Another hypothetical poll question since they seem popular today

[DSUrocks07]

Due to the settlement in the gender-lawsuit brought by the Equestrian team at Delaware State against the school. What direction should DSU head in from here?

Delaware State University
Type: Public, Land Grant HBCU
Location: Dover, Delaware

Classification: Division I-FCS
Affiliation: MEAC

Endowment: $20 million+
Enrollment: about 3,700

Men's Sports
Football
Basketball
Baseball
Cross Country
Indoor Track
Outdoor Track

Women's Sports
Basketball
Bowling
Cross Country
Equestrian
Indoor Track
Outdoor Track
Soccer
Softball
Tennis
Volleyball

[aceinthehole]

The NEC is a logical fit. We sponsor all those sports (except Equestrian) and you would be a decent "travel partner" for Mt. St. Mary's.

But with 12 (all sports) members, why would we want to add anyone right now?

Now let's say CCSU left for America East and Monmouth went to the Patriot for all sports, then maybe it would make sense for the NEC to add DSU and NJIT.

---

The Big South has 10 members for all sports. Maybe they would consider adding DSU and Longwood (VA) to get up to 12.

[BlueHenSinfonian]

Are there currently any Division I HBCUs that sponsor football outside of the MEAC or SWAC? DSU could set an interesting precedent by moving into a conference with more mainstream universities. Does DSU have strong rivalries with anyone currently in the MEAC?

DSU has issues that go deeper than their football and general athletic department woes at the moment. I grew up in Newark and graduated from UD, but I worked in Dover for a few years, and even in DSU's hometown there seemed to be a general consensus that DSU was the 'other' school in the state, and that it wasn't somewhere that you went if you had other options. I'm sure that DSU does have some good programs, and that there are people who get accepted to both UD and DSU and who choose DSU, but right now the school doesn't do a good job of marketing itself or making it seem like a desirable place to go to college.

Purely on the football topic, the NEC only has 9 football schools, and the potential addition of Rhody would bring it up to 10. Adding DSU and some other school (possibly Fordham if they split with the PL over scholarships) would bring it to a nice even 12 for football and allow a divisional split. If not the NEC, then the PFL could be a smart move, it would allow DSU to save money on football through cutting scholarships, and put them into a league where they would be very competitive.

[ToTheLeft]

Tenn. State is an HBCU in the OVC.

[DSUrocks07]

Tenn. State is an HBCU in the OVC.

True, but that was after they were forced to combine with UT-Nashville. So in some eyes, (not mine just to clarify), they aren't a "true" HBCU.

[ToTheLeft]

True, but that was after they were forced to combine with UT-Nashville. So in some eyes, (not mine just to clarify), they aren't a "true" HBCU.

Wikipedia tells me they're "...the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee."

That's who's opinion I went with. :D

[DSUrocks07]

Are there currently any Division I HBCUs that sponsor football outside of the MEAC or SWAC? DSU could set an interesting precedent by moving into a conference with more mainstream universities. Does DSU have strong rivalries with anyone currently in the MEAC?

DSU has issues that go deeper than their football and general athletic department woes at the moment. I grew up in Newark and graduated from UD, but I worked in Dover for a few years, and even in DSU's hometown there seemed to be a general consensus that DSU was the 'other' school in the state, and that it wasn't somewhere that you went if you had other options. I'm sure that DSU does have some good programs, and that there are people who get accepted to both UD and DSU and who choose DSU, but right now the school doesn't do a good job of marketing itself or making it seem like a desirable place to go to college.

Purely on the football topic, the NEC only has 9 football schools, and the potential addition of Rhody would bring it up to 10. Adding DSU and some other school (possibly Fordham if they split with the PL over scholarships) would bring it to a nice even 12 for football and allow a divisional split. If not the NEC, then the PFL could be a smart move, it would allow DSU to save money on football through cutting scholarships, and put them into a league where they would be very competitive.

Or even a desirable place to go to a game. Although I am a fan of "on-campus" facilities, in our case a "Central Delaware Sports Complex" in Dover (15,000 seat stadium, 9,000 seat arena, 3,000 ballpark), would do wonders for DSU and I believe would make our attendance numbers increase substantially.

[DSUrocks07]

Wikipedia tells me they're "...the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee."

That's who's opinion I went with. :D

lol fair enough

[WestCoastAggie]

How would you push leaving an HBCU conference to the few fans and Alumni that Care about Athletics at DSU? I hate to say it but DSU along with every other MEAC school is just stuck unless you can promise that the few supporters that DSU does have won't bail because they feel that DSU is "selling out their blackness".

