ASK THE AD

Thank you for submitting your questions.  We will be posting responses on the website periodically.  Duplicate questions are not posted to the site.  Check back soon for an answer to your question.

Questions received as of 5/29/09

1.       Will the SHU softball team have Gametracker coverage in the future? SHU seems to be one of very fews teams in the Big East to not have this offering. We really enjoy following along with the softball team so Gametracker would be great!

RESPONSE:  We agree that Gametracker adds to the fan experience. There are certain logistical elements that exist pertaining to the location of our softball field that must first be addressed but we are exploring this as one of the many interactive enhancements to our SHUPirates.com site along with live game feeds that we hope to implement in the near future

2.       I own a home in Maplewood and used to swim competitively and would love to be able to use the Seton Hall pool. My daughters take swim lessons at the pool. Can I join or pay for morning lap swim access (5:30 - 6:30 a.m. ish)??

RESPONSE: Membership to the Regan Center is only available to students, staff and alums.  We are simply too small to offer membership to the surrounding community

3.       Hello, I am an alum and I see that I can use the rec center for $350. Is that per semester or per year? If I want to join for just the summer, is there any kind of discount? Thank you very much.

RESPONSE: In response to your questions above; yes, as an alum you may join the Regan Center for $350.  Because of that low rate, however, all memberships are annual, so you would need to join for the year.  

4.       As a '73 grad, I'm curious as to why The Hall has yet to field a lacrosse team for either men or women. I have a daughter who actually decided to attend Gettysburg College over SHU for that very reason. LAX is the fastest growing sport today. Thank you

RESPONSE: We have received several inquiries relative to the addition of new intercollegiate programs during the year. The university has determined at this time that it would be more appropriate to fund existing programs rather than to dilute resources and spread them over a broader range of programs.

5.       Is Bobby Gonzalez going to join the Twitterverse like every other college coach is doing these days?

RESPONSE: Coach Gonzalez is exploring the option of Twittering.  The Athletic Department currently posts exclusive information on its Twitter site.  Follow us at www.twitter.com/shuathletics

6.       Dear Mr. Quinlan, I am sure you are aware, I am a long-time basketball season ticket holder and avid fan. I am cautiously optimistic about our team next season. I am taking the liberty to attach an article which appeared in today's Record newspaper. I happen to totally agree with the premise of the article, namely we need to beef up our out-of conference (OCC) schedule, which will automatically improve our Strength of Schedule (SOS). The improvement of our OCC and SOS, in conjunction with the play of our talented players next season, should result in our team having a successful year and making the NCAA Tournament, which is everyone's goal. The end result will be much improved play and season record for our team, resulting in more wins, leading to more fans coming to the games, which brings in more revenue for the school; it's self-perpetuating. I realize we are guided by the money available, but please advise what we are doing to improve the quality of our OCC. It's required if we are going to continue the fine tradition of Seton Hall Basketball. Thank you for giving me and others the opportunity to contact you through the "Ask the AD" line on the athletic website, I am looking forward to your reply. (Article link ommitted for copyright protection)

RESPONSE: Many factors go into the scheduling of our non-conference opponents. This includes arena availability, preparation time between games, outstanding scheduling commitments of the program and financial considerations.

The current landscape has seen non-conference guarantees escalate during the past several years.  To that end we try to maintain a system of balance that will allow us to schedule a portion of our games in advance utilizing Home/Home opportunities in order to provide our fans with a competitive schedule.

The scheduling process is a collaborative process between the coaching staff and the athletics administration. With an institution the size of ours, we have to be deliberate and thorough with our plan.

We strive to do what we can to properly utilize our resources in the best interest of the institution, its students, who fund our programs, the student-athlete population and the coaches of our 17 intercollegiate programs.

We continue to work diligently on our OCC schedule and hope to have some things finalized in the near future that our fans will be excited about.