Basketball arena capacity?

[MICHAELSPAPPY]

What is the official capacity of your basketball arena?

[faualum]

I believe after the renovation going on currently is complete, the seating capcity will be 7500.

[GhostOfBuchanan]

Not to be negative, but does it really matter? At least there will be more graduation tickets available!

[fauowl]

The old capacity was 5000. Not sure of the new capacity. I wish that were an issue.

I think the average last year was about 900.

[Florida_Owl]

i believe it is as faualum stated...it is listed on one of Angelos' blog replies at fausports.com if i am not mistaken...

[faualum]

ghostofbuchanan said:

Not to be negative, but does it really matter? At least there will be more graduation tickets available!

I was just answering his question.

[MICHAELSPAPPY]

I'm guessing that competing for fans in the Florida market it rough.

[TeamBeer]

Half competition, half apathy. We compete with NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB teams in our area on top of the fact that a large majority of people in South Florida aren't originally from here, so they have no ties to our University.

Even the pro teams deal with this problem- When the NY and Philly teams come in to town, we get sellouts though.
Have you ever seen a Marlins game on TV? HUNDREDS of people in Dolphin Stadium!

[MICHAELSPAPPY]

Our problem in Little Rock is different, but similar in some regards. In Arkansas the Hog is supreme, with Fayetteville ACTIVELY politicking to keep a monopoly. No major league sports of any sort in the entire state, but you just can't get around that omnipresent Hog. There is one other D-1 football team and four other D-1 basketball teams in the state, but we can't get more than a cursory nod from the media.

[owlcountry]

teambeer said:

Half competition, half apathy. We compete with NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB teams in our area on top of the fact that a large majority of people in South Florida aren't originally from here, so they have no ties to our University.

Right. A related problem is that the average cost of housing in Boca is multiple times the starting salary of the average FAU graduate, so we can't even live in this town nearby the university. We have to live about 15-30 minutes away and that impedes the connection and involvement of students with the university.

[Exit39]

Just another reason why there should be more apartments on campus, with a lounge pool and bar-b-que area. Or more affordable apartments to the East of the University.

[owlcountry]

exit39 said:

Just another reason why there should be more apartments on campus, with a lounge pool and bar-b-que area.

It's funny you should mention that because a lounge pool has been discussed recently both with Student Government and Campus Recreation. The inspiration for it came from UCF's lounge pool, which can be seen here:

www.rec.ucf.edu/Fleisurepool.htm

An ideal spot for it would be immediately north of the new freshman building (Glades Park Towers, formerly known as FYE Hall). The pool could have an Owl logo imprinted on the pool bottom, Owl logos on the gates, a tiki hut covering vending machines, and loads of deck chairs for tanning. I don't know how expensive it would be but apparently there are other concerns about this type of project, namely:
1) Liability liability liability. Possible solution: Recreation + Wellness Center-trained lifeguards on duty. Also means the pool won't be open all hours, which is fine.. But I think this is the biggest hurdle outside of money.
2) Possibility of people bringing alcohol to the pool or in the pool; beer cans floating on the surface of the pool, etc
...and so on.

Eric Hawkes, Director of Recreation here at FAU, is supposedly interested now in changing the lap pool concept which is attached at some phase to the 2008 Recreation Center and changing it to be more leisure in style. This is the most likely since it would be nearly equidistant from the current Housing quad and the new housing as part of the Innovation Village.

But my feeling is that a leisure pool is a couple of years away, which is a shame. It'll probably come online when the hospital does, since pool accidents + on-campus ER = less risk.

exit39 said:

Or more affordable apartments to the East of the University.

Agreed here. I'm not sure, but it almost looks like the Village Apartments were constructed such that apartment "villages" could be placed on both side of the parking lot they have there. I don't think it's ever filled. We could put more apartments on the other side of the parking lot... although it would eat into the trees and scrubland you have there and thus impede on the nature trail a little bit. Another option would be south of the present apartment village in an area that is now (I think) owl territory. I imagine that going over like a pile of bricks, but they have considered it before in the Master Plan -- actually, it was even considered in the Innovation Village plan, so it's likely they're going to do it in the next ten years. However, I see it as a mixture of graduate student housing, medical resident housing, and faculty housing just because we need all those things and you need people a little more mature in that area close to the hospital.

