Former UNC-system President C.D. Spangler, Jr. wants system leaders to say no to a proposed student fee increase to help UNC Charlotte start a football team.
In a letter sent to the system's Board of Governors, Spangler, a Charlotte businessman, recalled the state statute that says the university system should be "free of expense, as far as practical"
"This provision seems to be straight forward: The great benefits of the University should be extended as low cost to the students as is reasonable," Spangler wrote in his letter. "There is no way our founding fathers could have written this thinking the Football Fees being proposed by the "Football Committee" made sense."
Click here to read the letter.
UNC Charlotte trustees last month backed a fee plan that, if approved by the BOG, would gradually increase student fees by up to $320 in fall 2014 to launch a football team. That includes a $120 debt service fee to pay for building a football stadium.
BOG members discussed the proposed fees on Thursday in Chapel Hill, and will vote on tuition and fee packages for all system schools next month.
Spangler wrote he thinks the proposed football fees would be a roadblock to families who want to attend the university. He said football committee members "are more familiar with (country) club dues than they are with the financial condition of the students at our more than 300 public high schools."
Spangler's letter questions whether there was broad support among students for football, and states that less than 10 percent of the student body "voted for an imprecisely worded football activity."
It is unclear what study Spangler is referencing. However, in 2007, about 39 percent of university students took part in a special poll by the Student Government Association. Of those, 78 percent indicated they would support a fee increase to help pay for football.
Spangler has voiced his concerns about the football program before. In February 2008, he and another former UNC system President, William Friday, spoke on the topic with faculty at UNC Charlotte. Friday also was a founding co-chairman of the Knight Commission for Intercollegiate Athletics.
UNC Charlotte has posted video of the Spangler and Friday remarks, as well as remarks and reports from Chancellor Phil Dubois and a football feasibility committee who recommended football on its web site. View those materials by clicking here.
- April Bethea
Posts
72 comments:
Hey, Observer...
YOU LOST.
We're adding football, no thanks to you. Pick some other cause to harp on endlessly.
The partisanship towards UNC is hardly invisible in his "support" for UNCC plying a no-vote for Football. What a joke. OK, no football for Charlotte, drop the program in Chapel Hill. For that matter, drop the program at State and at all the schools in the UNC system. Note Spangler's real estate interests and boycott them, picket them, start some s..t I say.
Spangler needs to wise up. The fees discussed for students at UNCC are less than I paid to attend college in Maine in the 1980s - and we didn't have football. Once established football will help fund other things. To delay further will only increase the start up costs. Come into the 20th Centry Mr. Spangler as the rest of us are in the 21st already.
I dont care either way really, but this guy has alot of nerve. I agree with the previous poster...if football is so expensive then the rest of the schools in the UNC system need to drop it. Sure, they may already have stadiums and facilities....but I am sure it cost millions in upkeep. At best...as soon as they need to upgrade or build a new stadium...then eliminate the program. Goes for basketball too. When the Dean Dome is in need of replacement, lets shut down basketball at UNC.
Get a life old man.
Spangler is just trying to protect his Tar Heels - there are already too many teams overshadowing them!
Here we go again another stupid old man trying to be bias towards his school while pretending to care about the future of UNCC. I wonder what his thoughts are about East Carolina or Western Carolina and their football programs? I have talked to many alumi folks and they all have said they would love to see UNCC have football. I think his thoughts are both foolish and does not take into account the true interest of the University.
"Free of expense, as far as practical"
Perhaps the UNCC Board of Governors should work for free. Talk about wasting money.
Mr. Spangler should also remember that the students vote in favor of a fee increase to pay for football.
*voted
Just another example of the UNC elite believing that they are the only university in North Carolina.Spangler and Friday thought they could come to Charlotte have their way. It pissed them off to no end that UNC Charlotte dared to go against their selfish suggestions to keep football out of Charlotte. It will be a sweet day the first time Charlotte football knocks off Carolina.
This is the same guy who invited himself to our campus and proceeded to piss off all of our faculty, staff, and students by telling us that we should be happy with having a flag football team. He said if we wanted to watch football we could go to NC State or Chapel Hill. That's a slap in the face to the whole University.
Spangler hates athletics in general. He isn't a UNC homer in regards to sports. He would assume all Sports be killed.
Also, the student vote, that Dick Spangler refers to in his letter as being less than 10% of the student body, was the highest turnout for a student vote in the history of the UNC System.
for an ex president of the UNC system, you would think he could get his facts right, that letter is full of false statements. I guess when you are a billionaire you just write anything and the Observer will publicize it as fact.
