OT: New Sun Devil Stadium

[Longcolts]

Looks like they have the University of Arizona A on the structure to the immediate right of the stadium in the first picture.

Actually that's a flight marker for incoming to Sky Harbor International.

 

[crisper57]

They raise tuition every year so they can upgrade the stadium for the eternally POS football team.

Wow. You know nothing about anything. Public tax dollars have fallen historically fast. The Legislature cut public aid to universities. The universities offset these cuts with increased tuition.

Had nothing to do with building a stadium.

 

[Solar7]

I haven't been back to an ASU game since the year after I graduated, so I'll have to make it out a lot more when this happens. It looks pretty good.

 

[ryanshaug]

Regardless of how this is funded, it's still got to sting to some (my fiance is a student currently) that class sizes are growing, some classes being cut, and tuition are being raised at ASU while the football team is getting a new stadium. Does the football team bring in so much revenue that it justifies this? I'm not so sure.

 

[BigRedRage]

Regardless of how this is funded, it's still got to sting to some (my fiance is a student currently) that class sizes are growing, some classes being cut, and tuition are being raised at ASU while the football team is getting a new stadium. Does the football team bring in so much revenue that it justifies this? I'm not so sure.

Football brings in huge money.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

they also just announced a tuition freeze for this next year

tuition has increased sharply - but that can be said of many other universities in the nation, including those that don't rely on public support (which has reduced drastically as of late)

bad timing if you are going in now as opposed to a decade ago - but a $10k a year base sticker isn't that steep for a university education

 

[AZ Native]

The Arizona Constitution mandates for public higher education in the state to be "as nearly free as possible." I understand the funding is different for each one. But as someone who attended my first ASU football game over 50 years ago and now I'm helping pay for my son's college costs, it just doesn't appear to be "as nearly free as possible".

 

[ryanshaug]

Football brings in huge money.

No doubt that it does, especially with the Pac 12 and TV contracts. And no doubt that ASU definitely could use an upgrade from SDS. I just wish there was as much enthusiasm about supporting education as supporting football in our country (I know, kind of a dumb thing to say on a football board)

 

[BigRedRage]

No doubt that it does, especially with the Pac 12 and TV contracts. And no doubt that ASU definitely could use an upgrade from SDS. I just wish there was as much enthusiasm about supporting education as supporting football in our country (I know, kind of a dumb thing to say on a football board)

I agree but 60k people dont show up, buy tickets and concessions to watch a spelling bee. Football money puts money back into the school and improves the school so tis all good.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

The Arizona Constitution mandates for public higher education in the state to be "as nearly free as possible." I understand the funding is different for each one. But as someone who attended my first ASU football game over 50 years ago and now I'm helping pay for my son's college costs, it just doesn't appear to be "as nearly free as possible".

IIRC, it costs more to educate one student than the college actually brings in by way of that student's tuition. Colleges rely on state funding and other sources to make up the shortfall. This is why recent budget cuts by our governor have had such an impact on our state colleges - layoffs, reduction in services, etc.

 

[crisper57]

IIRC, it costs more to educate one student than the college actually brings in by way of that student's tuition. Colleges rely on state funding and other sources to make up the shortfall. This is why recent budget cuts by our governor have had such an impact on our state colleges - layoffs, reduction in services, etc.

Just a pet peeve. The legislative branch controls the purse strings, not the Executive branch.

 

[crisper57]

The Arizona Constitution mandates for public higher education in the state to be "as nearly free as possible." I understand the funding is different for each one. But as someone who attended my first ASU football game over 50 years ago and now I'm helping pay for my son's college costs, it just doesn't appear to be "as nearly free as possible".

When public tax revenues go in the toilet and the state is facing a $2 Billion shortfall in a $10 Billion budget, the definition of "as free as possible" looks completely different from when the state has surpluses to spend.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Just a pet peeve. The legislative branch controls the purse strings, not the Executive branch.

Yes, but the governor proposes a budget and the legislature works off of her proposal as their starting point.

The budget cuts I referenced came from a compromise between the House and Brewer/Senate. She was very much involved.

Most people I know at ASU hold her responsible much more than the leagislature. She didn't stand up and fight for her proposed budget - which the university had used to begin planning for the next fiscal year - which led to many jobs being eliminated/outsourced.

She is the final authority and has veto/line-item veto powers.

 

[crisper57]

At the risk of sending this P&R...

Yes, but the governor proposes a budget and the legislature works off of her proposal as their starting point.

The budget cuts I referenced came from a compromise between the House and Brewer/Senate. She was very much involved.

Most people I know at ASU hold her responsible much more than the leagislature. She didn't stand up and fight for her proposed budget - which the university had used to begin planning for the next fiscal year - which led to many jobs being eliminated/outsourced.

She is the final authority and has veto/line-item veto powers.

Actually, she puts out her proposal and then the Legislature completely ignores it. They put out their own baseline budget from which they work. The year the biggest cuts came (2010), Brewer actually sat down with the University Presidents and said, "okay, how much can you really afford to be cut?" Based on their responses, she went out and got what she could.

Furthermore, the House with Kavanaugh as Approps Chair, was pretty much hands off in the negotiations. Senator Andy Biggs and the Governor hashed out most the budget and I can tell you that he has it out for higher education. It was his line in the sand for much of the negotiation.

The Legislature is the great enemy of education in this state and the Executive branch is the only thing that keeps the cuts from being worse. And unlike most other state programs, the Universities have other means of raising revenues to offset the costs. Programs like CPS and Medicaid don't have that luxury. The universities are politically-savy enough to know all this, so I don't feel too bad for them. If they planned their budgets off of her proposal, that was really stupid and they should have known better. It is more likely that she is just the scapegoat so President Crow doesn't have to look like the bad guy.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

When public tax revenues go in the toilet and the state is facing a $2 Billion shortfall in a $10 Billion budget, the definition of "as free as possible" looks completely different from when the state has surpluses to spend.

Exactly

If you look at similarly ranked universities you have a slew of big public universities that are about the same price - a couple publics that are more expensive and a couple publics that are less expensive (a couple thousand either way)

Most of the privates in that range are $30k-$35k

Given the budget situation and the rapidly rising costs of college across the board I really don't think the local situation is out of line

 

[Paso Fino]

West World has some fabric arena covers and we have one like that at our ranch. They are made to withstand very heavy winds. Ours keeps the temperature at least 10 degrees cooler in the summer, partly because the sides are open and a wind current seems to develop.

My only concerns are 1) the design as pictured seems to be open on only one end, and 2) when you have 50,000 plus people in there with the heat they give off, I am not so sure they will realize a significant temperature reduction.