever left Cabell County, life on earth would end, WVU would dispatch a squad of state troopers to move it to the billion dollar research lab the taxpayers built in the hole for it. Never trust anyone associated with WVU on any subject. Never cooperate, never talk, never shake hands. They are out to f*** you.
- LOVE your conference. I have seen this three times in my life time. I am certain I will see it again. Most recently, somehow, everyone decided that CUSA was somehow beneath us. We were just "supposed" to beat those schools. It was no accomplishment. If you can find no pleasure in beating your conference mates, then this isn't for you. Contrast this to WVU, which, over that same period, have been in rando cast off conference after rando cast off conference. Yet its (I will grant you, mostly not-alumni, of anywhere) fan base thinks beating random schools the Power Three didn't want is an accomplishment, just as in the past it thought the same about Rutgers or Temple, or St. Bonaventure, or Louisville, or so on. When CH is gone, and if CS is competent enough to hire a good coach, and we start to win again, the first time "well, its just South Alabama" or "well, Georgia State sucks" or such like enters your mind, poke yourself in the eye with a sharp object.
- Remember where we came from. No, not the plane crash and all of that. In academics, this was a small, underfunded, and often openly attacked (by WVU and sometimes even WVS "U" ) teacher's college. It has risen to R2 level. Granting serious degrees in serious subjects, and SERVING THE STATE (something WVU does not do). Be proud of that. Very proud. There is no reason MU isn't just like Glenville or Concord, except for people in Huntington and among its alumni DEMANDING BETTER. And, in athletics, we were a laughing stock loser program that played in a rathole stadium. We are in a dying and dysfunctional state. We are NOT THAT BIG (check our enrollment against most I-A public colleges). We are not named for a state or a city. Yet here we are. Why? Because of demanding better.
That is why I am so hard on CS. Texas being Texas is automatic. Penn State being Penn State is automatic. Marshall being what it is, is NOT AUTOMATIC. No reason we aren't Concord, or Morehead State, or Northern Alabama. Except DEMANDING BETTER. And CS is not demanding better.
