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Why is Jay Paterno Voting against Lasch improvements?

Just a couple of observations.
. Is college football a never ending arms race? yes However when this was being discussed I looked up the top 25 football facilities in the country. We weren't listed. Not top 10 top 25. As our Pres would say c'mon man. Aren't we in the top 5 in annual football revenue?
. "We have kids sleeping on the floor and students going hungry" seriously? Anyone who thinks by not doing a renovation will cure the other issues he mentions is dreaming.
our national ranking is dropping each year and I think we have the highest public tuition in the country [or damn close] About the only thing that can pay for itself is the football program

PSU's facilities aren't in the top whatever, as judged by a bunch of guys still sleeping on sofas in the basements of their parents' homes, because it spends revenue generated by the football program on other shit.
 
When you pay a top ten coaching salary, you should be serious about football. Then again, Stanford does and seems like they DGAF either way.
Exactly, its the ultimate half measure. $6m for a HC and $1.2 for an OC, but otherwise, we are going to close the pocketbook. Makes little sense....in or out.
 
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When you pay a top ten coaching salary, you should be serious about football. Then again, Stanford does and seems like they DGAF either way.
At Stanford, it only depends on whether Brad Freeman GAF, which depends on what kind of day Brad is having.
 
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No. Trustees have a fiduciary obligation to the University, not to rubber stamp anything the administration or a football coach want. BTW, did Franklin appear before the Board to make a case for the expenditure?

Who cares. It passed. The football program is a 50+ million dollar annual cash cow. Why shouldn't they be allowed to borrow money?
 
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Perhaps this is old news but it is news to me. According to the article linked below, Jay Paterno is one of 6 Trustees who voted against improvements to the Lasch building. I would think he would be one of the Trustees advocating support for the football program that his father built. IMO, it really comes off poorly to be one of the few trustees voting against improvements that are required to enable Franklin to compete for a national championship in today's college football world.

https://247sports.com/college/penn-state/Article/Penn-State-AD-James-Franklin-knows-hes-wanted-here-Sandy-Barbour-173359865/?utm_source=247Sports%20Newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=211018_012933_PennStateNittanyLions&utm_content=Link&eid=a310ce6c7f7d4b28b5c1531365e252901d0a386b5afb39a0e443c8d087bbfb6d
Why is Mark Brennan still stirring this pot?
 
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Like most issues, there is nuance that can't be boiled down into "right or wrong." Franklin has been tasked with operating a football program that thrives on the field. Of course he will(and should) want any resource or commitment that gets him to that end. If he didn't, why would he want to coach here, seriously? Jay has a responsibility to the financial vitality of the University for years to come, not merely the football program. He has a responsibility for fiscal stewardship that impacts the entirety of the university and as he stated, that is a tough proposition as the school becomes less and less affordable and they are furloughing teachers and academic projects. Both are trying to do what is right for their particular departments. You see this everywhere and business and life. That said, and I have constantly belabored the point, I don't particularly understand why Penn State enacts "half-measures" when it comes to football. Either commit everything you need to promoting a championship football team(coaching salaries, facilities, NIL opportunities, dare I say....relaxed academic standards) OR don't pay a top 10 coach $6M a year while providing average support/resources around him? I think we have conflated "success with honor" with being great at all things(wonderful academic institution with perennial championship football) as though those virtues can really coexist in the current College football environment. News flash, they can't. You have to be willing to cheat, steal, cut other sports, steroids, pay players, get rid of non revenue producing sports etc. Name the last champion that was a paragon of "Success with Honor?" If Franklin ever does leave, it will be because he did not feel FULL commitment from the university to produce a championship level football team. And look, we don't have to have a championship level football team, but if you don't want all the expenses and that come with that, then you need to be okay with average coaching, 8-9 win seasons. The top 10-15 coaches want to go to places that are ALL IN on winning. You want to know why it is even rumored that Franklin could go to an LSU or USC? Because there is no doubt those places will provide everything possible to win a championship.

Interesting posit. But I don't think PSU is alone in enacting "half measures" with regard to its football. It seems like all programs sans Bama, LSU, Georgia, USC, Clemson and Oregon also do it. So is it necessarily a bad thing? Look, I don't know all the intricacies surrounding PSU's finances (Art seems to have a handle on it) but Jay's stated position seems to be a prudent one. In fact, we could use more like him in Congress. Just because money is currently cheap doesn't mean we should mortgage our kids' future.
 
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Who cares. It passed. The football program is a 50+ million dollar annual cash cow. Why shouldn't they be allowed to borrow money?

The football program isn't a legal entity so it can't borrow money. Same is true of the Athletic Department. Only the University can borrow money.

But when the Athletic Department can't repay the University because it spent the money on other shit and the University has to repay its lenders, guess where the money comes from? Your tax and tuition dollars at work.
 
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Interesting posit. But I don't think PSU is alone in enacting "half measures" with regard to its football. It seems like all programs sans Bama, LSU, Georgia, USC, Clemson and Oregon also do it. So is it necessarily a bad thing? Look, I don't know all the intricacies surrounding PSU's finances (Art seems to have a handle on it) but Jay's stated position seems to be a prudent one. In fact, we could use more like him in Congress. Just because money is currently cheap doesn't mean we should mortgage our kids' future.
100% aligned with your point, but then maybe those on the board shouldn't hand wring about 9 or 10 win seasons and Franklin potentially flirting with other programs. Success with honor really just means strong academically and at football, not championship level or commitment to either. In a world where you can't be both, I guess we are doing pretty damn well. Can't blame Franklin for leaving though, he is(or is not?) Hired to win championships?

Just because other programs are in the same predicament, doesn't make it more sensible. I could make a rather strong argument that Stanford and Northwestern don't need football. Granted, its a luxury at those universities l, they certainly aren't strapped for cash like penn state appears to be.
 
