West Gym will be renovated to become a basketball practice facility

[Taylor Swift]

Honestly I have zero problem with the recent donations going to academic areas first over a basketball practice facility. Probably not a popular opinion here tho

I think thats a perfectly reasonable opinion to have, academics are obviously very important. The only thing I would add though is that it means you have to also be ok with our basketball program not being a top tier A10 program because we don't have one of the main recruiting tools that the other top tier programs have.

Completely agree, Adam.

This practice facility has been a conversation point for years. I would love to be able to contribute a huge donation to get this done, but would need some huge luck for that.

FWIW, at least the players aren’t watching video of the game on VHS and a CRT TV.

[rhodysurf]

Honestly I have zero problem with the recent donations going to academic areas first over a basketball practice facility. Probably not a popular opinion here tho

I think thats a perfectly reasonable opinion to have, academics are obviously very important. The only thing I would add though is that it means you have to also be ok with our basketball program not being a top tier A10 program because we don't have one of the main recruiting tools that the other top tier programs have.

That’s fair I guess. But I mean look at UMass. They have a gorgeous practice facility and still had to hire a high school basketball coach to get high rated guys to come.

[phipsiGD'11]

While I will never argue with the idea of improving academics, with the way college enrollment is trending I feel that we need some area of attraction for students.
URI has decided it is no longer a party school; Narragansett has decided it no longer wants students to bouy it's off peak economy; what is left to draw students to the school?
I thought Thorr and Dooley realized that if you invest in the basketball program it will pay dividends in student enrollment and student involvement, but I guess I was wrong?
The first month of Fall is exciting, the last month of Spring is exciting. The only thing exciting in between is basketball. Build around them and it will pay for itself.

[section(105)]

........yes, the practice facility should be part the Think Big We Do game plan....

[Rhody83]

For major donors they are typically encouraged by Dooley & Foundation Pres to split their donation. To have less than 2% earmarked for Athletics of $60+ million is very unusual. I more reasonable expectation would be 10%. These are the three largest donations in URI’s history I believe. If the three largest donations don’t move the needle for the practice facility where will they get the $4 million? Tom Ryan committed to $35 million with only $1 million in a matching grant for the practice facility. That tells you how Tom Ryan feels about URI Athletics.

[CHICO 78]

It seems all the NCAA tournament money went into the general athletics
budget. Because it doesn't seem like much got invested in the Basketball
program. It wouldn't surprise me if most went to Meade. Really kind of
bullshit.
As far as the large donors, i think they must feel that the investment
in academics will have a larger effect on URI's future and the RI Economy
than a good basketball program. Although a few extra million to the
Athletics department from the 60 million doesn't seem like it would
compromise whatever their vision is.

[Rhody83]

It seems all the NCAA tournament money went into the general athletics
budget. Because it doesn't seem like much got invested in the Basketball
program. It wouldn't surprise me if most went to Meade. Really kind of
bullshit.
As far as the large donors, i think they must feel that the investment
in academics will have a larger effect on URI's future and the RI Economy
than a good basketball program. Although a few extra million to the
Athletics department from the 60 million doesn't seem like it would
compromise whatever their vision is.

My understanding is the NCAA money does go to Athletics overall and in general is allocated as a percentage of each sports’ budget. So mens basketball does get a good percentage. Cox and Thorr prioritize where to spending those funds. They have increased charter flights. I believe Daniel Marshall was a shared S&C resource and Chase is dedicated to MBB. There are other things that Cox wanted for the current players that were added. An example would be overnight hotel for all away games (even Brown).

[BlackDogRants]

Any updates on this? Wondering where the practice facility left off.

Still out there. Given it is URI, the realistic opening should be expected sometime near 2030.

Expect a similar process to that of the SADC. Once first proposed as its own stand alone building back around 2003. Much scaled back project using a portion of existing space in Tootell didn't open until 2014. Par for the course at URI where the next dorm to open after Heathman in 1971 took 36 years. This despite enrollment increasing by many thousands during that span.

Thanks... Heathman - brought a smile to my face... if those walls could talk freshman year!

[BlackDogRants]

It seems all the NCAA tournament money went into the general athletics
budget. Because it doesn't seem like much got invested in the Basketball
program. It wouldn't surprise me if most went to Meade. Really kind of
bullshit.
As far as the large donors, i think they must feel that the investment
in academics will have a larger effect on URI's future and the RI Economy
than a good basketball program. Although a few extra million to the
Athletics department from the 60 million doesn't seem like it would
compromise whatever their vision is.

I drives me insane that we even have a football program... I would pour that money into basketball. Basketball is going to draw a hell of a lot more eyes than our football program ever will/would

[Taylor Swift]

While I will never argue with the idea of improving academics, with the way college enrollment is trending I feel that we need some area of attraction for students.
URI has decided it is no longer a party school; Narragansett has decided it no longer wants students to bouy it's off peak economy; what is left to draw students to the school?
I thought Thorr and Dooley realized that if you invest in the basketball program it will pay dividends in student enrollment and student involvement, but I guess I was wrong?
The first month of Fall is exciting, the last month of Spring is exciting. The only thing exciting in between is basketball. Build around them and it will pay for itself.

