I sent several emails to both Dr. Loh and Peter Weiler, the VP of University Relations regarding what to do with the seats that are in Cole Field House. I wanted them to allow fans that had season tickets the last year Cole was open to be able to buy those very same seats before they did whatever else they were going to do with them. Allow those that sat in those seats for however many years to be able to have right of first refusal to buy those very same seats. Below is the email chain that resulted:
Dr. Loh:
I know things are not where they need to be and I am not going to restate the obvious. But I wanted to write to you regarding the renovation of Cole into the team practice facility. First of all, it is a great thing to have an upgrade in facilities along the scale of this. This is long overdue. I have been going to football and basketball games for forty years and live and die on the success and failures of those two sports.
One of the very special things about Maryland IS Cole. It is an historic venue and everyone alive today that went to games when they were there knows how special it is. Given the fact that they will be turning that historic venue into a new venue, I have a request. I think it would be a very special thing to allow those that had season tickets to Cole for the last season it was used for basketball to purchase the seats that they had as souvenirs and memorabilia in, perhaps, one of the most sacred places on campus. I think the season ticket holder for the 2001-2002 should have the right of first refusal to purchase those seats at a reasonable price should they desire. This will do two things. It will allow those that want to to possess a piece of history from a very special place that would be very special to them. By the way, most sports venues that have been demolished have had a cimilar program that allows fans to buy the seats that were in the venue such as The Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees to hame a couple. The other thing it will do is show the university to be cognizant and aware of the fan and the value of the fan. As I said, I've been a part of Maryland sports for decades and, to be honest, the university is not very fan-centric when it comes to game days experiences and game day logistics. I think this would endear the university to the fan base once again.
I don't know what the plans are and I do know one other person that has made this request and you were to forward the message to the VP of University Relations. I implore you to make this happen. Allow the fans to reclaim their seats if they would like. If they choose not to, then open those seats up to the general public to purchase. If you do make this program available, please make the pricing more than reasonable in deference to the fan. If you want to auction off the others, that's fine. But allow those season ticket holders to buy the seats they had at a reasonable price. In my thinking, this is a win/win for everyone. It's a revenue generator and it shows the fans that you care about them and you value their loyalty.
Thank you for your time.
Best Regards,
Eric R. '89
I then followed up with an email to Peter Weiler:
Dear Mr. Weller:
My name is Eric Ruggiero and I graduated from the College Park campus in 1989. I've been in Terrapin Club and a season ticket holder of both football and basketball since then. I am writing to you today to make a request for all that held season tickets at Cole Field House for basketball. I understand that the new football practice facility will be a renovation of Cole so I make this request: Please allow those fans that held season tickets during the final year of Cole as the basketball venue (2001-2002) to purchase the seats they sat in at a VERY reasonable price. Please allow those fans the right of first refusal to purchase those seats that were so special to them in a venue that might be the most sacred spot on campus. I think the general public should also get the chance to buy them the rest of them and the ones the season ticket holders pass on. But the season ticket holders should be allowed to be the first to buy their old seats. What happens after that doesn't matter. Selling the rest, auctioning them off or trashing them. But I implore you to make this happen.
This will do three things: First it is more environmentally friendly than sending them to a landfill. Second, it will be a very special piece of history the fan can keep. Third, and maybe most importantly, it will endear the university to the fans of this school. I've been going to games for decades and I can tell you the university is not known for it's game day experience and it's treatment of the long tenured fans. This would go a LONG way to showing the fans and the general fan base that the university does care about their experience when interacting with the sports venues.
I hope you will consider this and make this happen. It would be a very, very good thing to do for those of us that have put so much in and given so much back to the university. Thank you for your time.
Best Regards,
Eric R '89
I received no reply from Dr. Loh and the following is the response I received from Peter Weiler:
Good afternoon Eric,
We do plan to save as many seats as possible. We have learned however it's not as easy as it might appear. For example they are welded together in sets of three.
We have not yet decided on how to make them available. It will more likely be associated with a gift to the facility. But , that decision has not been made.
Thanks for writing. We will keep you posted. P
Finally my response to "Dr Loh regarding my response from Peter Weiler:
Dr Loh:
This is a perfect example as to WHY we have such a poor, alumni fan base and poor alumni booster support. Here is a PERFECT opportunity to show YOUR appreciation to the fans and I get "it's difficult because the seats are welded together"?? How have other iconic sports venues closed and managed the Herculean and society-changing task of un-welding the seats? On top of that the boiler plate response to any interaction with fans and alumni and that is, basically, what route can we take to soak those that want to be involved and have a piece of history. I am told they are likely going to be made available through a gift to the facility. Translation: we are only going to allow corporate donors to have the chairs. Classic University of Moneyland!!
Dr Loh, I know you're not an alum and I understand there is a bottom line to everything. No one learns that quicker than a Maryland fan. But this is such a no brainer thing to do, particularly from a PR standpoint. This is not rocket surgery. Give back to the fans and make some revenue and generate tremendous goodwill. OR. Do the same thing we always do here. Look for the best monetary solution regardless of whether or not it craps on the fans or not.
I'm sorry Dr. Loh, to not do this IS crap and the reasons stated below to not do this provide waist deep depth to that crap. You want to take the Moneyland approach? Fine! But gives those most loyal to the program and the school the right of first refusal FIRST. It's the right thing to do by a mile and you know it. Please, sir. Do the right thing.
Best Regards,
Eric R, '89
For the life of me I cannot understand why they would take this route and this coincides with the increase in giving requirement that some are experiencing now. I think offering these seats to the fans is a win/win for the university but apparently they do not. If you do think it's worth pursuing, Dr. Loh's email is president@umd.edu and Mr. Weiler's email is pweiller@umd.edu. I think if there is enough pressure put on there might be a chance that they will relent and do right by the very fans that kept the lights on in Cole for so many years. Although I'm not holding my breath.