[Exit39]

what's is so stupid about not doing this immediately (and I hope the some of the BOT reads this) if college is a business then why not market to attract the money.

If a prospective kid in high school is doing a lap around the university and decoding FAU vs. our competition, at the age of 17, does he care about:
a. the research dollars for graduate students?
b. the college girls hanging out poolside on a Tuesday?

part b:
a. the high school stadium we play at twenty miles from campus?
b. the on campus stadium that is still bushes and damaged palm trees?

If liability is an issue why can UCF build it and so many other schools in warm climates do this with no problems? Are gates and lifeguards that tough to come by?

It just shows that the University is still years behind reality and looking for a "get rich quick scheme." If their worried about filling the dorms they might build why not start with something that every off campus condo housing in the entire state of Florida already has? It's stuff like this why its so hard to keep your faith in FAU year after year with no progress.

But hey after five years since I graduated we have a track. Sweet.

[owlcountry]

exit39 said:

what's is so stupid about not doing this immediately (and I hope the some of the BOT reads this) if college is a business then why not market to attract the money.

If a prospective kid in high school is doing a lap around the university and decoding FAU vs. our competition, at the age of 17, does he care about:
a. the research dollars for graduate students?
b. the college girls hanging out poolside on a Tuesday?

Exactly. I imagine that another part of the argument is, "We already have a pool." Meaning lap pool.

Now understand that the BOT have not stated a position on putting in a leisure pool. This is something we suspect based upon previous dealings... for instance, I know for a fact that Dr.Brown shied away from the idea of putting in a skate park. He said at his last university they considered it and discovered the liability insurance would be $1 million/year. Not worth it and I agreed. Although UNF just put one in, so that's noteworthy.

exit39 said:

If liability is an issue why can UCF build it and so many other schools in warm climates do this with no problems? Are gates and lifeguards that tough to come by?

I had the exact same question. I think we could do it if we had lifeguards. Anyway, I don't expect much movement on it -- especially since we're doing a bunch of other side projects, like getting streetlight banners on the inner campus that say "Go Owls" and whatnot -- but I'll let you know if anything changes.

exit39 said:

It's stuff like this why its so hard to keep your faith in FAU year after year with no progress. But hey after five years since I graduated we have a track. Sweet.

Five years... To be fair, we have the new track, Einstein Bagel's, Starbucks, a new Jewish center with kosher cafe, a new 24-hour study center with a computer lab, two new 600-bed dorms, a reflection circle in heritage park, two parking garages, nursing and medical school buildings, new business building, new bookstore, the buffet, etc. Not to mention the Breezeway renovation, Burrow renovation, and all the stuff on the way over the next year.

So I think they've done a lot in five years... just not a whole lot in terms of improving campus social life. No pool, no Greek houses, no bars, nightclub, anything like that. But I know that there is an item on the PECO list for $4 million set for "Student Life Exterior Renovation", whatever that means. That's coming in 2010 if I remember correctly. I guess that means they're going to redo the landscape and such. Just speculating.

[Exit39]

of all the stuff they've built nothing helps with attracting better students. most kids who get 1250 and a 90 average don't care about everything you just wrote. they want the attractions. it may make the university better but with the exception of the dorms nothing has been done to make the university feel like home. More places to eat, that too, which is great. But its the little things they lag on for so long. If they built Greek housing in 2000 for 300 students at the time it probably wouldn't have been filled but think about that now. It would have been around long enough that it would've aluminst who are more than likely donating, kids who see it on campus visits, increased athletic attendance and it would also be generating 1.5 million a year in gross revenues. (5k a year x 300 kids) but they haven't done anything since 2000 when Cantonese promised it.

What would have it cost? probably six houses at a million dollars. Six million dollars, generating 1.5 million a year? Seems like a pretty good deal.

I'm giving FAU till May of 08' to put some shovels in the ground. If not I'm done donating and giving a sh!t.