I am a little confused on why you’re stating Narragansett no longer wants students? There are more rental properties available than ever. Someone is actually trying to build an 8 bedroom glorified dorm room near Scarborough. The only thing the town has tried to do is a three unrelated rule, which was struck down as unconstitutional.

[rhodylaw]

Honestly I have zero problem with the recent donations going to academic areas first over a basketball practice facility. Probably not a popular opinion here tho

I think thats a perfectly reasonable opinion to have, academics are obviously very important. The only thing I would add though is that it means you have to also be ok with our basketball program not being a top tier A10 program because we don't have one of the main recruiting tools that the other top tier programs have.

That’s fair I guess. But I mean look at UMass. They have a gorgeous practice facility and still had to hire a high school basketball coach to get high rated guys to come.

I think I am over the need for a massive practice facility - I don’t think we are losing recruits because of it. Invest the money in filling the stands and creating an awesome game atmosphere. Kids will come for that.

[Brian Forster]

Dropping football would hurt donations,note help it.
Its a lot of the same people for FB and hoops ( i am one of them).
That's at any school.
Pipe dream that private $$ (which is what pays for these) to hoops would increase substantially from cutting off football donors is ludicrous.
Any program that wants more money=win. Or Black Dog and Chico go to your (or RI ) legislators and ask them for more $$. It's their school. I will bet you haven't even brought it up.

[FDshoes]

While I will never argue with the idea of improving academics, with the way college enrollment is trending I feel that we need some area of attraction for students.
URI has decided it is no longer a party school; Narragansett has decided it no longer wants students to bouy it's off peak economy; what is left to draw students to the school?
I thought Thorr and Dooley realized that if you invest in the basketball program it will pay dividends in student enrollment and student involvement, but I guess I was wrong?
The first month of Fall is exciting, the last month of Spring is exciting. The only thing exciting in between is basketball. Build around them and it will pay for itself.

I am a little confused on why you’re stating Narragansett no longer wants students? There are more rental properties available than ever. Someone is actually trying to build an 8 bedroom glorified dorm room near Scarborough. The only thing the town has tried to do is a three unrelated rule, which was struck down as unconstitutional.

The town and owners of the rental property's want them. The residents fight the kids every step of the way. I remember when they started the orange sticker policy for "troubled houses." I want to say that was in 2002 or 03, could be wrong on exact year but it was during my tenure there. I remember cops showing up when we had literally a dozen kids in the basement playing to beer pong for "noise." Yet when you go outside you could barely hear a thing.

[Taylor Swift]

While I will never argue with the idea of improving academics, with the way college enrollment is trending I feel that we need some area of attraction for students.
URI has decided it is no longer a party school; Narragansett has decided it no longer wants students to bouy it's off peak economy; what is left to draw students to the school?
I thought Thorr and Dooley realized that if you invest in the basketball program it will pay dividends in student enrollment and student involvement, but I guess I was wrong?
The first month of Fall is exciting, the last month of Spring is exciting. The only thing exciting in between is basketball. Build around them and it will pay for itself.

I am a little confused on why you’re stating Narragansett no longer wants students? There are more rental properties available than ever. Someone is actually trying to build an 8 bedroom glorified dorm room near Scarborough. The only thing the town has tried to do is a three unrelated rule, which was struck down as unconstitutional.

The town and owners of the rental property's want them. The residents fight the kids every step of the way. I remember when they started the orange sticker policy for "troubled houses." I want to say that was in 2002 or 03, could be wrong on exact year but it was during my tenure there. I remember cops showing up when we had literally a dozen kids in the basement playing to beer pong for "noise." Yet when you go outside you could barely hear a thing.

There are a lot of Narragansett residents reaping the benefits off of student/tourist rentals. It's never going away. I live in an extremely quiet residential neighborhood with one student rental a street over from me. Two years ago it had a party sticker. These kids were loud AF at about 2am the second weekend in September. I did not call the police, but someone else certainly did. Student rentals are all over town, but most students are concentrated in the Eastward Look/Scarborough Hills area with quite a few in the Sand Hill Cove area. Driving through Eastward Look is actually depressing now since I pretty much feel like I grew up in that neighborhood, but it all started to change in the mid to late 90's when all the local families moved out with all of the tourists starting to cash in on wanting to rent to students. Bonnet used to be more popular for students than it is now. There are a few neighborhoods in Narragansett that have associations saying "you can't rent to students, but you can do a winter rental".

[Taylor Swift]

Dropping football would hurt donations,note help it.
Its a lot of the same people for FB and hoops ( i am one of them).
That's at any school.
Pipe dream that private $$ (which is what pays for these) to hoops would increase substantially from cutting off football donors is ludicrous.
Any program that wants more money=win. Or Black Dog and Chico go to your (or RI ) legislators and ask them for more $$. It's their school. I will bet you haven't even brought it up.

I am so tired of the drop football conversation. You are certainly correct. There are a lot of football boosters I see sitting front and center at the Ryan Center.

[section(105)]

Dropping football would hurt donations,note help it.
Its a lot of the same people for FB and hoops ( i am one of them).
That's at any school.
Pipe dream that private $$ (which is what pays for these) to hoops would increase substantially from cutting off football donors is ludicrous.
Any program that wants more money=win. Or Black Dog and Chico go to your (or RI ) legislators and ask them for more $$. It's their school. I will bet you haven't even brought it up.

