10 of my takeaways from our first UTEP Athletics Fan Council meeting that had an impact (in no particular order). I got the lucky draw and will be serving on a 3 year term! I kindly ask to keep this thread on topic and not derail it.
1. The Mine Shaft as the players entrance in the Sun Bowl is back!
2. Conference affiliation is a hot button topic that many El Pasoans are passionate about but don't really understand.
3. Tailgating was the number 1 issue brought up by fans, but there is no consensus about what part of tailgating is the issue. We worked through several of the issues brought up by fans in getting a good grasp of what is needed to change.
4. Social media and community outreach has been getting a large push and will continue to grow over the summer and into the sports seasons. Follow every one of UTEP's pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc including coaches and staff.
5. There are several things in the athletic budget (or not in the budget) that I did not know and put us behind the 8 ball for schools in other states and just other schools in general (i.e. we don't get appropriated funds from the state for athletics.
6. Being a Miner Maniac will now be pushed to students from the start at freshman orientation. Several other student involvement initiatives are in the works.
7. We need to do a better job of developing rivalries with other schools in Conference USA.
8. We have very little to no traditions anymore. We need to work on building a good mix of old and new traditions that will stand the test of time and will survive any changes in coaches, AD, etc. This is probably the point that will take the longest to develop, but is very important and was discussed at length.
9. There is a great mix of individuals that were selected for the Fan Council and I saw first hand how different perspectives can clash but also how they can give others insight as to the how and why they think that way.
10. Changing the narrative about UTEP largely has to come from us as fans. We are a "trust the process" generation and need to wait for many of the things we discussed to take form. But that doesn't mean we should sit back and wait for something to happen either because there are things that we can control. Every Person Makes A Difference #EPMAD is the motto that UTEP Athletics is pushing fast and furious, and really holds true. All of us can make a difference and we should.
There was a lot discussed at our meeting (went from a 2 hour meeting into a 3 hour meeting, that should say a lot) that isn't just limited to these points. I would love the opportunity to share that with anyone that wants to talk about it, feel free to shoot me an email at oloy@sbngcpa.com so we can do coffee or lunch. GO MINERS! #EPMAD
1. The Mine Shaft as the players entrance in the Sun Bowl is back!
2. Conference affiliation is a hot button topic that many El Pasoans are passionate about but don't really understand.
3. Tailgating was the number 1 issue brought up by fans, but there is no consensus about what part of tailgating is the issue. We worked through several of the issues brought up by fans in getting a good grasp of what is needed to change.
4. Social media and community outreach has been getting a large push and will continue to grow over the summer and into the sports seasons. Follow every one of UTEP's pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc including coaches and staff.
5. There are several things in the athletic budget (or not in the budget) that I did not know and put us behind the 8 ball for schools in other states and just other schools in general (i.e. we don't get appropriated funds from the state for athletics.
6. Being a Miner Maniac will now be pushed to students from the start at freshman orientation. Several other student involvement initiatives are in the works.
7. We need to do a better job of developing rivalries with other schools in Conference USA.
8. We have very little to no traditions anymore. We need to work on building a good mix of old and new traditions that will stand the test of time and will survive any changes in coaches, AD, etc. This is probably the point that will take the longest to develop, but is very important and was discussed at length.
9. There is a great mix of individuals that were selected for the Fan Council and I saw first hand how different perspectives can clash but also how they can give others insight as to the how and why they think that way.
10. Changing the narrative about UTEP largely has to come from us as fans. We are a "trust the process" generation and need to wait for many of the things we discussed to take form. But that doesn't mean we should sit back and wait for something to happen either because there are things that we can control. Every Person Makes A Difference #EPMAD is the motto that UTEP Athletics is pushing fast and furious, and really holds true. All of us can make a difference and we should.
There was a lot discussed at our meeting (went from a 2 hour meeting into a 3 hour meeting, that should say a lot) that isn't just limited to these points. I would love the opportunity to share that with anyone that wants to talk about it, feel free to shoot me an email at oloy@sbngcpa.com so we can do coffee or lunch. GO MINERS! #EPMAD