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When you pay a top ten coaching salary, you should be serious about football. Then again, Stanford does and seems like they DGAF either way.
I don't Jay's no vote meant that he wasn't serious about football.
 
100% aligned with your point, but then maybe those on the board shouldn't hand wring about 9 or 10 win seasons and Franklin potentially flirting with other programs. Success with honor really just means strong academically and at football, not championship level or commitment to either. In a world where you can't be both, I guess we are doing pretty damn well. Can't blame Franklin for leaving though, he is(or is not?) Hired to win championships?

Just because other programs are in the same predicament, doesn't make it more sensible. I could make a rather strong argument that Stanford and Northwestern don't need football. Granted, its a luxury at those universities l, they certainly aren't strapped for cash like penn state appears to be.
I'm with those advocating for the university and athletic department to manage the football program in a fiscally responsible manner. I also agree with you that those years in which PSU is even in the CFP conversation will be outliers.
 
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No. Trustees have a fiduciary obligation to the University, not to rubber stamp anything the administration or a football coach want. BTW, did Franklin appear before the Board to make a case for the expenditure?
You mean like how they “exercised” their fiduciary duties during the Sandusky situation? The judge overseeing their lawsuit to recoup settlements they paid to “victims” real and imagined from insurance carriers even ripped them for abrogating those duties by not vetting those claims. So who exactly went before the Board then to justify those payments?
 
I believe something like 3/4 of D1 football teams operate at a loss.
The rich make well get richer, but how about the rest.
 
It's old news but this message board can make my head spin sometimes. Two conflicting trains of thought...

A) The BoT provides no meaningful oversight for finances involving construction projects. It simply says "OK" to whatever the evil cabal proposes.

B) BoT members are criticized for attempting to provide oversight for finances involving constructions projects. 🤷‍♂️

I'm all for supporting the football program but barring a huge private gift which makes it possible, a football construction project shouldn't be rubber stamped simply because it's for football.
Football attendance is over 100k every game. It keeps alumni engaged with the University and both indirectly and directly results in a ton of donations from alumni. It is a tremendous attraction for students applying to PSU as well. The importance of the PSU football program to the University cannot be understated and it deserves facilities that compete with the best facilities in the country. If the facilities are not among the best in the country, then the football program is underfunded.

Over 80% of the Trustees voted for the improvement to the football facility. Jay Paterno was in the minority voting against the improvement to the football facility which I think is odd. It is not unreasonable to expect a former football coach (whose very presence on the BOT is a direct result of the football program) to advocate on behalf of the football program. Jay Paterno's no vote is a clear statement to me that he is not an advocate an advocate for the football program.
 
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You mean like how they “exercised” their fiduciary duties during the Sandusky situation? The judge overseeing their lawsuit to recoup settlements they paid to “victims” real and imagined from insurance carriers even ripped them for abrogating those duties by not vetting those claims. So who exactly went before the Board then to justify those payments?

They fvcked in that case so that gives them license to fvck up forever, or are they only allowed to fvck up when you like what they're spending the money on?
 
Helps that Clark punched way above his weight class.

Going back to the Morelli years there were WR's constantly running wide open. He had trouble hitting them, but it was a well designed offense. Galen and Jay worked well together.
 
Why do I have the feeling your not really being truthful here and that you posted this just to stir things up on the board - Mark Brennan is that you?

Perhaps this is old news but it is news to me. According to the article linked below, Jay Paterno is one of 6 Trustees who voted against improvements to the Lasch building. I would think he would be one of the Trustees advocating support for the football program that his father built. IMO, it really comes off poorly to be one of the few trustees voting against improvements that are required to enable Franklin to compete for a national championship in today's college football world.

https://247sports.com/college/penn-state/Article/Penn-State-AD-James-Franklin-knows-hes-wanted-here-Sandy-Barbour-173359865/?utm_source=247Sports%20Newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=211018_012933_PennStateNittanyLions&utm_content=Link&eid=a310ce6c7f7d4b28b5c1531365e252901d0a386b5afb39a0e443c8d087bbfb6d
 
Football attendance is over 100k every game. It keeps alumni engaged with the University and both indirectly and directly results in a ton of donations from alumni. It is a tremendous attraction for students applying to PSU as well. The importance of the PSU football program to the University cannot be understated and it deserves facilities that compete with the best facilities in the country. If the facilities are not among the best in the country, then the football program is underfunded.

Over 80% of the Trustees voted for the improvement to the football facility. Jay Paterno was in the minority voting against the improvement to the football facility which I think is odd. It is not unreasonable to expect a former football coach (whose very presence on the BOT is a direct result of the football program) to advocate on behalf of the football program. Jay Paterno's no vote is a clear statement to me that he is not an advocate an advocate for the football program.
Can’t help but think there is some veiled vindictiveness on his part but mostly speculation on my part. Was never a fan and heard a lot of unflattering stuff over the years.
 
Perhaps this is old news but it is news to me. According to the article linked below, Jay Paterno is one of 6 Trustees who voted against improvements to the Lasch building. I would think he would be one of the Trustees advocating support for the football program that his father built. IMO, it really comes off poorly to be one of the few trustees voting against improvements that are required to enable Franklin to compete for a national championship in today's college football world.

https://247sports.com/college/penn-state/Article/Penn-State-AD-James-Franklin-knows-hes-wanted-here-Sandy-Barbour-173359865/?utm_source=247Sports%20Newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=211018_012933_PennStateNittanyLions&utm_content=Link&eid=a310ce6c7f7d4b28b5c1531365e252901d0a386b5afb39a0e443c8d087bbfb6d
Thank you to the 6 adults. College sports lacks adult supervision. Jay was correct.
 
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