I am so tired of the drop football conversation. You are certainly correct. There are a lot of football boosters I see sitting front and center at the Ryan Center.

........so agreed, football is not going anywhere, it is here to stay, and no, hockey in an upgraded form is also not happening.....out.

[Taylor Swift]

Dropping football would hurt donations,note help it.
Its a lot of the same people for FB and hoops ( i am one of them).
That's at any school.
Pipe dream that private $$ (which is what pays for these) to hoops would increase substantially from cutting off football donors is ludicrous.
Any program that wants more money=win. Or Black Dog and Chico go to your (or RI ) legislators and ask them for more $$. It's their school. I will bet you haven't even brought it up.

I am so tired of the drop football conversation. You are certainly correct. There are a lot of football boosters I see sitting front and center at the Ryan Center.

........so agreed, football is not going anywhere, it is here to stay, and no, hockey in an upgraded form is also not happening.....out.

Dropping football is out of the question. People also don't realize the Title IX implications, insurance costs, etc. etc. that would go into this. I am GLAD we have football. It's one of my favorite things to do around here in the fall (waiting for basketball season to arrive).

[FDshoes]

I am a little confused on why you’re stating Narragansett no longer wants students? There are more rental properties available than ever. Someone is actually trying to build an 8 bedroom glorified dorm room near Scarborough. The only thing the town has tried to do is a three unrelated rule, which was struck down as unconstitutional.

The town and owners of the rental property's want them. The residents fight the kids every step of the way. I remember when they started the orange sticker policy for "troubled houses." I want to say that was in 2002 or 03, could be wrong on exact year but it was during my tenure there. I remember cops showing up when we had literally a dozen kids in the basement playing to beer pong for "noise." Yet when you go outside you could barely hear a thing.

There are a lot of Narragansett residents reaping the benefits off of student/tourist rentals. It's never going away. I live in an extremely quiet residential neighborhood with one student rental a street over from me. Two years ago it had a party sticker. These kids were loud AF at about 2am the second weekend in September. I did not call the police, but someone else certainly did. Student rentals are all over town, but most students are concentrated in the Eastward Look/Scarborough Hills area with quite a few in the Sand Hill Cove area. Driving through Eastward Look is actually depressing now since I pretty much feel like I grew up in that neighborhood, but it all started to change in the mid to late 90's when all the local families moved out with all of the tourists starting to cash in on wanting to rent to students. Bonnet used to be more popular for students than it is now. There are a few neighborhoods in Narragansett that have associations saying "you can't rent to students, but you can do a winter rental".

None of this addresses the attack on students living off campus. Whether residents benefit or not from students doesnt change the fact that the residents continually call the police on the student rentals.

I know for me personally the attack on students from narragansett residents was over the top. I started my college career at university of new Hampshire and granted it was 20 years ago but they tolerated and embraced the students. I then came back home to URI and felt like we were walking on eggshells around the local residents. Not to mention the influence the locals had on the police department's. One phone call and no matter the size of the gathering everyone must go.

[FDshoes]

The town and owners of the rental property's want them. The residents fight the kids every step of the way. I remember when they started the orange sticker policy for "troubled houses." I want to say that was in 2002 or 03, could be wrong on exact year but it was during my tenure there. I remember cops showing up when we had literally a dozen kids in the basement playing to beer pong for "noise." Yet when you go outside you could barely hear a thing.

There are a lot of Narragansett residents reaping the benefits off of student/tourist rentals. It's never going away. I live in an extremely quiet residential neighborhood with one student rental a street over from me. Two years ago it had a party sticker. These kids were loud AF at about 2am the second weekend in September. I did not call the police, but someone else certainly did. Student rentals are all over town, but most students are concentrated in the Eastward Look/Scarborough Hills area with quite a few in the Sand Hill Cove area. Driving through Eastward Look is actually depressing now since I pretty much feel like I grew up in that neighborhood, but it all started to change in the mid to late 90's when all the local families moved out with all of the tourists starting to cash in on wanting to rent to students. Bonnet used to be more popular for students than it is now. There are a few neighborhoods in Narragansett that have associations saying "you can't rent to students, but you can do a winter rental".

None of this addresses the attack on students living off campus. Whether residents benefit or not from students doesnt change the fact that the residents continually call the police on the student rentals.

I know for me personally the attack on students from narragansett residents was over the top. I started my college career at university of new Hampshire and granted it was 20 years ago but they tolerated and embraced the students. I then came back home to URI and felt like we were walking on eggshells around the local residents. Not to mention the influence the locals had on the police department's. One phone call and no matter the size of the gathering everyone must go. And i lived in Bonnett for one of my years and actually got our balls busted the least there.

[Taylor Swift]

There are a lot of Narragansett residents reaping the benefits off of student/tourist rentals. It's never going away. I live in an extremely quiet residential neighborhood with one student rental a street over from me. Two years ago it had a party sticker. These kids were loud AF at about 2am the second weekend in September. I did not call the police, but someone else certainly did. Student rentals are all over town, but most students are concentrated in the Eastward Look/Scarborough Hills area with quite a few in the Sand Hill Cove area. Driving through Eastward Look is actually depressing now since I pretty much feel like I grew up in that neighborhood, but it all started to change in the mid to late 90's when all the local families moved out with all of the tourists starting to cash in on wanting to rent to students. Bonnet used to be more popular for students than it is now. There are a few neighborhoods in Narragansett that have associations saying "you can't rent to students, but you can do a winter rental".

