(09-21-2015 09:12 PM)DolleyMadison Wrote:  As great as JMU athletics is currently (and for the time being) its a shell of what it actually could be.

And yet it's far better than the shell of a program we'll have a few years from now thanks to this stupid, regressive, non-competitive, destructive decision. 9/21/15 - remember it. The day JMU Athletics died.

(09-21-2015 08:30 PM)Madison 91 Forever Wrote:  Screw it. I have now been a season ticket holder for football for 12 years running. I'm a Duke Club member, a JMU alum and currently have two children at the school. I enjoy our games. But I am not going to continue to support an athletics program which has no interest in competing with its peers, let alone moving up to a higher level.

I am absolutely astonished at this decision. I get the fact that we are FCS. I understand that we are not interested in the Sunbelt, which is geographically distant and not altogether appealing in terms of the other membership. I appreciate the fact that we have not gotten an invitation to the MAC or CUSA. Most of those issues are beyond our control.

What is a bridge too far, and something I will not accept, is that we now are determined to not even keep pace with our own peers in FCS. Evidently things have become so topsy-turvy in the 25 years or so since I graduated that Liberty now has a greater commitment to a top class athletics program than JMU does.

I'm extremely angry about this, and the usual complete lack of any constructive communication from our athletics administration. After this football season, I'm done.

From one 91 grad to another, I agree with everything you just said. I can't support this any longer. Looking at the signature page of that letter, it is abundantly clear who we are aligning with going forward, and I personally have no interest in it at all any more. I'm done.

(09-21-2015 09:51 PM)91Alum Wrote:  

(09-21-2015 08:30 PM)Madison 91 Forever Wrote:  Screw it. I have now been a season ticket holder for football for 12 years running. I'm a Duke Club member, a JMU alum and currently have two children at the school. I enjoy our games. But I am not going to continue to support an athletics program which has no interest in competing with its peers, let alone moving up to a higher level.

I am absolutely astonished at this decision. I get the fact that we are FCS. I understand that we are not interested in the Sunbelt, which is geographically distant and not altogether appealing in terms of the other membership. I appreciate the fact that we have not gotten an invitation to the MAC or CUSA. Most of those issues are beyond our control.

What is a bridge too far, and something I will not accept, is that we now are determined to not even keep pace with our own peers in FCS. Evidently things have become so topsy-turvy in the 25 years or so since I graduated that Liberty now has a greater commitment to a top class athletics program than JMU does.

I'm extremely angry about this, and the usual complete lack of any constructive communication from our athletics administration. After this football season, I'm done.

From one 91 grad to another, I agree with everything you just said. I can't support this any longer. Looking at the signature page of that letter, it is abundantly clear who we are aligning with going forward, and I personally have no interest in it at all any more. I'm done.

I knew this was coming and I don't blame either of you. The camera pans in our pregame and the stadium is empty. It's not lying. It's a shame and I don't think I'll ever understand why our administration was so determined to run our two flagship athletics programs into the ground. I can only hope we replace this incompetence soon and people start coming back. This is stupid.

(09-21-2015 09:02 PM)Hart Foundation Wrote:  I have no problem standing pat on COA while JMU is FCS and the letter states "at this time." If/when JMU goes FBS, they must offer COA to have any chance of competing foe the best student-athletes.

The "peers" on that signature list are discouraging though.
Wofford?
VMI?
Elon?
None of them align with Alger's National university vision. We have confirmed that one of the major roadblocks to JMU moving up is Alger himself. He lacks the savvy we need in a president.

Sorry, JMU should not and cannot be peers with them as a 20,000 student state institution.

Agree with this sentiment.

+1 ^^^

Alger was just a horrible choice. It's that simple. The ball was dropped and kicked out of bounds.

Hey at least Alger is exhibiting leadership as the first signature on the letter :) A few thoughts:

1) A few signatures down concerns me- the Hofstra president- same guy essentially responsible for Hofstra getting rid of a very successful football program in favor of a medical school. Hofstra's loss in terms of football has been Stonybrook's gain.

