Sunday, March 25, 2007

Mayans still supports WSU football

WSU football isn't Carlos Mayans' favorite topic these days, since it's led to such outcry from other City Council members. But Mayans still stands behind Wichita State University football as a way to boost the school's lagging enrollment.

"It's no secret that Wichita State University has lost students, in part, because of not having football," Mayans said, responding to a question at a voter forum Sunday. "This is not a true, full university. The football would bring a return of... more African American students," he said. When he said that, someone in the crowd at the Tabernacle Baptist Church said "that's stereotyping."

"Football is economic development to the city," Mayans said. The 1.5 mills of tax money was intended to pay off buildings and now those buildings are paid off, he said.

Mayan's opponent, City Council member Carl Brewer, has criticized the idea from the start. He response to the question was to say a mayor has "more things to do" instead of trying to convince a university's president to start a football program. "We have other things to be doing," he said.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"The football would bring a return of... more African American students".

It would be nice if you could fill in what is between the dots, I would like to know what was said.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Mayor,

I feel that you are completly crazy in thinking that football will be successful at WSU. The town of Wichita has two dead Area Semi Pro Football teams, and a current one that can't pay the bills. Wichita also has a semi pro football team (Aztecs) that no-one even knows about. So what makes you think that Wichita will support football at WSU again? Where is the moeny going to come from? What womens sport will WSU add? Those are the question that need to be answered.


Side Note - I did alittle bit of my own research on other Universities that tried to restart a football team after there wasn't a program for a few year (less than 10years) it cost the University on the avg. 8.5 million dollers, in equiment, coaches, scholorships, field improvements, lockerooms, etc...