Dear Jonathan,
I'm from the class of '70 and played on Bill Campbell's first freshmen team. I'm also from the same law school class as you.
I don't know if you've been sitting on the sidelines for this ongoing horror show; but, if you have, the time is long past due for you to enter the scene and lead the charge for change. Bill Campbell whom I have enormous respect for and regard as a friend has failed in this respect. As for President Bollinger, his public position on this issue is concrete evidence that he either does not understand this issue or doesn't think it is a priority. As for Dianne Murphy, her record of failure speaks for itself.
At this point in time, many of the most loyal of Lions have finally given up. They no longer attend games, contribute money to the team or even don CU football gear (to avoid public ridicule). Of the dozen or so guys from my class who played and regularly attended games, there are only three of us who still go to the games. And most have stopped giving money to the program. This abandonment is not limited to my class either. It permeates throughout all the football classes.
We need a new AD and coach as soon as possible. Of equal importance, we need the selection process to be outsourced to professionals. Our past efforts to do this internally have failed time and time again.
I have been pleased to observe you in attendance at most basketball games. I'm sure you will agree that the wonderful energy and excitement that our successful basketball team has brought ( and will bring) to the Columbia community is a joy to experience, a boon to school spirit, and enhances the public perception of Columbia. Can you imagine the excitement and joy a winning football team would bring to the Columbia family?
I hope you will bring your good offices to bear and bring this sadness to an immediate end. In this connection, we don't have to move mountains, we merely need to bring in an experienced AD and talented coach. The sooner the better! The current and future players deserve no less as does the entire Columbia community.
I wish you the best of luck in your new position.
Peter Stevens '70C '73L
Friday, November 14, 2014
The Right Message
The following is the text of a letter written to Columbia Board of Trustees Chair Jonathan Schiller:
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4 comments:
I know Pete a but and respect him. He's a sincere and generously supportive fan. And if he's been moved to write this sort of letter, well, these really are, in Lions' terms, "the times that try men's souls." I only hope that this letter generates similar efforts by others, and that it goes somewhere positive and leads ti genuine improvements.
On a brighter note, men's basketball opens up tonight and CU will be the opponent in a first-ever home game at Stony Brook.
Good for you, Peter.
This concept is so fair, so logical, so basically smart that I can't comprehend why CU admin would turn a blind eye.
External expert analysis and search; what's the big problem? If anything, it would get all of us off their backs.
Tragic thought: note "us" and "them" references above, Yes, it has come to that.
Thank you, Mr. Stevens, you're obviously a gifted attorney. Your brief on behalf of Lion fans resounds with reason as well as passion, and is not rebuttable.
You'd be a great asset for Rich Forzani's CAEC, an alumni group he organized to persuade the Admin to commission a professional outside review of the program. Of course, they've stiffed him as they have all Columbia loyalists.
But this is a fight worth fighting.
I don't get the impression polite letters will make an impact. The politics of the situation have become pretty clear. To run with the pack, one must follow the lead of the alpha dog. There is no room for anything but yes men/women in this group.
The really sad reality is BillC has never had a wink of a solution when it comes to running a football program.
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