In his letter he suggests that attention to fund raising for academic programs has been diverted.
I ask him: What say you of the Levine Scholarship, funded with the largest private donation in the history of the school, and announced after the football initiative was set in motion?
4:28 is right. C.D. Spangler has no love lost for NCAA Div. I (or whatever they call it now) revenue-producing sports.
I disagree with him, but only because we do not live in a perfect world. In a perfect world, colleges and universities would exist solely to educate students, not to provide farm clubs for the NFL and NBA. But as Bear Bryant famously said, "it's hard to rally 'round a math class." College sports are here to stay and I am in favor of UNCC having football, just as I am in favor of the state providing more funding for UNCC.
4:16, calling him stupid just because he disagrees with you is, well, stupid. Also, check your grammar. I hope that it does not reflect any English class you may have taken in the UNC system.
ENOUGH!! I have no dog in this fight whatsoever, but I think that UNCC deserves a football team and a university of this size not to have one, does not serve the students and faculty of UNCC well! I can name other colleges with a fraction of the student body that UNCC has..like they say on ESPN, "C'mone man"! Let these old people be old people and let the young people be young!
Dick Spangler has never been a friend of UNC Charlotte. And as far as I am concerned, he will never be welcome on the UNC Charlotte campus.
Don't even attempt to get a ticket to the first home football game in 2013, Dick!
4:39, the Levine Scholars(hips), while wonderful for UNCC, are not an academic program. They are scholarships. Spangler is referring to funding for things like engineering, English, math and chemistry. And yes, the state is woefully unfair to UNCC when it comes to funding. The fear is that by launching a football program, which will take time, effort and a lot of money, UNCC will seem insincere and afflicted by misplaced priorities when it lobbies for additional funding from the state for academic programs.
https://www.northcarolina.edu/bog/doc.php?code=bog&id=14719
click the football link above, page 13 and page 15 are key
total cost to attend:
UNC $17425
NCSU $16767
ECU $16405
NCC $16399
UNCW $15844
UNCC $15810
wow, another 150 for football is gonna break the backs of people
Mr Spangler is far from being a "stupid old man" He deserves respect - perhaps you should look into some of the good he has done for this city. BUT (and there's always a BUT) If football adds to the student experience, and the board has found a way to fund it through incubation - I think there's a way. C'mon everyone - CD Spangler deserves some respect - regardless of his thoughts behind this program.
Spangler says "less than 10% of the student body voted for football"
LIE!!!
37% did, and 78% said yes
how can a billionaire not get his facts straight????
C.D. Spangler went to Davidson. He is a very wise man whose thoughts should be respected and considered. His philanthropy has shown that he is always concerned about the financial impact that this decision and those like it will have on poorer students. It does not make any sense that we complain about the exorbitant cost of higher education and then want to add football.
He's right. If we truly cared about education, we might consider whether sports make sense at any of our public schools.
See how Spangler has his boys posting on this site in his honor. That is the type of personality the man has shown for 30 years. The man has negatively meddled in the affairs of this state for far too long.
And remember that Mr. Spangler likes running in circles with people like former Governor Mike Easley. That should tell you where the man butters his bread.
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/news/story/19917.html
We don't need football according to Ole Dick but I'd be willing to bet he thinks giving Ole Alma Mater an AIRPORT is a good use of resources.
Where's ole Dick advocating for the UNC CHARLOTTE Medical School? Where is his concern for UNC-C (as he still calls us) when ole Alma Mater is moving into our territory to head off demands for a UNC Charlotee ran REAL Med School instead of a Chapel Hill extention program.
Ole Dick is happy keeping UNC Charlotte "in it's place". He needs to go work on HIS intramurals.
Letter from Charlotte to Spangler... shut up and go home! What you are REALLY trying to do is to preserve your precious Raleigh, Durham, Chaple Hill monopoly on football.
Every reason you give for why UNCC shouldn't have football is equally true of Duke and UNC. Either propose dumping it there, or shut the H up!
Letter to CD Spangler from a Charlottean:
Sorry for the contemptible discourse on this page. I owe my job to your generosity.
Tim Collie,
Spangler has never let facts get in the way of his personal agendas. He used State of North Carolina Jets to fly up and down the east coast several times in the late 1980s, because rumors were started by Peter Goelenbock and ABC news that NC State basketball players had shaved points.
In the end, after hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent on this investigation, at Spanglers direction, NC State players were found guilty of three infractions.
They had sold some used basketball shoes, they had sold some of their complimented tickets, and three players had spent the night at an alumnus house over Christmas.
