Ask the AD -- September Edition
10/01/2009 | 12:00:00 | General
Oct. 1, 2009
This is the latest installment of our monthly feature called, "Ask the AD." If you have questions for Saluki Director of Athletics Mario Moccia, feel free to submit them by e-mail.
E-Mail a question to Mario Moccia
For recent grads who would love to give back, is there a brick program that we can donate to?
We are in the process of creating the method we will use to recognize Saluki Way gifts. One possibility is a donor wall, where we could recognize individuals who donate a specific amount to Saluki Way. Donors of smaller amounts would be recognized, as well, in an adjacent area. Once the plans are finalized, we will inform all donors and promote this through our website and the Alumni Association magazine. We appreciate your consideration of supporting this historic project.
Do you have any ideas for special plans for the first game in the new stadium?
The first game in the stadium will be on a Thursday night against Quincy University on Sept. 2, 2010. First and foremost, we need to do our best to ensure the game is a sell-out. I think this would be accomplished easily with a new, 15,000-seat stadium, but our biggest crowd in the past decade has only been 14,400 (the 2008 UNI game). We might put together a committee of community leaders in southern Illinois to assist us in selling tickets to achieve a sell-out. There also could be a stadium dedication, a fly-over, a premium game-day commemorative giveaway, and we have kicked around many other ideas as well. As always, any suggestions would be appreciated and considered.
When will the arena extension be occupied, and would you please list some of the project milestones with schedule dates?
The athletic support building is scheduled for completion in October, 2010. The football stadium is scheduled to be completed in July, 2010, and the renovation to the arena is scheduled to be finished by October, 2010.
In the renovated arena, will there be a small block of seats set aside in the lower bowl for our past letterwinners, athletes and coaches?
At the present time in the SIU Arena, we do not offer special seating areas for letterwinners or coaches. The current seating reallocation plan, which can be viewed at www.salukiwayproject.com, can answer most questions on how seating in the renovated arena and new football stadium will be allocated. The current plan is in place to be the most fair, equitable and consistent to all of our supporters, while generating enough money ($20M in private giving must be raised) to pay for the completion of the project.
Rumor has it that Athletics is only allowing one Saluki dog at football games this season? Personally, I think the students, alumni, and children love to see the Saluki dogs at the tailgates and the games. The more dogs accessible/visible to fans the better!
That rumor is incorrect. The policy has not changed from last year -- two dogs and two handlers per dog are scheduled for each game. Looking ahead to next year at the new stadium, we will re-evaluate the policy after we get a feel for how much space we have around the playing field without a track.
What opportunities do you offer for volunteers to work in the Athletic Department? I've been retired for a couple of years and desire to move back north from the hot, humid south. My wife and I grew up in Carbondale, and I am 1967 graduate of SIU. I would like to work as an unpaid volunteer, perhaps in academic tutoring.
We have many unpaid volunteers in the athletic department. We also have interns and graduate assistants, who are trying to break into the field of intercollegiate athletics. Traditionally, the volunteers are students trying to build up their resumes for future career opportunities, but we would certainly jump at the chance to talk to anyone who is interested in assisting us. Kristina Therriault, our Assistant AD for Academic Services, would be the one to contact, and she would ascertain what our needs are, as well as other factors (the volunteers' background, reference checks, etc.). As you can imagine, we would need to verify all individuals who would work closely with our student-athletes. We appreciate your consideration of assisting us.