None of this addresses the attack on students living off campus. Whether residents benefit or not from students doesnt change the fact that the residents continually call the police on the student rentals.

I know for me personally the attack on students from narragansett residents was over the top. I started my college career at university of new Hampshire and granted it was 20 years ago but they tolerated and embraced the students. I then came back home to URI and felt like we were walking on eggshells around the local residents. Not to mention the influence the locals had on the police department's. One phone call and no matter the size of the gathering everyone must go. And i lived in Bonnett for one of my years and actually got our balls busted the least there.

Residents continually call the police on student rentals? When you own property, you are entitled to quiet peace and enjoyment. If you had someone in your front yard yelling and pissing on your lawn at 3am you might want to call the police. That is not over the top. 300 people at a darty in Eastward Look and police being called is also not over the top. 6 people playing kings in their basement at 10pm on a Tuesday and someone calling the cops IS over the top. My grandparents were one of the first homeowners in Eastward Look back in the late 1970s, by the time the late 1990's rolled around, the neighborhood was maybe heading towards 80% rentals. Now, I think there are only a small handful of year round residents there. It's a glorified extension of campus at this rate, and I do not see it reverting back to a year round community.

I've lived in Narragansett for 27 years, attended middle school here, am a proud URI alum, and also a taxpaying Narragansett resident. I lived down the line in Scarborough for both my junior and senior years. I lived on Greenbrier and had year round residents on both sides of our house. We were polite and respectful to our neighbors, never once did we feel like we were "walking on eggshells" since our neighbors were chill and we weren't acting like a bunch of asshats every weekend. I remember being at parties and the police showing up, they'd say "everyone out", okay everyone leaves. Why is that so hard to follow? Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. I probably partied every weekend and don't recall having to "walk on eggshells" or "feel attacked", 90% of Narragansett Police seemed to have graduated from URI anyway.

[FDshoes]

None of this addresses the attack on students living off campus. Whether residents benefit or not from students doesnt change the fact that the residents continually call the police on the student rentals.

I know for me personally the attack on students from narragansett residents was over the top. I started my college career at university of new Hampshire and granted it was 20 years ago but they tolerated and embraced the students. I then came back home to URI and felt like we were walking on eggshells around the local residents. Not to mention the influence the locals had on the police department's. One phone call and no matter the size of the gathering everyone must go. And i lived in Bonnett for one of my years and actually got our balls busted the least there.

Residents continually call the police on student rentals? When you own property, you are entitled to quiet peace and enjoyment. If you had someone in your front yard yelling and pissing on your lawn at 3am you might want to call the police. That is not over the top. 300 people at a darty in Eastward Look and police being called is also not over the top. 6 people playing kings in their basement at 10pm on a Tuesday and someone calling the cops IS over the top. My grandparents were one of the first homeowners in Eastward Look back in the late 1970s, by the time the late 1990's rolled around, the neighborhood was maybe heading towards 80% rentals. Now, I think there are only a small handful of year round residents there. It's a glorified extension of campus at this rate, and I do not see it reverting back to a year round community.

I've lived in Narragansett for 27 years, attended middle school here, am a proud URI alum, and also a taxpaying Narragansett resident. I lived down the line in Scarborough for both my junior and senior years. I lived on Greenbrier and had year round residents on both sides of our house. We were polite and respectful to our neighbors, never once did we feel like we were "walking on eggshells" since our neighbors were chill and we weren't acting like a bunch of asshats every weekend. I remember being at parties and the police showing up, they'd say "everyone out", okay everyone leaves. Why is that so hard to follow? Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. I probably partied every weekend and don't recall having to "walk on eggshells" or "feel attacked", 90% of Narragansett Police seemed to have graduated from URI anyway.

And yes i am talking about the small gatherings that the police got called on. I understand the 50+person party raging in a residential neighborhood at 2AM but the police being routinely called on small getherings before midnight had gotten ridiculous when i was there. Neighbors called the cops hecause there was literally a half dozen "strange" cars parked on the street. The Police seldom gave the benefit of the doubt to the students.

IMO opinion the university has to expand uperclass housing and make drinking ok or the residents need to realize they live in a college community. It was a broken system when i was there.

Not to mention i have been to absolute rippers during the summer time when air BNBs are rampant whats the difference between college rentals or air BNBs?

[Rhody83]

FD, you have an uncanny ability to take a thread completely off track.

[FDshoes]

While I will never argue with the idea of improving academics, with the way college enrollment is trending I feel that we need some area of attraction for students.
URI has decided it is no longer a party school; Narragansett has decided it no longer wants students to bouy it's off peak economy; what is left to draw students to the school?
I thought Thorr and Dooley realized that if you invest in the basketball program it will pay dividends in student enrollment and student involvement, but I guess I was wrong?
The first month of Fall is exciting, the last month of Spring is exciting. The only thing exciting in between is basketball. Build around them and it will pay for itself.

