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Tuesday,
February 03, 2004
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Acceptance
to conference leaves students in limbo
TCU
students have varying opinions on whether they want to
party in the Mountain West.
By Sarah
Greene
Staff Reporter
The student body had mixed emotions on the first day back
to classes Monday since TCU’s decision to leave Conference
USA for the Mountain West Conference.
In response to the changing lineup of teams, a senior
economics major Todd Dalrymple said the decision was a
good one.
“Conference USA blew up, and we are going to bigger
and better things.”
John Walls, a junior advertising/public relations major,
said the move would do great things for exposure and increase
the competition.
“Changing conferences is necessary to prove TCU can
play with the big kids,” Walls said.
Abby Schneider, a sophomore fashion merchandising major
and TCU Showgirl, said the move would not directly affect
the Showgirls although it would be exciting to play new
teams.
The decision to leave did not satisfy all TCU students
though.
Shannon Eurich, a senior marketing major, said all the
conference movement is unsettling.
“We can’t seem to find our place,” Eurich
said.
The MWC, on the other hand, had no doubt in its mind that
it made the right decision.
“There is one best fit in the country and that is
Texas Christian University,” said MWC commissioner
Craig Thompson.
TCU held a press conference to announce the Board of Trustees’
decision to accept the invitation Friday afternoon.
At the conference, Cecil Samuelson, BYU president and
chairman of the MWC board of directors, passed out MWC
hats to John Roach, chairman of the Board of Trustees,
Chancellor Victor Boschini, and Eric Hyman, athletics
director.
As Roach put on his new hat, a reporter from the crowd
asked, “Does the hat mean a yes?”
Roach smiled and tipped his hat to the crowd, making the
move official.
Roach said the MWC has all the right elements, including
a strong initiative in regards to its athletic and academic
programs and a vision for the future. He said all these
elements made the MWC attractive.
Roach, Boschini and Hyman said TCU’s experience with
C-USA was wonderful and that they hope to continue playing
those teams.
Hyman said whether TCU accepted the invitation or not,
it would still enter a “new” conference for
the 2005-06 year.
Due to the shifts in Division 1-A athletics, which caused
Louisville, Marquette, South Florida, Cincinnati, and
DePaul to leave for the Big East, C-USA would have never
been the same, Hyman said.
Head football coach Gary Patterson said conference realignment
will not affect his team.
“We’re just like soldiers,” he said. “Just
tell me where to fight.”
Thompson said the MWC has no plans for further expansion.
He said the issue will go back to the conference’s
board of directors though.
“Now we will hold it at nine,” Thompson said.
As TCU made the switch official, Boschini offered the
student body one piece of advice, saying “With apologies
to Horace Greeley: ‘Go Mountain West young men and
women.”’
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