What is your gut feeling on the vote? Did it pass or fail and by how much?

[LUFAN]

Pass 73 for 27 against.

[KFDM COOP]

I think it will be close than that! My Heart says it passes but my gut says it won't.

[LUFAN]

I sure hope your gut is wrong. I would be very disappointed if it doesn't pass.

[lu cards]

thanks coop.now i wont be able to sleep tonight.

[KFDM COOP]

me either.

[Tiger90]

Gut says it failed. 

If it does in fact fail I can honestly say the University didn't push hard enough for it.  We have been speculating here for months if not years and until just the past 6 weeks or so has the University officially really said anything about it.  Where would LU go from here?  The old mindset of basketball is "king" and we don't need football has been an abysmal failure.  It has taken LU 20 years to semi recover.  Without the added programs LU will not grow much larger than it is now nor will community support grow.  I'm an alumni and honestly this football thing is about the only thing LU has to even peak my interest in supporting. 

Here's to hoping my gut is wrong.

[WOS95]

being a student at LU the atmosphere around the voting area seemed very positive. 

[Guest coachacola]

I think it'll pass because I didn't read about any groups on campus opposed to it.  If there wasn't enough anger to form groups to fight it, then probably more students voted for it than against it.  I told my sons that football might return to Lamar and they were excited about it, and we don't even live in the area.  It'll be nothing but a positive thing for Lamar around the state.

[bullets13]

i just hope if it does pass that lamar does something with the team, and takes the steps necessary to make it competitive.  this isn't like the girls' soccer team.  they had a really tough year, but they're a really cheap investment.  if lamar's going to do football, i hope they put the money into the program to do it right.  they may have already outlined a budget for the program if it passes, but i haven't seen it.

[Guest coachacola]

I think Tubbs said the football budget will be about $1.5 million a year, which is about average for the SLC.  Lamar could start football without this athletic fee, but they want that guaranteed $2M+ a year so football and the other athletic programs don't suffer if private donations go down.  So far Tubbs has said all the right things about doing what's necessary to make it competitive, hopefully we'll find out soon if he's right.

[UNLV]

Only 1,000 students voted. Low turn-out means little resistant toward football. Unless

students were saying yeah football, then secretly voting no.

[lu cards]

how do you know only a 1,000 voted???

[UNLV]

Beaumont Enterprise reported that number.

IF the vote fail...

Southland Conference 2013

UT Arlington

Mid-western

Abilene Christian

Centra Ok

West Texas AM

Angelo State

TAM-CC

Nichols st

Delta st

Tarleton st

Lamar

UC Arkansas

[KFDM COOP]

Lord i hope it passed!!

[bullets13]

Only 1,000 students voted. Low turn-out means little resistant toward football. Unless

students were saying yeah football, then secretly voting no.

man, i hope the football team gets more support from the students than the vote for the football team did.

[Guest abovetherim]

If this was a presidential election the turnout would be fantastic.

[BLUEDOVE3]

Only 1,000 students voted. Low turn-out means little resistant toward football. Unless

students were saying yeah football, then secretly voting no.

So if only a 1000 voted, what does this say about the student body & football? Let's see, there are at least 1500 students living on campus. About a 10,000 student enrollment.  My greatest fear is that this thing passes and no community or student  support for the program, unless there is some major school to come in and play and then the attendance will look good for that particular game. And I don't think local recruiting will bring in your fan base. Many of these kids are good in high school but it doesn't mean they are good at the next level.

[Guest abovetherim]

http://www.panews.com/sports/local_story_031215103.html?keyword=topstory

  "I'm very pleased," said Simmons, who has desired to bring back football since he accepted his position nine years ago. "It's a mandate for us to move forward. I had imagined we would get a strong support from the students.

  "What I did not want was a small majority but I'm absolutely satisfied with the outcome of the vote."

  Counting online classes, Simmons estimated between 8,000 and 9,000 students to be enrolled on Lamar's campus this spring. The vote transpired during Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon and evening junctures at four campus locations — inside the Setzer Center, outside the science auditorium, in front of the dining hall and in front of the Gray Library.

  Simmons believed the turnout (1,294 voters) constituted the largest LU student voter turnout ever. The student involvement culminated in Thursday morning's 11:30 announcement in the Setzer Center.

[UNLV]

Only 1,000 students voted. Low turn-out means little resistant toward football. Unless

students were saying yeah football, then secretly voting no.

So if only a 1000 voted, what does this say about the student body & football? Let's see, there are at least 1500 students living on campus. About a 10,000 student enrollment.  My greatest fear is that this thing passes and no community or student  support for the program, unless there is some major school to come in and play and then the attendance will look good for that particular game. And I don't think local recruiting will bring in your fan base. Many of these kids are good in high school but it doesn't mean they are good at the next level.

Young people turn out is low in any election, football or presidential. Means nothing towards attendance.

[Guest abovetherim]

at least one alumnus is excited about the announcement....

One former Lamar football player and current Nederland head coach Larry Neumann was glad to learn the referendum's outcome.

  "That's excellent," said Neumann, who may be significantly interested in playing a more active role in LU's football future. "I have put three daughters through Lamar and I was hopeful and I'm pleased that it (the student referendum) went that way."

http://www.panews.com/sports/local_story_031215103.html?keyword=topstory

[adminbaberuth]

Heard Billy T tell a neat story this morning. After taking a job at a clothing store in Lufkin after graduating from Lamar, the Cardinals played in the Tangerine bowl. He went to his boss to take a few days off to travel to the game, it was during Christmas season, boss wasn't happy.

Billy was looking for a job when he got back.

[Guest abovetherim]

:D . I wish I heard the interview. Sounds like Coach Tubbs to me.