Ian, can you pin to the top the legislator contact info?
Like many on this site, I live out of state so I'm not sure how much influence I have. However, I will write to them and communicate the following points:
Like many on this site, I live out of state so I'm not sure how much influence I have. However, I will write to them and communicate the following points:
- My daughter is an out-of-state student and attends UW, partly because she has been exposed to Cowboy athletics her entire life. A successful athletics program is the most powerful marketing tool a University like UW has available. Out-of-state students at UW not only pay a higher tuition than in-state students, they lead to the import of dollars from across the border into Wyoming's treasury.
- I return to Laramie once a year, and have since I left the State, to attend Wyoming football and/or basketball games. I rent hotel rooms, eat at restaurants and buy UW apparel, and my dollars produce Wyoming jobs and generate sales tax revenues.
- My ongoing alumni connection to UW is dependent upon athletics. I am a member of CJC, the UWAA and in general support UW because of the athletics connection. If that is diminished, me and alumni like me will be much less likely to send dollars UW's way.
- In short, taking dollars from UW's athletics is not a zero-sum game. Those dollars produce a better product, which in turn attracts fans who produce jobs and sales tax revenues. It is short-sighted and could be net negative revenue situation for the State and UW to inhibit the Cowboys ability to compete at the highest designation of college athletics.