The result of these minor infractions was that Jim Valvano's reputation was besmirched and he was forced to resign. And Spangler placed puppets at the helm of NC State and placed sanctions on that University, which still negatively impact that sports program to this day.
Nope, I still have and will always have the deepest disrespect for this man, because personal power and preference is all he has displayed. Personally, he has displayed nothing that I can appreciate. I do not like autocrats.
spinelabel, thats great that he helped you with your job, but the stuff he keeps bringing up has been proven inaccurate many times over, so yes, people are getting sick of him and his disrespect for UNC Charlotte, its facutly, students, alumni, and fans. He owes UNC Charlotte and apology.
J T Shell, if your comments reflect what passes for an education at UNCC, they should consider shutting down the whole operation and starting over.
This Spangler guy is a joke and an old fart! Reminds me of the old people who didn't think we could walk on the moon. We did. UNCC is a great school and beat UNC and other state schools academically a few years ago. Plus we are all in the same UNC system.
4:45, You must be a Spangler Fan and UNC fan. There is nothing wrong with 4:16's comments. 4:16 makes some great points. Is East Carolina better? Plus it's a blog not an academic paper.
Spangler is out of touch with the times. Hey Crusty Spangler, you're supposed to be retired, so BE retired. You've had your day, now move on.
If I am interpreting it correctly, Mr. Spangler is trying to say that UNC-Charlotte is superior in academics and therefore should continue to take that course without having to sidetrack itself with a football program. Their academics itself hightlights the school's name. With that said, he is therefore on the other hand implying that UNC-Chapel Hill is not as superior in academics which is why it has a football program to highlight its name to suppliment their academic program.
I went to UNC-Wilmington. If you ever want to bone up the information is all over the internet, in public documents, and have been represented in media outlets.
A President of the UNC system should represent the whole system, not just his homies at UNCCH.
P.S. There are a ton of people behind me that have the same feelings I do. The only things Spangler could ever do is throw his "good ole boy" money around.
5:05: C.D. Spangler did not go to Davidson. Where did you get that?
Carolina, '54 (first in his family to go to college)
Harvard Business School, '56
It's in all of his bios.You can find them on the internets. ;)
I want what's best for UNCC not because I went to UNCC (I went to...wait for it...Carolina!) but because what's best for UNCC is likely very good for Charlotte as well. I am a Charlotte native and love Charlotte very much. A strong and highly-regarded UNCC is a huge asset for Charlotte. In a perfect world, UNCC would play UCLA (#3 public research university, USNWR) to Chapel Hill's (#5 USNWR) UC Berkeley (#1 USNWR) and it would be a beautiful thing.
I'd like for UNCC to have football, too. However, I think that C.D. Spangler's fear (not unfounded, in my view) is that legislators in Raleigh who control the UNC system purse strings would be even less generous to UNCC if the focus of its alums and administrators was on fielding a football program. They might think, you should have spent that money on chemistry classes, or faculty salaries, or whatever.
Since C.D. Spangler was the head of the UNC system for a number of years, I'm sure he knows exactly how legislators in Raleigh think and act. I'm sure he had many meetings begging for funding for not only Chapel Hill but for the entire system which was his responsibility as system president.
Do you really think this accomplished and successful billionaire, who has given so much to Charlotte and North Carolina, is so vengeful and petty that he wants to deny football to UNCC for fear it would overshadow football at Chapel Hill or State? C'mon...
Spangler is a tool of the UNC Elite.
As as proud graduate of USC with son at UNCC, I am sick and tired of the Observer's support of UNC Chapel Hill's attempt to keep UNCC down. Why don't they ever print the truth about all of this instead of only publishing "opinions" against football.
Almost all schools, public and private, have student fees for athletics. Even with a student fee increase, the overall cost of attending UNCC will still be cheaper than the cost of attending the UNC Chapel Hill or NC State.
UNCC Wow !!
University of North Carolina at Charlotte !!!! YES !!!
Folks it dosent get any better than that.
What an incredibly orginal one of kind on the planet great heroic name.
UNCC !!
Football is coming. No sweat.
So will a law and med school.
UNCC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Say it loud say it proud !!!!
UNCC !!!
Today Yesterday and Tommorrow !!
UNCC !!!
UNCC At Last
UNCC At Last
Thank God Almighty
UNCC at Last
I'm glad all the UNCC alums love their school so much. Alums and students should love their alma mater.
Remember that your alma mater, like every school in the country, depends on alumni giving.
Once you graduate, please give generously.
I daresay that CD Spangler cares more about UNC-C than anyone commenting on this blog.