2) I'm not one to blame Alger for the lack of progress on Athletics- he's balancing other priorities- but clearly he doesn't view big time athletics as a priority. Even his staunch defenders have to wonder if JMU had another President with other beliefs if we would already be to the next level given the opportunity to take the next step that has been out there.

3) I wonder if this environment that the NCAA has created where D1 schools and conferences can opt to commit to COA or not will not only create a further divide from the haves and have nots but also a climate that will encourage more rules infractions. If you are a coach competing for kids without COA is there more of an opening for boosters or outside parties to try to even the playing field?

4) In signing this letter with the other Universities you have to believe that this compromises JMU in discussions with other conferences about moving up- Clearly the CAA is ok with no COA but is the AAC, MAC, or CUSA and if they were considering JMU do they see this letter is a clear indicator that JMU, while a great Institution with a lot going for them and a lot of potential, is not a peer.

(09-21-2015 09:02 PM)Hart Foundation Wrote:  I have no problem standing pat on COA while JMU is FCS and the letter states "at this time." If/when JMU goes FBS, they must offer COA to have any chance of competing foe the best student-athletes.

The "peers" on that signature list are discouraging though.
Wofford?
VMI?
Elon?
None of them align with Alger's National university vision. We have confirmed that one of the major roadblocks to JMU moving up is Alger himself. He lacks the savvy we need in a president.

Sorry, JMU should not and cannot be peers with them as a 20,000 student state institution.

That's what I don't get. If we are okay with waiting and considering this issue later, why put our name on this letter with other institutions that are seen as small time? We've locked ourselves in now. Even if we did reconsider if we moved to FBS, we'd look like hypocrites.

I'm officially done. I am only going to the SMU game this weekend because my brother is an SMU grad and still lives in Dallas. I will no loger support JMU as long as the current administration is there

(09-21-2015 09:12 PM)JMUDuke25 Wrote:  

(09-21-2015 09:06 PM)atljmualum Wrote:  

(09-21-2015 08:30 PM)JMUDuke25 Wrote:  In before atljmu posts +1

You're a total douche. All you do is wait for DoubleD to post so you can talk about how negative he is and now post randomly about me. You clearly have some sort of sick infatuation with some of us, so I will take it as a twisted compliment. Carry on...

You go to almost every thread and +1 negative comment after negative comment about everything JMU does. On a JMU forum. Which means you're either a troll from another school or one miserable ass human to keep coming back to something that causes you so much grief. I'll take douche over being a miserable, whiny anti-JMU troll every day.

25 is worse than a douche, 25 is an admin sycophant. 25 probably works at JMU.

Atl is a proud JMU alum that has leadership expectations from JMU's engaged athletic leadership duo of Jeff Bourne and Jon Alger, so yes, Atl is miserable.

Jeff Bourne can't win here...he can't comment on Alger choosing to reduce JMU athletic competitiveness and he can't say, "doesn't matter, JMU is leaving the CAA" because of 1) it's not true and 2) JMU athletics do not communicate with alum and fans.

Jeff Bourne having no balls and having a "yes man" clause in his job description is serving Jeff Bourne well in 2015.

Look closely at the 8 schools that signed this letter; we can surmise that 40+ schools likely refused to sign given FCS conferences represented. Clearly there is not an FBS school on the list.

More can be learned from the majority of schools did not sign this letter, than the small number that did.

Why would JMU ever take a stand on this issue?

(09-22-2015 03:58 AM)NJDuke97 Wrote:  Hey at least Alger is exhibiting leadership as the first signature on the letter :) A few thoughts:

1) A few signatures down concerns me- the Hofstra president- same guy essentially responsible for Hofstra getting rid of a very successful football program in favor of a medical school. Hofstra's loss in terms of football has been Stonybrook's gain.

2) I'm not one to blame Alger for the lack of progress on Athletics- he's balancing other priorities- but clearly he doesn't view big time athletics as a priority. Even his staunch defenders have to wonder if JMU had another President with other beliefs if we would already be to the next level given the opportunity to take the next step that has been out there.

