Response to Baltimore Sun Article
5/3/2002 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 3, 2002
College Park, Md. - This statement is provided to ensure that accurate information related to the University New Arena Seat Committee is made available to the public.
Click here to access the Baltimore Sun article.
In Friday's column, Mr. Preston listed a number of ways that Terpoints can be earned. However, he left out one of the most important ways, which was included by the committee to specifically reward the loyalty of Terrapin Club members.
Terpoints can be earned for every consecutive year of membership in the Terrapin Club (the scholarship fund for our student athletes), regardless of the gift level.
The university-wide new arena seat committee understood that the Athletic Department is a self-support unit which is expected to balance its annual operating budget each year (including scholarships). In fact, next year's operating budget will be in excess of $35 million. All increased compensation for coaches, scholarships and academic support for student athletes, team travel expenses, and every other operating cost is included in the $35 million.
It is true that the department needs help to keep our talented coaches here at Maryland and to attract the best athletes by offering scholarship support. And, the partners in this effort are all Terrapin Club members, who support the operating budget through gifts to the scholarship fund.
The University New Arena Seat Committee did a magnificent job of creating an equitable seating plan--one which has been widely accepted. The Committee created a plan that made a place for the majority of "regular" people, who are unable to make financial gifts of significance, unlike the seating plans implemented by other universities. This occurred because there are other viable ways to earn points other than giving big gifts, like membership referrals and loyalty to the Terrapin Club, as mentioned earlier.
While it is not a perfect plan, it is clearly a "people's plan," designed to be as inclusive as is humanly possible.
As far as the atmosphere in Comcast is concerned, we know that our students and fans will be there, in full force, creating an extraordinarily loud environment and home court advantage for our teams. We have faith in their passion for Terrapin basketball and the other sports that will compete in the building. This will occur because the overwhelming majority of people in the building will be long-time season ticket holders who have also elected to support Maryland Athletics financially and because we have provided a significant number of the best Comcast seats in the building to our students.
The public response of those who are complaining is predictable. It is challenging for some to accept the realities of today's costs associated with intercollegiate athletics. But, the Committee faced those realities to best ensure that we do not (1) lose excellent coaches, (2) lose great recruits, (3) drop men's sports teams, or (4) have unbalanced budgets.
None of those options is acceptable for those who love the Terps. Working together, we will continue to make progress toward our bright future.
Bob Baker President, Terrapin Club Life & 23 Year Terrapin Club Member Member of the University New Arena Seat Committee Basketball Season Ticket HolderJohn Llewellyn President-Elect, Terrapin Club 26 Year Terrapin Club Member Member of the University New Arena Seat Committee Basketball Season Ticket Holder
P.S. The University-wide seating committee was made up of representatives from every level of the Terrapin Club, faculty, staff and alumni of the University