I don't know about this system thing with UNC-CH and State and the rest are redheaded step children. UNCC should be the University of Charlotte, but that won't happen because the folks in Raleigh will stop it.
Wow what a tool. I don't care if he is a billionaire, get him out of the Charlotte area.
Likely so, 6:29.
It boggles the mind to think that C.D. Spangler, who has lived in Charlotte almost his entire life, wants anything other than the best for Charlotte's UNC campus.
Diminishing UNCC diminishes Charlotte. Why would he, or any Charlottean, want that?
Piss off old man
Lived in Charlotte for 2 years in '90's and have been planning on moving back in retirement. However, if majority of these letters/comments reflect the educational level of the community I am not sure I really want to live there.
Good for Spangler. Now, while we are at it, abolish athletics at every other government college. They are supposed to be for academics.
Is it true that Spangler has season tickets to UNC-CH football?? Could someone at the Observer do some research?
If Spangler doesn't care about sports at any school, why is he in the Rams Club, why does he have football season tickets to Tar Heel games, and why has he contributed significant amounts of money to UNC-Chapel Hill for athletics?
They don't, 7:09. You're quite safe to move back.
true story about Spangler:
He was at a football meeting (that he requested to have), in order to address the faculty of UNC Charlotte regarding football. One person asked him "what should Charlotte students do on weekends," and his reply was.......
"thats why we have UNC Chapel Hill and NC State"
I heard that our chancellor was pretty livid at that comment from Spangler.
100% true and caught on vid
It was at that same meeting that he suggested Charlotte only have intramural athletics. So, he's in the Tarheel Rams Club with season tickets, but wants Charlotte to only have intramural sports.
I remember when Spangler was president of the North Carolina system. I was a student at UNC Charlotte during his tenure. During this time he gave the least amount of funding per student to UNC Charlotte out of the 16 school system. Now he acts like he cares about UNC Charlotte! What a jerk! Hey Spangler, we all know you don't care about our university now, just like you didn't care back then. Just keep quite. We are better off without you!
Hey Spangler, with all your billions, why don't you just donate your money to fund the football program and spare the students additional espenses!
I heard C.D. Spangler has 3 horns and a pointed tail!! True story-it's caught on vid!! And he's got a voodoo doll that looks like a 49er by his bed and every night before he goes to sleep he sticks a bunch of Carolina blue pins in it to remind the 49ers who's boss!! He's so mean!!
Spangler has no right speaking for us students who pay the bills for attending UNC Charlotte and WANT football. His jealousy of Charlotte is showing. The real story here is his fear of Charlotte becoming as big or bigger than Chapel Hill. It is wrong for him to try to deny one university in the UNC system from obtaining what the majority of the other schools have. He needs to resign his position.
What position would that be, 9:42?
Spangler has always been a UNC-CH tool and have never given any financial or moral support to the University of Charlotte. These rants just continue his biased support of the status quo in a changing world where college towns are last century. The future is in urban Universities and it just kills the old school, blue bloods. Bottom line... we are taking control of our future... like it or not!
Good grief.
I'm all for UNCC Football if UNCC students and leadership want it.
But leave the 'UNC Elite' stuff out of this. This guy is a huge philanthropist and does great stuff state-wide, but he is speaking for HIMSELF and is not a spokesperson for all UNC fans, alum or otherwise.
I can assure you there are plenty of UNC alum, families and fans who will support UNCC football.
Go Niners! (from a huge TarHeel fan)
Best of luck.
I guess Spangler is doing his best to make sure UNC does not have any further competition for the talent in NC. How lame. Is it any of his business, any way?
Spangler fails to mention the huge improvements UNCC is currently making to its already great academics. EPIC (http://www.coe.uncc.edu/newsletter/current-news-letter/48-epic-unites-industry-and-education-for-energy.html), a project that is currently under construction at the University, will establish UNCC as a center for energy research in the South East. I challenge anyone who has not visited the University in the last 10 years to do so. I have been a student there for three years, and I am amazed at how much the school has changed in the short time I have attended. The research and engineering facilities are amazing. The campus is beautiful, and having a football stadium in the middle is just the cherry on top. By the way, I only pay around $13,500 per year to attend with everything included (food, books, housing). UNCC is a great school, but like everything else in Charlotte, it is intentionally forgotten by our dear friends in Raleigh. The top high school football talent in NC has consistently come from the surrounding area, giving UNCC a great recruiting base for a team. Football would give the community a reason to rally around the University. Soon we will be the largest University in the state, and we will be to loud to ignore.
Go Niners!