I am a little confused on why you’re stating Narragansett no longer wants students? There are more rental properties available than ever. Someone is actually trying to build an 8 bedroom glorified dorm room near Scarborough. The only thing the town has tried to do is a three unrelated rule, which was struck down as unconstitutional.

This is what i was initally replying too and the conversation continued

[Taylor Swift]

Residents continually call the police on student rentals? When you own property, you are entitled to quiet peace and enjoyment. If you had someone in your front yard yelling and pissing on your lawn at 3am you might want to call the police. That is not over the top. 300 people at a darty in Eastward Look and police being called is also not over the top. 6 people playing kings in their basement at 10pm on a Tuesday and someone calling the cops IS over the top. My grandparents were one of the first homeowners in Eastward Look back in the late 1970s, by the time the late 1990's rolled around, the neighborhood was maybe heading towards 80% rentals. Now, I think there are only a small handful of year round residents there. It's a glorified extension of campus at this rate, and I do not see it reverting back to a year round community.

I've lived in Narragansett for 27 years, attended middle school here, am a proud URI alum, and also a taxpaying Narragansett resident. I lived down the line in Scarborough for both my junior and senior years. I lived on Greenbrier and had year round residents on both sides of our house. We were polite and respectful to our neighbors, never once did we feel like we were "walking on eggshells" since our neighbors were chill and we weren't acting like a bunch of asshats every weekend. I remember being at parties and the police showing up, they'd say "everyone out", okay everyone leaves. Why is that so hard to follow? Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. I probably partied every weekend and don't recall having to "walk on eggshells" or "feel attacked", 90% of Narragansett Police seemed to have graduated from URI anyway.

And yes i am talking about the small gatherings that the police got called on. I understand the 50+person party raging in a residential neighborhood at 2AM but the police being routinely called on small getherings before midnight had gotten ridiculous when i was there. Neighbors called the cops hecause there was literally a half dozen "strange" cars parked on the street. The Police seldom gave the benefit of the doubt to the students.

IMO opinion the university has to expand uperclass housing and make drinking ok or the residents need to realize they live in a college community. It was a broken system when i was there.

Not to mention i have been to absolute rippers during the summer time when air BNBs are rampant whats the difference between college rentals or air BNBs?

I’d call the police for tourists acting like fools over students any day. Narragansett is currently trying to address the Air BnB/VRBO situation.

There’s a new upperclassmen dorm set to open this month. 21 year olds on campus can have booze in their dorms, legally. I think we all had booze in our dorms regardless.

I am so sorry Narragansett has disappointed you. I hope you find somewhere visit and vacation that suits you better.

[FDshoes]

Residents continually call the police on student rentals? When you own property, you are entitled to quiet peace and enjoyment. If you had someone in your front yard yelling and pissing on your lawn at 3am you might want to call the police. That is not over the top. 300 people at a darty in Eastward Look and police being called is also not over the top. 6 people playing kings in their basement at 10pm on a Tuesday and someone calling the cops IS over the top. My grandparents were one of the first homeowners in Eastward Look back in the late 1970s, by the time the late 1990's rolled around, the neighborhood was maybe heading towards 80% rentals. Now, I think there are only a small handful of year round residents there. It's a glorified extension of campus at this rate, and I do not see it reverting back to a year round community.

I've lived in Narragansett for 27 years, attended middle school here, am a proud URI alum, and also a taxpaying Narragansett resident. I lived down the line in Scarborough for both my junior and senior years. I lived on Greenbrier and had year round residents on both sides of our house. We were polite and respectful to our neighbors, never once did we feel like we were "walking on eggshells" since our neighbors were chill and we weren't acting like a bunch of asshats every weekend. I remember being at parties and the police showing up, they'd say "everyone out", okay everyone leaves. Why is that so hard to follow? Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. I probably partied every weekend and don't recall having to "walk on eggshells" or "feel attacked", 90% of Narragansett Police seemed to have graduated from URI anyway.

And yes i am talking about the small gatherings that the police got called on. I understand the 50+person party raging in a residential neighborhood at 2AM but the police being routinely called on small getherings before midnight had gotten ridiculous when i was there. Neighbors called the cops hecause there was literally a half dozen "strange" cars parked on the street. The Police seldom gave the benefit of the doubt to the students.

IMO opinion the university has to expand uperclass housing and make drinking ok or the residents need to realize they live in a college community. It was a broken system when i was there.

Not to mention i have been to absolute rippers during the summer time when air BNBs are rampant whats the difference between college rentals or air BNBs?

I’d call the police for tourists acting like fools over students any day. Narragansett is currently trying to address the Air BnB/VRBO situation.

There’s a new upperclassmen dorm set to open this month. 21 year olds on campus can have booze in their dorms, legally. I think we all had booze in our dorms regardless.

I am so sorry Narragansett has disappointed you. I hope you find somewhere visit and vacation that suits you better.

Got love for Rhody B-ball that was instilled in me at birth and grateful for that. Just giving my perspective from 2 different state universities in new england. This is completely off topic like 83 said but it is something i have talked about and debated frequently. URI does and has had issues dealing with "locals" and the university. Gotta find a balance.

