By J.T. Keith
Eastern New Mexico University needs and deserves a football stadium on campus.
The time, however, is not now.
ENMU needs to put other things in place before a stadium is built. The university has a reputation for being cheap. When they travel for sports other than football, they take the Greyhound and Zia bus. Most other Lone Star Conference teams travel by charter bus, but not us. It is not exactly a recruiting tool that says, “Come play here.”
If the stadium vote is passed, we are going to take a loan out for 30 years, instead of originally stated 25 years, According to ENMU President Steven Gamble. At present, no one knows what interest rate will be charged. We must handle these issues before we buy a stadium for the next 30 years. There is a strong chance that if our kids come here, they will be funding this stadium—even after they graduate.
Let’s make sure that we have the best coaches and athletes who can play on the highest level and compete for wins. When former head football coach Mark Ribaudo was asked to resign, Athletic Director Jeff Geiser said, “We have to be competitive.”
Geiser never said anything about winning, only about being competitive. Those are two entirely different things. ENMU needs to win and win consistently in all sports.
Until ENMU can win in the revenue-producing sports, this school’s athletic budget always will have financial troubles.
There seems to be a lack of money to run the sports programs at ENMU. Instead of holding fundraisers—such as having the baseball team work security at Texas Tech football games—why not hire a consulting company to raise money for the athletic department.
In the last three years, there has been nothing but a revolving door for coaches. In the last three-or-four years, we have had two volleyball coaches, two football coaches, two softball coaches, three track and field coaches, three baseball coaches, and two women’s basketball coaches. Men’s soccer coach Harold Munoz is the longest-tenured coach at the University. Munoz has been here since 2008.
ENMU is becoming known as a starter university.
Something is wrong when coaches leave without notice, right before the season starts. Women’s basketball coach Lindsey Wilson left this summer on short notice for Fresno Pacific University. Baseball coach Chris Terry coached two years and left for Regis University after his first 20-win season. Cross-country coach Mike Harney left two seasons ago right before the season started to teach at his high school alma mater in Ft. Meyers Fla.
Yes. ENMU needs a stadium. However, the university needs to address these issues before a new stadium is built.