The Time is NOW!
http://charlotte49erfootball.com/
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/charlotte49ersfootball?ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Charlotte-49ers/69459573843?ref=ts
wow, everything i wanted to say about this tool spangler has already been said. i love charlotte, and i love charlotte's university. go niners! -HUGGINS
"Once established football will help fund other things."
Do you really believe this?
If the students want football and are willing to pay for it, then so be it.
That said, a football program at Charlotte will never, I repeat never, make money for the University.
Even when the men's basketball team was consistently reaching the NCAA tournament (5 in 7 years), the Niners still couldn't pack Halton on a consistent basis.
Sure, Halton was packed for Cincy and Louisville, but one loss and the fairweather 49er fans would stay at home leaving most home attendances right around 6,000 fans.
A Niners football team will not be competitive for a long, long time. Once the newness of having a team wears off, the fairweather fans will decide to stay at home to watch REAL football teams play on ESPN, ABC, CBS, and FOX in HD.
Don't trick yourself into thinking the Niners will build a successful, profitable football program. If it hasn't happened with the men's basketball team, there's no way in hell it will happen with a second rate football team.
Anonymous 3:50...
You are talking about Basketball, not Football.
If what you were saying was correct, very few Universitys would have a football team!
Nationwide, football programs generate far more revenue than any other sport in collegiate sports! They also attract more students and generate more alumni support.
If your comments were anywhere close to accurate, there would be NO COLLEGE FOOTBALL today!
Bear in mind that with Title X, college football and basketball has largely been supporting women's sports in this country. Even with that financial burden, these sports still thrive.
1)Save 25 million immediately by remodeling the UNCC soccer field for multi-purpose including football like 90% of all other universities across America who all operate on a budget and not just looking for a suburban pretty designer facility. Elon U played 50yrs at a high school stadium. All colleges take small steps. UNCC is no different.
2) Save 25 million by using "walkons" only and stopping favoritism with unequality biased athletic scholarships unavailable to 99% of the other students. Do this for all sports but especially football that is inherently corrupt and graduate a small number only. At least 50-75% of non-qualified players will drop out and thats low.
3) Using these 2 steps UNCC can save 50 million immediately and prevent criticism from within where most of it is coming anyway and also get going immediately adding D1 wrestling at the same time.
4) It is a privlege to participate in NCAA sports and thats payback enough providing the facility accomadations equipment training and coaching. If you are good enough then you move up to the pros up on your own merits.
5) UNCC could also review and decrease it academic scholarships also by 50%. No freebies. No free lunches. Equality for all without exception. No favoritism.
6) Walkons will NOT dilute the talent level but instead will increase it. There are many overlooked talented highly intellgent athletic students who will not only be advantageous for UNCC sports programs but will be assured of keeping the integrity of the university intact and solid acdemically.
7) No red ink. Football and sports pays for itself. Surplus black ink will be the norm.
8) Law and Med schools will be next after national attention for football and sports success using a successful business model to insure long term culpability and solvency.
9) Bigtime BCS Bowl exposure as time goes for not only UNCC but the city of Charlotte.
10) Eventual NFL participation from UNCC successful athlete students with high GPAs and top intellect talent.
to: Anon January 10, 2010 11:21 AM
EXCELLENT !
Another viable venue for UNCC football would be Memorial Stadium. The predesessor of UNCC was originally created in 1946 under the GI Bill for WW2 vets to take night classes at old Central High School where CPCC is located and became 2 yr Charlotte College in 1949.
The original UNCC football team aka Charlotte College Owls played in Memorial Stadium throughout the 50s. The current UNCC 49ers became a reality in 1965 with the new north Meck campus joining the UNC system without football originally playing its basketball home games at Garinger HS and Harrisburg HS before the Mineshaft was completed in 1970.
In addition the UNCC 49ers basketball team used the old domed Charlotte Coliseum on Independence for decades where its most successful team ever played homes games in 1977 making the Final Four. This was after it outgrew the MineShaft in the mid 70s and before Halton was built in the mid 90s.
I definitely think the 49ers should concentrate on getting a basketball team before trying to start a football team. At best they will be a revenue maker for the university athletics department. With their big payoffs for schools like NC State, Miami, Florida, etc. to hire them as a tune up game. Does anyone truly believe they will be supported after they lose 30 or 40 straight games?
I appreciate the work of all people who share information with others.
UNCC is the punch line of jokes. Rightfully so.
The UNCC Alumni Association appreciates the administration efforts to get football regardless of what facility they will be playing at. Maybe Jerry Richardson would allow a new UNCC 49er football team to play its home games at BOA Stadium.
a couple of days ago I read similar information on this site is quite good to learn these things that we can serve to be less ignorant every day
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