Eastern Michigan University's athletic department and
the EMU Foundation have joined forces to create a new program
that will help provide incentives to area elementary and
middle school students while helping the University preserve
its NCAA Division I athletic status.
The game plan is simple.
 |
NUMBERS CRUNCH: While Eastern Michigan
University has been able to boost student
support
(above) and increase corporate tickets
sales to
football games this year, the University
still must
average 15,000 fans per game this year
in order to
retain its Division I status. To ensure
that, the
athletic department and EMU Foundation
have
teamed up to provide incentives to area
elementary
and middle school students. The Foundation
will
spend $116,000 to provide free football tickets
to
area students who excel in the classroom. |
The EMU Foundation will spend $116,000 to provide free
football tickets to area students who excel in the classroom
which, in return, will help EMU meet the NCAA requirement
of an average of 15,000 fans per game to retain its Division
I status.
"The Board of Regents, the EMU Foundation Executive Committee,
President Fallon and the University's Strategic Operations
Council are in agreement that preserving our NCAA Division
I status and remaining a fully-vested member of the Mid-American
Conference (MAC) are essential to the long-term future
of Eastern Michigan University," said Darryl Sczepanski,
EMU's vice president for advancement and executive director
of the Foundation. "We could not allow an attendance issue
to jeopardize our good standing in the NCAA or the MAC."
Sczepanski said that the money for the tickets would come
from a number of sources, including investment income and
Eagle Crest Management Corporation dividends. No general
fund or University funds will be used, Sczepanski said.
The money will be used to purchase 23,000 football tickets
that will be used for the remaining three home football
games in the 2006 season. Those tickets will help ensure
an average of 15,000 tickets sold per home game.
According to Stephannie Harvey, marketing director for
EMU athletics, students in Ypsilanti, Willow Run, Lincoln
Consolidated and Plymouth-Canton schools are participating
in the Football Community Outreach Program. The tickets
are awarded to students based on their achievement of class
goals and are given at the discretion of the teacher.
"We are doing everything we possibly can to maintain our
NCAA Division I status," said Derrick Gragg, who became
EMU's athletic director in 2006. "We have made significant
strides in tickets sales, especially in corporate participation.
Last year, we sold 75 season tickets to corporations each
game. This year, we have sold 3,100 corporate tickets per
game," said Gragg.
But even with that 4,000-percent increase in corporate
sales and growing alumni support, Gragg said time is EMU's
biggest obstacle. Gragg said that a school has to make
the 15,000 average at least every other year in order to
remain a NCAA Division I status. EMU did not reach that
mark last year.
If EMU doesn't make the required average attendance in
the next three home games, a domino effect could occur
in athletics. Revenue from EMU football helps support many
other athletic programs at EMU. And while the Eagles' football
team has struggled of late, EMU is aided financially because
it is a Division I school. It gets a larger piece of the
revenue when it plays against teams such as Michigan and
Northwestern, according to Gragg.
Another piece influencing the equation is that the MAC
requires each member institution to retain a Division I
football program. If a school doesn't, then it cannot be
a member of the conference.
If EMU were to drop to Division I-AA or Division II in
football, other athletic programs could be impacted, if
not lost. That could lead to a decrease in the number of
scholarships available to all EMU athletes.
"This is not about saving one sport," said Gragg. "This
is about preserving the status of our entire athletic program
and giving our student-athletes the best experience possible."
Howard Bunsis, EMU's NCAA faculty athletic representative,
understands the impact athletics can have on students.
"In my role as the faculty athletic representative, I
have had the opportunity to see firsthand how participation
in sports enhances the overall educational experience at
EMU and helps student-athletes connect with the community," Bunsis
said. "As the NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative, I support
the concept that EMU maintain its Division I status."
This is not the first time that EMU has had to utilize
administrative support to remain a member of the MAC. A
similar situation arose in the 1980s when EMU's attendance
numbers were waning and the University was facing removal
from the MAC.
"The University rallied its resources then to preserve
our place in the MAC and we are doing it again," said Gragg.
Gragg said he understands why such administrative support
can make some uneasy.
"I want to be clear that we are not breaking any rules
or policies," Gragg said. "There are certainly several
other institutions that we know of in our conference who
are utilizing administrative support to help reach the
NCAA number. This is perfectly acceptable to the NCAA and
the MAC."
While EMU will meet the 15,000 average this year, Gragg
said that work is well underway to help keep EMU on track
to grow its attendance and avoid any more close calls in
the future.
"We are developing an aggressive strategic marketing plan
to help address this and we have enlisted the support of
a marketing consulting firm, National Collegiate Athletic
Directors Association Consulting," Gragg said. "NACDA,
a sports marketing group that specializes in ticket sales,
is highly regarded by other MAC member institutions that
have utilized their services."
