Silence at the 50

Part of everyone's ideal college experience probably, at some point, contains taking some food off the grill, washing it down with beer from a red Solo cup, and going in to watch the football team play a big game with high stakes. Being someone who loves football, the second week of school some of my fellow freshmen and I wandered over to the stadium to watch my alma mater play an Atlantic 10 rival. After that, homecoming games not withstanding, I never went to another football game.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one. Last month, Hofstra University announced its decision to drop its football team, effective next year. My initial reaction to this was, "Yep, it's sad, but it makes sense." At a school with over 10,000 students, you should be able to muster enough support for a football team, but alas. If I had to point to reasons why this has come about, I'd cite three main things: 1) The team is 1-AA and has not been terribly competitive since before I got there in 2002. Who wants to give up their Saturday afternoon of nursing a hangover to go watch a 3-5 team play the much feared Furman Paladins? 2) The school's strict tailgating rules until just this past year forbade regular tailgating. Now you're really making it unappealing to students. Finally, 3) the stadium is a large, uncomfortable wind-tunnel. The concessions are lame. There's no predominant student section (as there is at the basketball games, which are well attended.). Basically, the atmosphere is just not fun. I could add here a fourth possible point, and that is this:

Student who is definitely 21 years old #1: "Hey, want to go to happy hour?"

Student who is definitely 21 years old #2: "No, sir, I want to be in capital form to attend the football game tomorrow morning."

That conversation has never happened in the history of Hofstra students. The happy hour offered at the local bars is so phenomenal and lasts so long, that life on campus doesn't begin until about 3PM on Saturdays. Well, at least that was my personal reason for not going.

I was amazed at the number of my former classmates who were outraged when the school announced the decision to drop football. These were the same people that just a few years ago couldn't be bothered to go support the team when they could see the stadium from the dorm--they're gonna go back now? I understand those who fear it's effect on homecoming, but in reality, homecoming was about us finding a way to tailgate and more often than not, we never went into the game anyway. They could've been playing midget hockey in the stadium, and I would've never known. I expect that they'll simply make the soccer team's game the homecoming game instead.

The school has promised to reinvest the money into "the students," and in principle, I absolutely agree with this. However, with the administration's history of regularly investing its money into puzzling things (exotic and rare trees, walking bridges in an area no one goes to, bushes shaped like cocks), I am dubious that this will actually happen, and I certainly don't believe them when they say they're hurting for cash, having just opened a medical school. I would strongly advise President Rabinowitz that they invest at least part of their newfound money ($4.5 million annually) in something tangible to improve student life, since that is in essence what they just took away. Scholarships are well and good, but the morale on campus can be absolutely depressing at times, and most students find they need to leave campus for any kind of entertainment.

That being said, I look forward to seeing our new Japanese White Oak next to the student center while dandelions grow on the grave of Hofstra football.