Build a practice facility get charter flights state needs to step up contributions to be at a competitive level nation wide percentage wise. The football program drains money and we dont take advantage of being in a hockey area of the country. Even tho i dont follow hockey.

Also most upperclassmen dont want to live in a dorm would rather have condo or apartment style housing. Can only live on dining hall food for so long and at 21 22 years old dont need RAs breathing down your neck with dorm living rules. Plus one dorm for how many upper classmen?

[Taylor Swift]

And yes i am talking about the small gatherings that the police got called on. I understand the 50+person party raging in a residential neighborhood at 2AM but the police being routinely called on small getherings before midnight had gotten ridiculous when i was there. Neighbors called the cops hecause there was literally a half dozen "strange" cars parked on the street. The Police seldom gave the benefit of the doubt to the students.

IMO opinion the university has to expand uperclass housing and make drinking ok or the residents need to realize they live in a college community. It was a broken system when i was there.

Not to mention i have been to absolute rippers during the summer time when air BNBs are rampant whats the difference between college rentals or air BNBs?

I’d call the police for tourists acting like fools over students any day. Narragansett is currently trying to address the Air BnB/VRBO situation.

There’s a new upperclassmen dorm set to open this month. 21 year olds on campus can have booze in their dorms, legally. I think we all had booze in our dorms regardless.

I am so sorry Narragansett has disappointed you. I hope you find somewhere visit and vacation that suits you better.

Got love for Rhody B-ball that was instilled in me at birth and grateful for that. Just giving my perspective from 2 different state universities in new england. This is completely off topic like 83 said but it is something i have talked about and debated frequently. URI does and has had issues dealing with "locals" and the university. Gotta find a balance.

Build a practice facility get charter flights state needs to step up contributions to be at a competitive level nation wide percentage wise. The football program drains money and we dont take advantage of being in a hockey area of the country. Even tho i dont follow hockey.

Also most upperclassmen dont want to live in a dorm would rather have condo or apartment style housing. Can only live on dining hall food for so long and at 21 22 years old dont need RAs breathing down your neck with dorm living rules. Plus one dorm for how many upper classmen?

Jeez you sound like you still live on campus. The one new dorm isn’t the only dorm for upperclassmen dorm? Smh. There’s at least 5-6 new upperclassmen dorms built since after I graduated in 06. The suite style upperclassmen dorms have their own kitchens so gives students the option of making their own food.

The locals/student debate has been going on since well before I was born.

The clowns in the GA won’t provide more funding to the university, the overall operating budget for URI that comes from state funds doesn’t even really exceed 6%. Also. State funds would never EVER be able to be used for a charter flight.

You can say we are a “hockey area of the country” but you can also say we are a “football area of the country” with the success of the Patriots. We aren’t going to have a D1 hockey squad in the foreseeable future. I don’t even see anyone backing up how it would generate any kind of revenue football isn’t? Football, win/lose/whatever is a staple at URI. We would have a lot of pissed off prominent donors if it went away. Scrubbing football for hockey will also create Title IX implications.

We need a specific donation campaign or another Ryan/Verrechia type donor to specifically help get this practice facility DONE.

[FDshoes]

I’d call the police for tourists acting like fools over students any day. Narragansett is currently trying to address the Air BnB/VRBO situation.

There’s a new upperclassmen dorm set to open this month. 21 year olds on campus can have booze in their dorms, legally. I think we all had booze in our dorms regardless.

I am so sorry Narragansett has disappointed you. I hope you find somewhere visit and vacation that suits you better.

Got love for Rhody B-ball that was instilled in me at birth and grateful for that. Just giving my perspective from 2 different state universities in new england. This is completely off topic like 83 said but it is something i have talked about and debated frequently. URI does and has had issues dealing with "locals" and the university. Gotta find a balance.

Build a practice facility get charter flights state needs to step up contributions to be at a competitive level nation wide percentage wise. The football program drains money and we dont take advantage of being in a hockey area of the country. Even tho i dont follow hockey.

Also most upperclassmen dont want to live in a dorm would rather have condo or apartment style housing. Can only live on dining hall food for so long and at 21 22 years old dont need RAs breathing down your neck with dorm living rules. Plus one dorm for how many upper classmen?

Jeez you sound like you still live on campus. The one new dorm isn’t the only dorm for upperclassmen dorm? Smh. There’s at least 5-6 new upperclassmen dorms built since after I graduated in 06. The suite style upperclassmen dorms have their own kitchens so gives students the option of making their own food.

The locals/student debate has been going on since well before I was born.

The clowns in the GA won’t provide more funding to the university, the overall operating budget for URI that comes from state funds doesn’t even really exceed 6%. Also. State funds would never EVER be able to be used for a charter flight.

You can say we are a “hockey area of the country” but you can also say we are a “football area of the country” with the success of the Patriots. We aren’t going to have a D1 hockey squad in the foreseeable future. I don’t even see anyone backing up how it would generate any kind of revenue football isn’t? Football, win/lose/whatever is a staple at URI. We would have a lot of pissed off prominent donors if it went away. Scrubbing football for hockey will also create Title IX implications.

We need a specific donation campaign or another Ryan/Verrechia type donor to specifically help get this practice facility DONE.

