Arkansas Blog

Wow. Yet another razorback blog. The Slophouse though? Probably a title more suited to a blog about the Frat House and culture up there. You know the funny thing, judging from listening to Drive Time Sports the other day for the firs time in a long while, is that there are so many Hog Fans that can actually post complete sentences with a clear beginning and end and even sometimes with a subject and a noun, on the assorted Hog Blogs.

Pass on the word to Lu he will be taken more seriously when his athletic programs pay for themselves with no taxes of mine or from student fees and does the program at the UofA. Otherwise, Lu, get back to work to take care of those deficits to support the jocks.

Lou, why don't you spend another 200K of taxpayer money to "promote UCA on the airwaves. But instead make your case for the Bear Athletic program on the next media run. You'll need a little ditty that is as catchy as "Woo pig Sooie" though. Better get those agencies working overtime.

Go be be be be Bears Go. Growwwwwwwwwwl.

I thought Conway only had one high school program. Good to see they are following Springdale's example and have started another program. This Lu guy should be proud he has enough students to field a team that can compete with the Wampus Cats.

IABL1969 wrote: "...so many Hog Fans that can actually post complete sentences with a clear beginning and end and even sometimes with a subject and a noun,...."

Hmmmn. I'll have to think about that thought for awhile. It's very confusing.

Let's see, if a Hog Fan writes a Subject and a Noun, how many words would that be? If the Hog Fag were to include a Verb with the Subject and the Noun, would that make a sentence too complex to be understood?

When I went to school, we spent far too much time and money on athletics and not enough on readin'and 'ritin'. But that was a long time ago. My education must be hopelessly out of date. Perhaps things have changed and I just didn't notice. But anyway, I've read your sentence, and I'm doing my best to try and understand it.

"If the

( Hog Fag)

were to include a Verb with the Subject and the Noun, would that make a sentence too complex to be understood?"

I know it's a typo but DAMN that's a great Freudian slip.

gotcha. Meant subject and verb obviously. Or did I mean to say,"subject and past participle with an adverbial modifier that might be dangling?" I forget. But will take my lumps.

Go Bears! Now D-1AA.
I'd put Clint Conque's coaching abilities up against that of HDN ANY time.
If UCA continues to grow at the current rate, that "high school" will be bigger than UofA in the next decade. But the hawgs will never have the oysters to play the bears.
Believe me, I live on the hill, and there is no love here for central Arkansas. Ya'll should embrace UCA athletics, because, up here, your opinion doesn't much count with folks anyway.

Opinion of us central Arkansans' doesn't count you say. No love lost. I'm shocked. Shocked.

See if I keep going up to Hogsville every 7 or 8 years like I've been doing. That'll show em. But darn, I'll miss those...those..and let's not forget those_________??????

Well, damn. I think I was going too often anyway now that i think about it.

When I feel the need to go to the end of the earth I'll find my way there.

Right on, Lu! And the Central Arkansas Bears will gladly play some on their games in Central Arkansas. They won't think supporting their fan base here is such a terrible imposition.

Lemme qualify my post above. I'm not talkin' about me. My family loves central Arkansas. We can understand "hawgsnobbery" up here. The home team, as it were. It's the rabid anti-anybodybutthehogs attitude of those closer to UCA and ASU that's hard to get a handle on. Pretty much every other state has more than one "bigtime" football team. Yep. Even Mississippi. But, for some reason, most Arkies think that would be some kind of blasphemy, so they try to keep the other schools down. I don't get it. That's all I'm saying.

It seems to me that an Athletic Director and Board of Trustees operating *solely* in the best interest of the University of Arkansas should never, ever voluntarily allow the Hogs to play another in-state school. Little to gain; much to lose.

It seems to me that an Athletic Director and Board of Trustees at UCA, UALR (basketball) and ASU operating *solely* in the best interests of their schools should never, ever stop pressing the legislature and any public opinion leaders they can reach to force games between UA and their schools.

It has never seemed all about snobbery or envy to me (and no one here said it was) as some claim.

Rather than personalizing it, I have always thought it was folks just operating in ways that plainly are in the best interests of their respective institutions.

UAF and UALR have the same Board.

Thanks commonsense -- how apropos your name for my gaffe.

Lu deciding to fight against the U of A for attention in this state is very immature. He seems to think because UCA hands out scholarships to students with extremely high renewal requirements and forcing them to get student loans so that they can receive an undergrad degree is the best thing for the young people of Arkansas.

It isn't. I have nothing against UCA and it is great to see any university in this state improve itself and therefore improve our state. But, it is not intelligent to create conflict between universities in a state that has absolutely no room for it. Lu, if you were for Arkansas, you would not go out of your way to perpetuate a worthless rivalry between two regions who don't have enough to be fighting over in the first place.