3) I wonder if this environment that the NCAA has created where D1 schools and conferences can opt to commit to COA or not will not only create a further divide from the haves and have nots but also a climate that will encourage more rules infractions. If you are a coach competing for kids without COA is there more of an opening for boosters or outside parties to try to even the playing field?

4) In signing this letter with the other Universities you have to believe that this compromises JMU in discussions with other conferences about moving up- Clearly the CAA is ok with no COA but is the AAC, MAC, or CUSA and if they were considering JMU do they see this letter is a clear indicator that JMU, while a great Institution with a lot going for them and a lot of potential, is not a peer.

Yes, and not a fit.

I am curiously surprised that there are not more colleges and universities signed on the document. While it says we don't offer COA right now, it accurately explains why COA is unfair while properly emphasizing why it's an awful rabbit hole to go down given the mission of the NCAA.

The COA battle is far from over.

(09-22-2015 07:17 AM)Dukeman Wrote:  Look closely at the 8 schools that signed this letter; we can surmise that 40+ schools likely refused to sign given FCS conferences represented. Clearly there is not an FBS school on the list.

More can be learned from the majority of schools did not sign this letter, than the small number that did.

Why would JMU ever take a stand on this issue?

Especially b/c it is a stand you will be on the losing side of. I dislike the COA and what it stands for but it is the way things are going forward. It is like JMU/Alger refusing to accept the future.

And that is why 50+ schools would never sign a letter like this.

Just awful decision making, i thought attorneys were more prudent than this - maybe there is a different agenda at play - at the expense of JMU?

(09-22-2015 08:01 AM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  I am curiously surprised that there are not more colleges and universities signed on the document. While it says we don't offer COA right now, it accurately explains why COA is unfair while properly emphasizing why it's an awful rabbit hole to go down given the mission of the NCAA.

The COA battle is far from over.

Good luck to Jon Alger and the Incredible Eight! Give 'em heck!

(09-22-2015 08:01 AM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  I am curiously surprised that there are not more colleges and universities signed on the document. While it says we don't offer COA right now, it accurately explains why COA is unfair while properly emphasizing why it's an awful rabbit hole to go down given the mission of the NCAA.

The COA battle is far from over.

That's all well and good, but why would Alger make us the flagship signatory on a document taking this stand at this time? Why now? Was this a fight we really needed to take on in such a visible and self-destructive way?

This is really the final point of evidence anyone ought to need to come to the conclusion that JMU has no intention (and probably never did) of moving to FBS.

(09-22-2015 08:19 AM)91Alum Wrote:  

(09-22-2015 08:01 AM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  I am curiously surprised that there are not more colleges and universities signed on the document. While it says we don't offer COA right now, it accurately explains why COA is unfair while properly emphasizing why it's an awful rabbit hole to go down given the mission of the NCAA.

The COA battle is far from over.

That's all well and good, but why would Alger make us the flagship signatory on a document taking this stand at this time? Why now? Was this a fight we really needed to take on in such a visible and self-destructive way?

This is really the final point of evidence anyone ought to need to come to the conclusion that JMU has no intention (and probably never did) of moving to FBS.

Or maybe being a civil rights attorney this is all about Alger and his ego (wanting to take a stand) than it is about what is good for JMU.

(09-22-2015 08:19 AM)91Alum Wrote:  

(09-22-2015 08:01 AM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  I am curiously surprised that there are not more colleges and universities signed on the document. While it says we don't offer COA right now, it accurately explains why COA is unfair while properly emphasizing why it's an awful rabbit hole to go down given the mission of the NCAA.

The COA battle is far from over.

That's all well and good, but why would Alger make us the flagship signatory on a document taking this stand at this time? Why now? Was this a fight we really needed to take on in such a visible and self-destructive way?

This is really the final point of evidence anyone ought to need to come to the conclusion that JMU has no intention (and probably never did) of moving to FBS.

Yep. At least break ground on the New Convo (NON-COA Dome!) before publishing this.