Let's hope that the fund raising and season ticket selling effort led by Hornets owner George Shinn can raise at least $2 million for UNO athletics.
That infusion of cash will take care of next year. But, what about the future?
The future will be best served by an increase in student fees. As noted in many of our reports, UNO students pay some of the lowest student fees for athletics in the Sun Belt Conference. That fee must go up.
The fee increase, voted down last week, will likely be re-visited in the fall, and with a lower proposed increase.
UNO's fee must go up, and its student body numbers must increase. UNO has lost about 6,000 students post Katrina. That is a huge concern in the LSU system. If he student meant $5K to the UNO per year, that would mean a loss of 6,000 students costs the University of New Orleans about $3 million per school year.
UNO has work to do, not just in its athletic department.
Ed Daniels