November 1, 2007 Chat Transcript

running_momma_c	Hello
JustinD341	Hello
Prez	Hello running_momma_c and JustinD341
running_momma_c	I have never been in a chat room before. So forgive me if I make any mistakes.
Prez	Hello kburns
Prez	running_moma_c: there is no such thing as mistakes:)
kburns	Hi. I am interested to see what people think about athletics
Prez	kburns: that's why we're here.
running_momma_c	I am in favor of athletics and wish that I had the opportunity while I was in college.
Prez	As you know we are considering the possibility of expanding our current club and intramural sports program to varsity intercollegiate, and I am interested in hearing thoughts from others.
JustinD341	what does varsity intercollegiate mean?
prez	This would involve expanding our current involvement in the NJCAA as a club to becoming a varsity member. This would allow BCC teams to participate at the competitive level and make our teams eligible for post season play.
JustinD341	ah, I think that'd be great, teams should be able to show their skills at competitive level, plus competition is one of the best parts of any sport
running_momma_c	What do you see as the pros and cons of making this jump.
Prez	Well for both Justin & Running Momma, the "pros" would involve making available a wonderful co-curricular opportunity to our students. I have mentioned many times how the co-curricular activities (theatre, CJ Club, Portuguese Club, etc.) enrich the students' education at BCC. In addition, there is the value in having BCC's name appear regularly in the press. More and more people from the community will learn about BCC. As for the "cons," we really do not view this as anything but a positive force for our students and the college. Of course, there are issues to be carefully considered. Student-athlete academic performance, strict NCJAA standards about eligibility will help alleviate this issue. Of course, money is always a concern, but these sports are and will be primarily supported by our existing Student Activities Fee.
JustinD341	i think it should definetly be impented then, i agree that sports are a great enrichment and they would definetly get the schools name out there more, if theres no real big downside to it then go for it, as a little side note i just want to say i'd like to see a fenceing club and i know a few other people who agree with me, just wanted to throw that out there
Prez	Thank you, Justin. I'll ask Kathy Burns and VP Ozug to look into a fencing club. This is a terrific idea--and it reflects the diverse interests across our BCC Family.
Prez	How about anyone else out there? Do you see any other "pros" or "cons"???
running_momma_c	Why is this such a difficult decision when everything appears so positive? Do we want to crawl before we run or have we been walking and now are ready to run.
Prez	Momma: It has been a cautious process, but before launching such a major initiative (as always) I want to be sure that everyone has an opportunity to weigh in on the matter.
Dtracy	I am certainly a proponent of athletics, coming from an institution that had several inter-collegiate teams. It is also a decision factor when students are deciding on a college to attend. I look forward to both the enhanced student life and marketing potential of athletics.
jfrias14	True
Prez	DTracy: Thank you. Two institutions where I have served (CCRI and Anne Arundel CC) have major nationally ranked teams in their programs. I have seen how it boosts College morale as well as the wonderful value sports have for students (and the rest of us).
JustinD341	May I ask why this was never done before? Why the decision to do it now?
Prez	Justin: I can only speak for things since my arrival--SEVEN YEARS ago! But in most of those 7 years, we have been somewhat preoccupied in saving peoples' jobs and our programs. During those crisis years, there simply were not enough resources to launch such a major enterprise.
JustinD341	Ah. I understand. I didn't know that the school had been through rough times like that. I'm glad to see things must be getting better then.
Prez	Hi Justin: Yes, things are IMPROVING, but we still have a long way to go.
JustinD341	It's been very enjoyable chatting but I need to pack up for class. I hope the rest of the discussion is as positive as it has been. I really enjoy the college and hope to see only better things in the furture. Everyone, have a nice day.
Prez	justin: thank you. Good luck to you.
Prez	Are there any other topics on your mind besides athletics???
Seeking_solutions_	Hi President Sbrega, As you know the college has grown exponentially since you have been President. We have two new campuses, several new programs, the CTL, Presidential Fellowships and now you have brought BCC to intra collegiate activities. The Debate and Forensics Team are very active and speak very well of BCC and the new soccer club has given our students, especially our ESL students a new sense of belonging to the college community. The soccer team also emphasizes physical fitness as well. My question?.. How does the College support these many initiatives fiscally, especially in these times of increasing expenses ?
Prez	Hi Seeking: Thank you for this question. The short answer is that we have to make continuous adjustments to fiscal realities. The CTL (now Lash CTL) came about through a valuable Title III Grant--and now the generous donations of the Lash Family have helped keep it afloat. The Prez Fellowship is "merely" a matter of approving Reassigned Time--and look at the value we have derived from those Fellowships. (BTW, sabbaticals are USUALLY approved for FACULTY (as another form of faculty reassigned time), but I have had to make some difficult decisions about the overall costs associated with ALL sabbatical requests. Some simply could not be approved at that time.) The Debate & F Team and the SkillsUSA competition are two examples of curtailing "requests" to the funds available. We have participation in these activities but not to the full extent that the "advisors/coaches" would like. Is some better than none?
Seeking_solutions_	Yes I agree that some is certainly better than none and I applaud all of your efforts. Were you yourself involved in sports in college?
Prez	Hi Seeking: Thank you. This is a great place full of wonderful people. I am excited about the many more new initiatives that we could launch--IF we had more resources. In answer to your question, I did play both football & baseball at Union College (Div III)--no scholarships. It was an extremely valuable experience in my education. I often think that the Div III approach should be adopted by the Div I &II schools. We would have much less "junk" on the national intercollegiate scene if that were the case.
kay	hello everyone
poe	hello ?
Prez	Hi Kay: What is on your mind?
Poe	I am poe.
kay	well i was just coming in to see what everyone else was chatting about
poe	it is too bad we can't see the previous chat before we join in.
prez	Hi Poe & Kay: We have been discussing the pros & cons (mostly Pros) of launching intercollegiate varsity sports at BCC.
Poe	I am all for it!
Kay	me too
Prez	Poe: Yes, I agree. But you should know that the transcript of the chat will be available (shortly) through the Office of the President on our BCC Homepage.
Poe	It's a great recruitment tool, and great for student spirit (not to mention health and visibility)!
Kay	yes an excellent recruitment tool
Prez	Yes, Kay & Poe, thank you for your comments.
Poe	How would a basketball team acquire space for practices and games?
Poe	how can members of the College community support you in advancing athletics here? Besides attednnig games, of course.
prez	Hi Poe, IF we start a basketball team (Men & Women), we would probably be looking to use gyms at the K-12 schools in the City.
Prez	Hi Poe, your support in venues like this makes a tremendous contribution. Thank you.
Seeking_Solutions	Prez, were you involved in sports in college?
Prez	Hi Seeking, I had responded but not before you had to leave the chat room. In fact, I did play both football & Baseball at Union College (Div. III). those experiences were valuable parts of my holistic education. (I often reflect that if the Div I & II schools were to adopt the Div III approach (e.g., no scholarships), then the national "junk" that clutters our intercollegiate landscape would be considerably lessened.
Prez	Any last minute questions? How about from you "Lurkers"???
Seeking_Solutions	Very good. Sorry that you had to respond twice.
Prez	Thank you, everyone. I have enjoyed this chat--and obtained some good ideas. See you at the Art Gallery tonight???