Ok we similar in age i was out about year and half before you. But i still stand behind my issue of on/off campus living vs the community as i have stated. Pointless debate at this point we feel differently.

As for football cant correlate the patriots. What do we have for good football programs in the northeast college wise? Now answer that same question for hockey programs. There are plenty of ways around title IX not letting that come into the debate.

And yes i 100% agree about the clowns in the GA but there is also a crap ton of waisted money at the administrative levels.

[FDshoes]

Also there are ways to implement a d1 hockey program and not lose the football program as well

What state college in NE doesnt have a d1 hockey program? Maybe Uconn?

[JimSidd]

They all do. UCONN is a member of Hockey East, as are UMASS, UNH, Vermont and Maine.

[FDshoes]

Thank you they were the only one i wasnt sure about. And i figured the number of dominant teams in the region spoke for itself so i didnt bother even looking it up.

Mr. Augustine deserves a varsity program! He was promised one in the past

[Brian Forster]

FD shoes-OK,how would you pay for hockey? Start with the D1 women's team.
Let's say somehow you had $100K to start. No $$ from donors,none from state and none from school.
The donors wont pay for a women's team,forget about the state and the school has zero $$ in the budget for hockey.
What would your financial blueprint be?

[Rhodyram]

I’d call the police for tourists acting like fools over students any day. Narragansett is currently trying to address the Air BnB/VRBO situation.

There’s a new upperclassmen dorm set to open this month. 21 year olds on campus can have booze in their dorms, legally. I think we all had booze in our dorms regardless.

I am so sorry Narragansett has disappointed you. I hope you find somewhere visit and vacation that suits you better.

Got love for Rhody B-ball that was instilled in me at birth and grateful for that. Just giving my perspective from 2 different state universities in new england. This is completely off topic like 83 said but it is something i have talked about and debated frequently. URI does and has had issues dealing with "locals" and the university. Gotta find a balance.

Build a practice facility get charter flights state needs to step up contributions to be at a competitive level nation wide percentage wise. The football program drains money and we dont take advantage of being in a hockey area of the country. Even tho i dont follow hockey.

Also most upperclassmen dont want to live in a dorm would rather have condo or apartment style housing. Can only live on dining hall food for so long and at 21 22 years old dont need RAs breathing down your neck with dorm living rules. Plus one dorm for how many upper classmen?

Jeez you sound like you still live on campus. The one new dorm isn’t the only dorm for upperclassmen dorm? Smh. There’s at least 5-6 new upperclassmen dorms built since after I graduated in 06. The suite style upperclassmen dorms have their own kitchens so gives students the option of making their own food.

The locals/student debate has been going on since well before I was born.

The clowns in the GA won’t provide more funding to the university, the overall operating budget for URI that comes from state funds doesn’t even really exceed 6%. Also. State funds would never EVER be able to be used for a charter flight.

You can say we are a “hockey area of the country” but you can also say we are a “football area of the country” with the success of the Patriots. We aren’t going to have a D1 hockey squad in the foreseeable future. I don’t even see anyone backing up how it would generate any kind of revenue football isn’t? Football, win/lose/whatever is a staple at URI. We would have a lot of pissed off prominent donors if it went away. Scrubbing football for hockey will also create Title IX implications.

We need a specific donation campaign or another Ryan/Verrechia type donor to specifically help get this practice facility DONE.

We are not even close to a football area of the country- we are in a Patriots area of the country- and if they were not successful(like pre-1990's) nobody would care about them either. I think the lack of interest in BC/UConn/Umass football is very telling about interest level in the northeast.

[rambone 78]

The Northeast is very pro sports centric.

The Southeast is just the opposite. College football rules.

Where else, other than Texas and parts of the Midwest, can you get 80,000 people to come to a blue white game?

[rjsuperfly66]

But I mean look at UMass. They have a gorgeous practice facility and still had to hire a high school basketball coach to get high rated guys to come.

I think for many people there became this illusion that having this big, beautiful practice facility could make up for other program warts and that is not true. Players still want to play for winners, likeable coaches, etc.

If a program has had several losing seasons and an unproven coach when it comes to tournament success, a beautiful practice facility isn't going to magically land talented recruits. It might elevate their current level of recruiting slightly, but they aren't going to start big game hunting Top 100 recruits just because of it.

That said, I don't agree with this (not URI but in general)...

I think I am over the need for a massive practice facility - I don’t think we are losing recruits because of it.

I do believe that if you have a recruit deciding between two schools, and he has them pretty much neck and neck with regards to prestige, coach relationship, player usage, etc., but one offers beautiful facilities and tons of additional program resources and the other lags in both areas, the recruit is choosing the first school.

However, there certainly may be some recruits that heavily weight a practice facility aspect, potential dirty recruiting about program investments, etc.

I do think that's impossible to quantify because when a recruit chooses a school he doesn't often say "I didn't choose ___ because they don't have a beautiful practice facility."

[Rhode_Island_Red]

Dropping football would hurt donations,note help it.
Its a lot of the same people for FB and hoops ( i am one of them).
That's at any school.
Pipe dream that private $$ (which is what pays for these) to hoops would increase substantially from cutting off football donors is ludicrous.
Any program that wants more money=win. Or Black Dog and Chico go to your (or RI ) legislators and ask them for more $$. It's their school. I will bet you haven't even brought it up.