"...scholarships to students with extremely high renewal requirements..."

Would those requirements include studying, going to class regularly and doing the assignments?

Well, yeah, that is pretty high requiremnts for a Fayettevillian.

Has anyone read the letter as posted on jump? The letter doesn't come across to me as anti-Razorback...simply asking businesses to be mindful of the fact that UAF is not the only program in the state and that UCA (as a whole) pumps A LOT of money into the local economy - Razorback fans not so much.

Read the letter before jumping on the anti-UCA bandwagon and putting down a respectable university. The next time you go visit a physical therapist or occupational therapist ask where they went to school. If they went to school in AR guess where they went....UCA. They have many other reputable programs of study as well. Being a tough school...well, that's all relative. Yes, student loans suck but I preferred to go into debt to better my lot in life than to go into credit card debt because I wanted to buy something pretty now (that won't fit next year). Oh and the interest I pay on my student loans is tax deductable when was the last time you did that with a credit card bill?

As for a "serious athletic program"...look at the number in the w-column for UCA, compare it to the UA stats and there's your "serious" program. At least one doesn't read about the atrocious behavior of UCA athletes as opposed to the all to common reports on UA (football & basketball) athletes. I'm just saying.

OK, I'm stepping down from the soapbox....apologies for the tangent-tirade.

I happen to agree with the gist of what Lu is saying. Face it, it all boils down to dancing with the one who brought you - and in Conway that isn't a Hog, but rather a Bear.

All of the BS that occurred a few years back about the UA-F Teams playing in LR a couple of games/year - with the right amount of watering and development, the UCA Bears can satisfy the Central Arkansas thirst for Football. It won't happen next year or the year after - but rather I would venture to say Lu has a 10 year plan - and we're likely about 1/3 of the way into it.

Sports are only the tip of the Iceberg here though - the UCA Public Appeearances is another example of a huge asset that UCA offers those in the Conway area.

As time goes on I predict that UCA will prove to be a viable alternative to the Razorbacks in NWA. It's about time.

Seems to me that the entire state needs all the things that quality universities bring (I'll save my athletic comments for another time)...so why do they have to compete with each other rather than trying to enhance each other? If it's over sheer availability of students (enrollment numbers) and there's not enough to go around we should be celebrating 'cause our entire state is getting an education (and we should be ahead of Mississippi). If it's about only attracting 'certain' students (say, honor students) then our state school boards should get over themselves and realize that as a tax-funded institution they have an obligation to educate ALL the state's qualified students; and each region has its particular educational needs. If it's about athletics...GRRR...never mind. Seems to me that all this university rivalry comes primarily from the greedy, self-absorbed political forces within the respective schools because the average Arkansan only benefits from quality schools throughout the state.

Oh yeah...Lu Hardin's priorities are obviously misplaced; how about a letter arguing for a local emphasis on academics versus athletics (regardless of each school's sports programs). And he's overpaid too...of course so are most of our higher education politicos. A $100,000 bonus this year on top of a $225,000 salary, a free home with utilities paid, a state car and many more perks is offensive...especially considering how poor the state is and that UCA's tuition rises yearly.

This is a one team state. Let's keep it that way. Call your legistator and let's keep Lu Hardin and those other not UA people in their place.

Again, the letter he wrote was addressed to the Conway community. UCA is pumping in a ton of money and all Lu was asking was that Conway businesses show some UCA love and not so much for an institution that doesn't affect Conway in the least. They (UCA) are the engine for the Conway economy and what do razorback fans traveling to hog games do for Conway? Not much other than a lunch stop and some gas. Hogs will always be the big team in the state but I agree that there are other schools in the state and some of us (gasp!) root for schools other than the hogs. And, please don't give me this U of A is self-supportive in athletics. There are state appropriations for athletic salaries and you can't tell me the university doesn't cover some costs of athletics up there. Plus, U of A counts "donations" as "income". Go figure that. And, UCA spends more on scholarships for academics than it does for athletics, so I think they've got their priorities in line.

Whether Lu likes it or not, the U of A - Fayetteville is still the state's flagship university, and the Hogs are still the mascot. Get used to it...

70%er, the gist of that statement is that it is often hard for a student from a small school to get the 3.75 GPA required to keep a scholarship when they have received inadequate instruction. So then that student it stuck with three and a half years of student loans in order to graduate, when they could have gone to a different school, got a 3.0 and keep that scholarship.

As for what you implied, why is the U of A considered a lesser place because people have fun and students don't risk their lives to drive miles in order to buy liquor so they can binge in a house near campus? Being able to drink legally and responsibly in a bar and not forced into house parties is a much better way to keep everyone safe.