Dr. Loh:
I know things are not where they need to be and I am not going to restate the obvious. But I wanted to write to you regarding the renovation of Cole into the team practice facility. First of all, it is a great thing to have an upgrade in facilities along the scale of this. This is long overdue. I have been going to football and basketball games for forty years and live and die on the success and failures of those two sports.
One of the very special things about Maryland IS Cole. It is an historic venue and everyone alive today that went to games when they were there knows how special it is. Given the fact that they will be turning that historic venue into a new venue, I have a request. I think it would be a very special thing to allow those that had season tickets to Cole for the last season it was used for basketball to purchase the seats that they had as souvenirs and memorabilia in, perhaps, one of the most sacred places on campus. I think the season ticket holder for the 2001-2002 should have the right of first refusal to purchase those seats at a reasonable price should they desire. This will do two things. It will allow those that want to to possess a piece of history from a very special place that would be very special to them. By the way, most sports venues that have been demolished have had a cimilar program that allows fans to buy the seats that were in the venue such as The Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees to hame a couple. The other thing it will do is show the university to be cognizant and aware of the fan and the value of the fan. As I said, I've been a part of Maryland sports for decades and, to be honest, the university is not very fan-centric when it comes to game days experiences and game day logistics. I think this would endear the university to the fan base once again.
I don't know what the plans are and I do know one other person that has made this request and you were to forward the message to the VP of University Relations. I implore you to make this happen. Allow the fans to reclaim their seats if they would like. If they choose not to, then open those seats up to the general public to purchase. If you do make this program available, please make the pricing more than reasonable in deference to the fan. If you want to auction off the others, that's fine. But allow those season ticket holders to buy the seats they had at a reasonable price. In my thinking, this is a win/win for everyone. It's a revenue generator and it shows the fans that you care about them and you value their loyalty.
Thank you for your time.
Best Regards,
Eric R. '89
I then followed up with an email to Peter Weiler:
Dear Mr. Weller:
My name is Eric Ruggiero and I graduated from the College Park campus in 1989. I've been in Terrapin Club and a season ticket holder of both football and basketball since then. I am writing to you today to make a request for all that held season tickets at Cole Field House for basketball. I understand that the new football practice facility will be a renovation of Cole so I make this request: Please allow those fans that held season tickets during the final year of Cole as the basketball venue (2001-2002) to purchase the seats they sat in at a VERY reasonable price. Please allow those fans the right of first refusal to purchase those seats that were so special to them in a venue that might be the most sacred spot on campus. I think the general public should also get the chance to buy them the rest of them and the ones the season ticket holders pass on. But the season ticket holders should be allowed to be the first to buy their old seats. What happens after that doesn't matter. Selling the rest, auctioning them off or trashing them. But I implore you to make this happen.
This will do three things: First it is more environmentally friendly than sending them to a landfill. Second, it will be a very special piece of history the fan can keep. Third, and maybe most importantly, it will endear the university to the fans of this school. I've been going to games for decades and I can tell you the university is not known for it's game day experience and it's treatment of the long tenured fans. This would go a LONG way to showing the fans and the general fan base that the university does care about their experience when interacting with the sports venues.
I hope you will consider this and make this happen. It would be a very, very good thing to do for those of us that have put so much in and given so much back to the university. Thank you for your time.
Best Regards,
Eric R '89
I received no reply from Dr. Loh and the following is the response I received from Peter Weiler:
Good afternoon Eric,
We do plan to save as many seats as possible. We have learned however it's not as easy as it might appear. For example they are welded together in sets of three.
We have not yet decided on how to make them available. It will more likely be associated with a gift to the facility. But , that decision has not been made.
Thanks for writing. We will keep you posted. P
Finally my response to "Dr Loh regarding my response from Peter Weiler:
Dr Loh:
This is a perfect example as to WHY we have such a poor, alumni fan base and poor alumni booster support. Here is a PERFECT opportunity to show YOUR appreciation to the fans and I get "it's difficult because the seats are welded together"?? How have other iconic sports venues closed and managed the Herculean and society-changing task of un-welding the seats? On top of that the boiler plate response to any interaction with fans and alumni and that is, basically, what route can we take to soak those that want to be involved and have a piece of history. I am told they are likely going to be made available through a gift to the facility. Translation: we are only going to allow corporate donors to have the chairs. Classic University of Moneyland!!
Dr Loh, I know you're not an alum and I understand there is a bottom line to everything. No one learns that quicker than a Maryland fan. But this is such a no brainer thing to do, particularly from a PR standpoint. This is not rocket surgery. Give back to the fans and make some revenue and generate tremendous goodwill. OR. Do the same thing we always do here. Look for the best monetary solution regardless of whether or not it craps on the fans or not.
I'm sorry Dr. Loh, to not do this IS crap and the reasons stated below to not do this provide waist deep depth to that crap. You want to take the Moneyland approach? Fine! But gives those most loyal to the program and the school the right of first refusal FIRST. It's the right thing to do by a mile and you know it. Please, sir. Do the right thing.
Best Regards,
Eric R, '89
For the life of me I cannot understand why they would take this route and this coincides with the increase in giving requirement that some are experiencing now. I think offering these seats to the fans is a win/win for the university but apparently they do not. If you do think it's worth pursuing, Dr. Loh's email is president@umd.edu and Mr. Weiler's email is pweiller@umd.edu. I think if there is enough pressure put on there might be a chance that they will relent and do right by the very fans that kept the lights on in Cole for so many years. Although I'm not holding my breath.
