Message From ND Alumni Board President Richard A. Nussbaum II '74
This issue of ND Today marks a new chapter for the Alumni Association. Due to the technology that has been developed by the NDAA, your president is able to address directly questions from alumni around the world. Many of you have taken up the invitation to ask me questions of concern to you. I will address some of them in this issue and will do my best to answer others in future issues.
There was a lot of interest in the areas of football tickets and admissions. I appreciate the help I received from Ticket Manager Josh Berlo and the admissions staff in framing these responses.
Football Tickets
My predecessor as president, Gene Bastedo, and I have over the past year had numerous discussions with administrators inside and outside of the Athletic Department to make sure all alumni who want to see a home Notre Dame football game can do so. In order to achieve that goal, there needed to be a strategy on the part of both those who run the lottery and alumni who apply.
I am absolutely convinced Josh Berlo has our goal in mind. We have been successful in eliminating any decrease in alumni allotments while at the same time enforcing violations of ticket policies against the resale of tickets for more than face value. These enforcement activities have allowed hundreds -- if not thousands -- of tickets to become available for alumni.
This year, like last year, resulted in an unprecedented demand for tickets, most notably for the first four home games. Therefore, many alumni were disappointed in the results for those games. However those alumni who applied for at least five games successfully acquired tickets for at least one of our home games. Contrary to what you may have heard, the worst thing you could do is apply for one game, especially a high profile game like Boston College or USC. If you applied for five home games without trying to group an application with someone else, and did not receive at least one game, contact me, the alumni office or the ticket office to get an explanation.
We continue to explore ways to assure alumni of attending a game without being required to apply for so many. Another potential option is to make available the use of a credit card, which would not be charged until successfully winning the lottery for a particular game. We are not there yet, but will continue to work to make it easier -- and less expensive -- to apply for tickets. We understand, given the high prices of our tickets, it is difficult for many of our alumni to advance the type of funds necessary to apply for five games.
Unfortunately, next year will not be much better. Despite our struggles this year we anticipate a lot of demand for only six home games versus the seven this year. The key -- until further notice -- is to apply for as many games as you can to ensure success in at least one. If that strategy changes, we will let you know.
One other source of tickets is the newly created Alumni Association Ticket Consignment Board. Alumni who are not using their tickets can safely sell their tickets at face value through the Alumni Association. More than two hundred tickets have been sold to alumni in a safe and controlled fashion so far this year. With the exception of USC, tickets to all games have been available. I suggest you log on to Irish Online or call the office for details.
Senior Alumni Game
One of the subtopics regarding football tickets involved the Senior Alumni game. This year the game is Michigan State. In the past, most, if not all, seniors who applied for tickets were successful. This year we did not experience that success rate due to a number of factors. First, the senior population is getting progressively larger; I joined the ranks earlier this month. Also, there was great demand this year. In part the demand was due to the fact that many seniors figured this game would be their best chance to attend given the low win rates for other games. Again, seniors should consider applying for multiple games to avoid being shut out -- even when you are part of a group given priority for a particular game. We are looking at ways to make more tickets available for seniors or to perhaps limit the pool by adjusting the age requirement. (I am not sure how I feel about that one given my new found stature as a Senior Alum) or by scaling back the number of tickets made available to non-senior groups.
Another issue of concern was the fact that senior games seem to rotate between Purdue and Michigan State. Those games have been used for the senior game a lot, but a few years ago it was Washington State. Though it has not yet been decided, I am told the 2008 game could be a game other than Purdue.
Admissions
Admissions generate a lot of questions because many alums whose children are not accepted to Notre Dame feel their loyalty to the University over many years is not reciprocated. I can understand that disappointment because only one of my three children attended ND. However, the two who did not had great experiences elsewhere. The fact of the matter is that, given the high standards required to be admitted, not all legacies are going to be admitted. However, the percentage of legacies admitted generally is 24 percent of each class. Perhaps more importantly, almost half of legacy applicants are admitted. That rate is double the rate of non-legacies.
In order to have the best chance to be admitted, I suggest prospective students -- legacies or not -- contact the admissions department so that you understand the factors the admissions staff consider most important. In fact, a few years ago the Alumni Association produced a very informative video on the admissions process starring Board President Bob Sullivan. I have asked the Alumni Association staff to see if they can find some copies of the DVD in case someone would like one. They also are exploring the possibility of posting it online. Perhaps Bob will sign your copy of the DVD. He was just outstanding.
Board Meeting Minutes
I received a great suggestion about making the Board meeting minutes available to alumni who wish to review them. We are going to follow this suggestion, and post the text of the minutes - perhaps summaries, if it makes sense -- of our meetings on the Alumni Association website.
Football - Let's Support Our Team!
Prior to the commencement of the football season, many of us predicted another successful year culminated by a January 1 Bowl Game. We have been disappointed by the results thus far. No one has been more disappointed than Coach Weis, his staff and players. They have gone back to “training camp” this week in order to turn their play on the field around.
One of the many things which makes us different as a University is our passion in support of our student athletes. That passion also needs to go to “training camp” this week and for the rest of this season.
If you are going to this week’s game, cheer as loud and as hard as you have ever done before. Try to get to the pep rally and show our team we are 100 percent behind them. If you can not make the game, show your support by sending an e-mail to ndalumni@nd.edu. We will compile the e-mails and present them to Coach Weis and the team before the Michigan State game. You can be sure it will make a difference.
This past week, Father Basil Moreau was beatified in his home country of France. In many ways, his story can be a guide for all of us. It was through his efforts the Holy Cross Order was founded, Father Sorin dispatched to Northern Indiana, and Notre Dame became a reality. It is only now, perhaps that his legacy is being fully realized and here at Notre Dame he is being celebrated for his persistence and vision.
The motto he chose for his congregations “The cross, our only hope” represents the challenges, the hardships, the frustrations we all feel when we are committed to a task and beset by setbacks and attacks. It really was the first example of “what though the odds be great or small, ol' Notre Dame will win over all.” In the tradition of Father Moreau let’s have that same faith. We can and will get over this tough time because we will do it together as a family. God Bless you all. Go Irish !!!
Thanks for your questions. Keep them coming. Next time, I am going to address subjects such as the steps being taken to protect the Catholic Character of Notre Dame and the progress of the new Eddy Commons project.
- Richard A. Nussbaum II
