Pollard sounds off on critics of recommendation to close C.Y. Stephens indefinitely
- Thread starter JStanz51
- Start date
I am a huge supporter of athletics AND the Arts but I don't understand why ISU was subsidizing Stephens performances anyways. Do they bring more economic activity to Ames businesses or something? Sounds like the city or county should be subsidizing these performances, not the University. Or better yet, the people who attend these performances put on their big boy pants and pay the full price so no subsidies are required.
There are a lot of people that just plain don't get it. Football feeds everything, including Stevens. Even the 25K fans in the stands would have helped a little. Athletic departments all over the country are in serious trouble, and everything that they support is in trouble too. Jamie is doing a great job of trying to hold things together, but everything takes money, lots of money, and something has to not be paid for. Since football pays for so much, it has to survive, or nothing else will.
I really think there are just a lot of people that don’t understand that money doesn’t just appear even when it’s the government. State government is a lot more limited on financial flexibility.
Athletics now controls the Iowa State Center including Stephens. It says why in the article in the OP.
That was a brutal take down of the "fine arts"crowd, who I suspect could pay for what they want to see, but don't want to belly up to the bar. Much too gauche.
It was a financial burden on the university and he had a plan to fix it.
He needed to say it as it is. What pisses me off is as an ISU student in the the last decade, my tuition went towards a doctor or lawyer's ticket to see Fiddler on the Roof who could have afforded the full price ticket anyways. Let that sink in. A student on student loans subsidizing working professionals. How in the heck is this even a thing?
As someone who has lived in Ames for a while I found his comments pretty accurate. Hotel and expanded conference center along with the entertainment district if done by a private developer could have been a game changer.
Maybe if you actually read the article...
Most promoters, Live acts out there are taking it in the pants from Covid. It’s not just CY Stevens. There are promoters out there that are selling off massive amounts of sound/stage gear just because they can’t cover their cost due to Covid right now.
yeah and this just adds to the idea that the community/city should be the one funding this. Just think of the amount of revenue a large show brings in by attracting people to Ames that fill hotels, eat at restaurants and spend money.
I love what JP has done for ISU and the athletics programs. I love his passion and his ability to move things forward with sometimes unique solutions. I agree that nobody should be subsidizing entertainment of any kind.
With that said, I also think JP can come across as a whiney jerk when he’s in a difficult position. I don’t think verbally attacking swaths of the community is beneficial for anybody, and it’s not a good look, even if it’s largely correct. The part about who has suffered is very misplaced and I think presumptuous on his part.
I might be odd, but I think you can both support JP as a whole and see that he has faults just like everyone else. Rather than talking down on those that he says are talking down to him, let’s leave the emotion out of it. His points are valid, but his attacks are unprofessional and add to the drama he’s supposedly against.
With that said, I also think JP can come across as a whiney jerk when he’s in a difficult position. I don’t think verbally attacking swaths of the community is beneficial for anybody, and it’s not a good look, even if it’s largely correct. The part about who has suffered is very misplaced and I think presumptuous on his part.
I might be odd, but I think you can both support JP as a whole and see that he has faults just like everyone else. Rather than talking down on those that he says are talking down to him, let’s leave the emotion out of it. His points are valid, but his attacks are unprofessional and add to the drama he’s supposedly against.
I can see justification for some subsidy as having the facility provides for performance opportunities for several groups on campus that may not generate a whole lot of revenue for themselves (bands, choirs, student theater, etc.)
