I don't see how much it would cost to keep cheerleaders around for home games and just have no scholarships for a year.

It shouldn't be that hard to find 10 volunteers at a good sized school.

Same for the band. Probably not something the size of a marching band, but at least a pep band. Is your basketball pep band paid or on scholarship? I know many aren't, including UCFs. You just get 50 football fans together - throw some pizza or something at them (corporate sponsor) and you've got a pep band.

You guys already bought the uniforms, pom poms, megaphones, band equipment etc etc etc. Just don't pay the students for something they enjoy doing for 1 year.

(06-24-2009 04:45 PM)OwlFamily Wrote:  [quote='FIUFanatic' pid='4443269' dateline='1245877943']

FAU caught a LOT of flak for not bringing the band up to the bowl game in Detroit. They kept saying how a school that cant afford to fly the band/dance team up shouldnt be playing FBS football or deservere a bowl spot on several boards.

Trust me, they will start to mock FIU for this. And lets say that FIU does well and gets to a bowl, they WILL bring this up.

Course the other thing is, do we really give a rats dairy aire what other fans think. Its the media you have to win over.

Agreed ....I don't think that flak over the bowl didn't affect you...or FAU much...or did it?....after all, you won the darn bowl game!!!...and that issue has barely (if at all) been discussed here....so...I think you are fine

Seems like it wouldn't take much money at all to get a small pep band together for home games.

Maybe FIU can get a local high school to volunteer their band for a few Saturdays.

I hope you guys find the money to get them back on board. The nband and cheerleaders are a BIG part of what makes college football so much more fun than the NFL. I know that USF's first year of football without a band was one where you kind of sat at the game and thought something is missing here. Also as the FAU fan stated bowl games want schools to bring bands to their games.
I think the 25k for cheerleaders was probably done with the idea, theyll fundraise and get that money back. The band as the UCF fan I hope they consider at least a pep band that while not marching at half time can play thru out the game.

I don't really understand why they would have to not have at least a pep band. Like it was mentioned above, they already have the uniforms and instruments, and I'm sure a few students wouldn't mind forming their own group.

Not sure how it is at FIU, or even how it is at Troy these days. But my freshman year, my roommate was a cheerleader. And his good friend that lived a floor beneath us at Alumni was one of the guys that was T-Roy. I think they each got a $500 scholarship each semester. I know that at the time, they were really wanting more male cheerleaders to get it even so each girl would have a partner for lifts. So it may not be like that anymore. But a quick glance at the roster for FIU from last year, and there are 20 total cheerleaders. That's $20k right there in scholarships if they do something simlar to what Troy was doing 10 years ago. Uniforms can't be that much, and can be used for several years. It is probably the travel costs and paying an instructor/coach that adds up. I'm sure the students would do it without any financial aid, if they don't already.

(06-25-2009 02:46 PM)RDA Trojan Wrote:  But a quick glance at the roster for FIU from last year, and there are 20 total cheerleaders. That's $20k right there in scholarships if they do something simlar to what Troy was doing 10 years ago. Uniforms can't be that much, and can be used for several years. It is probably the travel costs and paying an instructor/coach that adds up. I'm sure the students would do it without any financial aid, if they don't already.

I don't know the specifics either, but why not field a squad for home games only. I'm sure they'd still do that without the financial aid or coach.

MAC thread on FIU's cutting the band and cheerleaders:

Quote:...The question is will things get bad enough that schools will consider the move from FBS back down to FCS.

Most at risk are some of the MAC schools if the auto industry collapses. BG is already running a bare bones academic institution as it is with most of their classes taught by Teaching Assistants. Those cuts in quality came in the early 90's.

Ohio and Miami lead the state in percentage of faculty with PhD's and have no trouble getting students through the doors. They will be more immune to the economy and will likely at all costs stay FBS because they know if push came to shove they could go the independent route and play an Army/Navy type schedule for a while before a conference opens up.

The MAC has got a cushion of 4-5 schools and if they did lose anyone it would make things more attractive to picking up a school like Army as a 9th or 10th.

SBC however is hanging on like a thread at 9 football schools and is unattractive to any school except a potential FCS migrant upwards...

There was a short story on the local news in Dallas about the FIU cheerleaders holding a car wash and bake sale to raise money for this season.

(06-24-2009 06:42 PM)MeanGreenEagle Wrote:  Seems like it wouldn't take much money at all to get a small pep band together for home games.

Maybe FIU can get a local high school to volunteer their band for a few Saturdays.

MeanGreenEagle...by what I've heard through the waters is that the plan right now is to have a rotating set of local high school bands playing at the FIU games...that is what was originally discussed when they were thinking about making this move.

I guess we shall wait and see.

Can we take up a collection to, at least, get the cheerleaders back? Nothing is worse than hot Florida girls NOT in skimpy, sexy outfits.

(07-02-2009 08:27 AM)WKULooseCannon90 Wrote:  Can we take up a collection to, at least, get the cheerleaders back? Nothing is worse than hot Florida girls NOT in skimpy, sexy outfits.

Dazzlers will still be there, I think they will fullfill your needs in that area.

I am a "The More, The Merrier" kind of guy with the ladies on the field.

If you are genuinely interested, that would be great!

I received the following information from the FIU Cheer Coach. Please help out. I have sent my donation and I hope you will join me in this cause.

Petition Information:
Please sign our online Petition using the link below:

Here is a petition created online to help show the support we have behind us. Please sign and pass it on!!

http://www.petitiononline.com/fiucheer/petition.html

Donation Information:

Please make all donations payable to the "Panther Cheer Club"

Mail the donations to the following address:
ATTN: Panther Cheer Club
c/o Coach Racquel
P.O. Box 655052, Miami, FL 33265