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Letter from Ms. Barbour

It is factual that the Lasch building renovations are still not completed. Individual position rooms need major overhaul. Some of the desks and arm rests have exposed wood on them and seating that hasn’t changed since the original construction. There are some players who have trouble fitting in the seats.
Until recently the photo wallpaper in the players lounge had a shot of Bill O’Brien leading the players out of the tunnel.
A significant amount of the facility pales in comparison to the upgrades made by Ohio State or the 40-50 million dollar new facility built by the University of Kentucky ( I urge you to Google a look at that facility).
Recruiting has been great over the last two years so many will scoff at the need for these upgrades but back to back double digit winning seasons helps that.
If ( and unavoidably when ) we “dip” to a 9 win season an upgrade to the level of our biggest rivals will help during any lean years as we continue to compete for the top .
Get a tour of the facility for yourself and then see if your commitment is as strong as those you are watching on Saturday or busting their hump from December to February.

BTW to be fair the letter asked for any amount of $ you can provide will be appreciated and help, not just $15,000


Why aren't the Lasch renovations complete? Didn't construction begin sometime in 2015? Construction delays or shortage of money?
The renovations were done piecemeal. A few areas at a time due to costs.
 
If you have to send out mass emails to get a few $15k donations, that doesn't give anyone a warm fuzzy that you can raise $500+ million for the stadium
You don’t raise $500 million through mass emails for 15K, you raise it through relationships forged with big donors who are capable of donating $100k to $1million or more apiece. The Development Office knows that and they know who those people are. They probably already have a history of making very large contributions. Sometimes they started out making small contributions of 15k and now make contributions many times that amount annually. The Pegula ice rink is a good example as is the donor who gave a huge contribution to the scool of communications, and for whom it is now named - Bellisario who I believe is a Hollywood TV producer (NCIS among other shows). Every contribution helps but it’s the very large contribitors who get projects like this done. Fund raising of this magnitude is a science as well as an art.
 
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I can understand some expenses, but maybe the fluorescent disco lighting in Lasch (that looks really cool with the lights off) should have been put on hold.
 
I can understand some expenses, but maybe the fluorescent disco lighting in Lasch (that looks really cool with the lights off) should have been put on hold.
Disagree. The Lasch building needed all the upgrades it could get. I could not believe how run down it was when I went through it. It was highschool level. I contribute partly out of respect for Joe. There were some scumbags that wanted to destroy Penn State Football. A lot of folks were not going to allow that to happen and look at where we are today.
It's amazing that we had all these people willing to donate then and yet the facilities were garbage. I love my PSU brethren but some of us want the best program in the country but we want to pay blue light specials to get it.
 
You don’t raise $500 million through mass emails for 15K, you raise it through relationships forged with big donors who are capable of donating $100k to $1million or more apiece. The Development Office knows that and they know who those people are. They probably already have a history of making very large contributions. Sometimes they started out making small contributions of 15k and now make contributions many times that amount annually. The Pegula ice rink is a good example as is the donor who gave a huge contribution to the scool of communications, and for whom it is now named - Bellisario who I believe is a Hollywood TV producer (NCIS among other shows). Every contribution helps but it’s the very large contribitors who get projects like this done. Fund raising of this magnitude is a science as well as an art.


If you look at all of the potential projects envisaged by the Master Plan, the bill is likely to be considerably more than $500 mil.
 
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If you look at all of the potential projects envisaged by the Master Plan, the bill is likely to be considerably more than $500 mil.
This may seem like a stupid question but does Football have the big donors like a Pegula for hockey. There was the Lasch family but I was just curious. I know we have donors but I'm talking folks who can donate upwards of 10 million.
 
Is it the special locker that Mike McQueary slammed shut to 'end it'? For that price it need to be special in some sort of way.
Nope, minimum price for one of those lockers is several million....aka Mike’s recovery in his lawsuit and the average victim’s settlement.
 
You don’t raise $500 million through mass emails for 15K, you raise it through relationships forged with big donors who are capable of donating $100k to $1million or more apiece. The Development Office knows that and they know who those people are. They probably already have a history of making very large contributions. Sometimes they started out making small contributions of 15k and now make contributions many times that amount annually. The Pegula ice rink is a good example as is the donor who gave a huge contribution to the scool of communications, and for whom it is now named - Bellisario who I believe is a Hollywood TV producer (NCIS among other shows). Every contribution helps but it’s the very large contribitors who get projects like this done. Fund raising of this magnitude is a science as well as an art.

And as an insider, you know that the very large contributors aren't giving. If you are really on the inside, you know the whole story here, right? Why don't you go ahead and tell it?
 
I've checked my email and snail mail for the past several days and have yet to receive a solicitation from Sandy. She must know of one of the poor folk.
 
The renovations were done piecemeal. A few areas at a time due to costs.

Hmm, capital or all the assistant to the assistant ad's? Oh, if only the university and athletic program hadn't squandered all those funds in order to trash the program and school.
 
Just received a letter from Ms. Barbour asking if I wanted to give $15,000 to buy a new locker. As a retiree, I am stretching to cover the increase in ticket cost.
Some of you guys seem to want the football program to flounder. I get being angry at the University but I don't get taking it out on the Football program or the kids that play for us. Oh well - to each his own.
 
If you look at all of the potential projects envisaged by the Master Plan, the bill is likely to be considerably more than $500 mil.
They will never do all the things on the Master Plan and the Beaver Stadium upgrades will never be $400M. Not enough donations for that.
 
I don't want the football program to flounder. Far from it. That's a hell of a lot different than refusing to give them $15K for a locker.

What a stupid thing to say.
Unfortunately if people do not contribute then facilities do not get updated and yes then eventually the football program will flounder. Not stupid just logic.
 
I don't want the football program to flounder. Far from it. That's a hell of a lot different than refusing to give them $15K for a locker.

What a stupid thing to say.
No one said you had to give 15k so get your facts straight. You could give $50 and that would be appreciated. That's what the letter said but you have to pull the extreme out to shit all over the effort to raise some money to improve our facilities.
 
Feel free to give on my behalf, if it suits you. The BOT folk have enormous amounts of money, much of it due to their association with the school. They can solve this issue in a heartbeat if they see fit. After all, they created it.
Yeah, the rest of us will carry the freight until you deem it acceptable. Ok.
Again, I'm as mad at the OGBOT as anyone. I agree with you 100% but I'm not going to take it out on Penn State Football. That's as stupid and shortsighted as what the BOT did.
 
Unfortunately if people do not contribute then facilities do not get updated and yes then eventually the football program will flounder. Not stupid just logic.

Have they set a target of how much they hope to raise?
 
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I well remember how smug the BOT supporters were back in the day. Right here, on this very board, we were lectured that our withholding of funds would not matter. We were told that BOT supporters with deep pockets would step up and make up the difference, gladly and without being prompted. We were informed by CR and some others that our support would never be missed, so to get over ourselves when it came to the idea that stopping donating would be an effective tool to display our discontent. Won't work, they all said. Way too much money was available from the BOT-bots, who would give early and often with a smile on their faces.

Now, somebody is telling me that every $50 helps. My, how times have changed.

Too bad CR got evicted from that crappy house with the window AC and seems to no longer have internet access. I'd like to hear his spin on this one.
 
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After every assistant to the assistant ad hire I keep hearing how the department is awash in cash and how it can easily absorb the costs.
 
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