Are the donations making up for the millions we annually piss away on football? Please show your work.

[Running Ram]

One thing I will say about FB, and I don't know how this charts but I've been to two games in ten years, both times I figured the group I was with would have vast amounts of room to spread out, both games of course were parts of lost seasons and yet the attendance was surprising. Maybe I randomly attended two games in which the attendance numbers were an aberration? Or does it seem to others that FB just gets a better baseline turn-out regardless of the teams prospects? Because that's what it felt like to me. I'm left with the feeling that if we could just string together a few decent seasons in a row we would start routinely selling home games out.

[section(105)]

.......get the ready to collapse? Metal bleachers down, replace with something that fits the current upgraded stadiumscape, win a few games, and It will get me there......a Fall Saturday afternoon on Kingston Hill......

[FDshoes]

FD shoes-OK,how would you pay for hockey? Start with the D1 women's team.
Let's say somehow you had $100K to start. No $$ from donors,none from state and none from school.
The donors wont pay for a women's team,forget about the state and the school has zero $$ in the budget for hockey.
What would your financial blueprint be?

Isnt the women's hockey team already a D1 program?

The rink is already in place not like the school needs to find millions to start a mens program.

[URI96]

The women's team is not D1

[FDshoes]

Yea realized that i read the division 1 part quick but its club division 1

But its still crazy we arent a D1 program the infrastructure is already there. Boss almost seats as many schneider up at PC and its a hockey hot bed in the country.

[ramster]

Yea realized that i read the division 1 part quick but its club division 1

But its still crazy we arent a D1 program the infrastructure is already there. Boss almost seats as many schneider up at PC and its a hockey hot bed in the country.

Thorr has said in the past he is not interested in D1 NCAA Hockey for men or women.
Best to send him an email or better yet ask him personally about the future of Hockey at URI. Thorr is at all URI home men’s and women’s Basketball Games and easy to talk to. He also attends many road games as well.

https://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/ ... xplore.php

[Rhody83]

UConn Athletics loses a lot of money on D1 Hockey. They admit it was a mistake and they are in Hockey East.

[Running Ram]

yeah, I've found AD Bjorn to be very approachable. I am mainly praising him upon approach, but I have asked him a few questions and he has always entertained me with responses. He really does seem to give his actual attention to the random fan/alum when he has a moment. I know people like to give him varying reviews, some think he's great, others expect more. I personally feel like being the AD here (in Rhode Island) must be very challenging and often frustrating compared to many other University AD positions. Not withstanding the whole fakish motto we halfheartedly believe "Think Big, We Do", with the resources he has to work with I think he's been a very good AD in his time here. I'd like to see hockey squads at URI, men and women D1 if possible, but if he doesn't see it on the horizon at least he's been forthcoming about it.

[Taylor Swift]

yeah, I've found AD Bjorn to be very approachable. I am mainly praising him upon approach, but I have asked him a few questions and he has always entertained me with responses. He really does seem to give his actual attention to the random fan/alum when he has a moment. I know people like to give him varying reviews, some think he's great, others expect more. I personally feel like being the AD here (in Rhode Island) must be very challenging and often frustrating compared to many other University AD positions. Not withstanding the whole fakish motto we halfheartedly believe "Think Big, We Do", with the resources he has to work with I think he's been a very good AD in his time here. I'd like to see hockey squads at URI, men and women D1 if possible, but if he doesn't see it on the horizon at least he's been forthcoming about it.

Agreed. I've had the opportunity to talk to Thor many times through the years and he is very approachable and doesn't brush you off.

Indeed has to be very frustrating dealing with the trickle down effects from the administration on how parochial this state can be.

People have been talking about D1 hockey since the Boss Arena opened. It's not happening. Practice facility is the most important thing.

[RhowdyRam02]

UConn Athletics loses a lot of money on D1 Hockey. They admit it was a mistake and they are in Hockey East.

Can you cite a source for this?

[section(105)]

.......yes, I do go to hockey PC games, and their arena, after the upgrades, is miles ahead of a Boss, capacity comparison, no clue.....I like the level of play in Hockey East......Boss has the bones to house more than a Club......

[FDshoes]

UConn Athletics loses a lot of money on D1 Hockey. They admit it was a mistake and they are in Hockey East.

Can you cite a source for this?

Compared to what they lost on football? I read an article that no sports at Uconn pay for themselves. So i would say its misleading to point out that just hockey losses money. The move to D1 football was in fact a giant waiste of money

https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges ... fe/sports/

[Brian Forster]

Where myself and others are impressed with college hockey in RI is the attendance.
UCONN at PC was just one person shy of 610 people.
If add it to mayors cup it is almost 3K!!
The women’s team idea sounds really exciting also.

[adam914]

So does the low attendance of the UConn/PC hockey game mean we should or shouldn't build a basketball practice facility?

[Rhody83]

UConn Athletics loses a lot of money on D1 Hockey. They admit it was a mistake and they are in Hockey East.

Can you cite a source for this?

I can’t locate it. The report listed the loss by sport/team. I believe hockey was 4th behind Football, MBB & WBB. It was very close to WBB at a loss of $3 million.