[DSUrocks07]

How would you push leaving an HBCU conference to the few fans and Alumni that Care about Athletics at DSU? I hate to say it but DSU along with every other MEAC school is just stuck unless you can promise that the few supporters that DSU does have won't bail because they feel that DSU is "selling out their blackness".

Doing something just because its expected of you is a terrible way of doing business. If you have the numbers to back up the argument you're trying to make, people will listen. Alumni by definition are "college-educated individuals". If I were to make an argument that joining the NEC for example could save the school 15% to 20% on our travel budget and still leave 3 or 4 OOC dates that can be filled with a NSU, an MSU, or Howard (rival), that's an argument that can carry some weight.

[BlueHenSinfonian]

How would you push leaving an HBCU conference to the few fans and Alumni that Care about Athletics at DSU? I hate to say it but DSU along with every other MEAC school is just stuck unless you can promise that the few supporters that DSU does have won't bail because they feel that DSU is "selling out their blackness".

DSU isn't exactly packing in the fans as it is. If there was a sizeable BCF fanbase in Dover you might have a point, but as it is, DSU should consider any option that will help them become more competitive and gain more mainstream appeal.

I alluded to it in the thread about the SWAC, but pigeon-holing yourself as a HBCU first and a FCS team second is just going to continually lead to a loss of competitiveness and an increasing irrelevance of your program in the greater FCS community.

I don't think this is only a HBCU problem, the Ivies have been facing declining crowds and more OOC losses as well for years. Any school or conference who closes themselves off is going to suffer more than they benefit. I'm not saying that DSU, or any HBCU, should lose their tradition or special flavor, but a school doesn't have to associate only or mainly with similar institutions in order to keep its own identity.

[MR. CHICKEN]

YER STUDENTS/ALUMNI.....WILL JES' NOT STAND FO' IT......AS AH TRIED TA TELL YA.....IN...'NOTHERAH THREAD.....AGIN'......THEY FOUGHT SESSOMS..ON EVERAH-THING......NOT SAYIN' HE WAS ALWAYS RIGHT......BUT HE WANTED TA RAISE STANDARDS.......NOW HE'S IN D.C. AH BELIEVE........AWK!

[DSUrocks07]

YER STUDENTS/ALUMNI.....WILL JES' NOT STAND FO' IT......AS AH TRIED TA TELL YA.....IN...'NOTHERAH THREAD.....AGIN'......THEY FOUGHT SESSOMS..ON EVERAH-THING......NOT SAYIN' HE WAS ALWAYS RIGHT......BUT HE WANTED TA RAISE STANDARDS.......NOW HE'S IN D.C. AH BELIEVE........AWK!

Dr. Sessoms (http://www.udc.edu/president/udc_president.htm)

Yeah he sure is. And that's what I'm not liking about our Alumni Association...the standards SHOULD be raised. We're running around calling ourselves a University when were acting like were a Junior College in regards to admissions. xnonono2xxnonono2xxnonono2x

[MR. CHICKEN]

SO.......AH'M SAYIN'.....NO ONE IN DOVERAH....WILL AGREE TA.....LEAVE OTHERAH HBCU'S (MEAC SKOOLS).....IN FAVOR UH NEC....OR ANYONE ELSE....OR..KISS DUH ENDOWMENTS...GOODBYE......IN WHICH CASE....WOOD BE CHEAPER......FO' HORNETS TA TRAVEL SOUFF...xnodx....AWK!

[WestCoastAggie]

DSU isn't exactly packing in the fans as it is. If there was a sizeable BCF fanbase in Dover you might have a point, but as it is, DSU should consider any option that will help them become more competitive and gain more mainstream appeal.

I alluded to it in the thread about the SWAC, but pigeon-holing yourself as a HBCU first and a FCS team second is just going to continually lead to a loss of competitiveness and an increasing irrelevance of your program in the greater FCS community.

I don't think this is only a HBCU problem, the Ivies have been facing declining crowds and more OOC losses as well for years. Any school or conference who closes themselves off is going to suffer more than they benefit. I'm not saying that DSU, or any HBCU, should lose their tradition or special flavor, but a school doesn't have to associate only or mainly with similar institutions in order to keep its own identity.

What DSU along with other HBCU's are dealing with is the fact that the few Alumni that do give $$$ don't want to leave behind the HBCU and the BCF legacy and play a schedule which is majority HBCU's. If you look at Tenn. St, you would see that their most attended games are the ones involving other HBCU's.

HBCU's are stuck between a rock & a hard place when it comes to athletics.

[MR. CHICKEN]

IN WANTIN' TA KEEP DERE IDENTITY.....HBCU'S ARE MISSIN' OPORTUNITIES.....WHICH DR. SESSOMS @ DEL. STATE....TRIED TA GET ACROSS........AWK!