| Robert Driscoll Chat Wrap Dec. 18, 2003 |
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 |  | Robert Driscoll: Greetings from Friartown! I look forward to our chat this afternoon. |
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| Baseball Alums(Everywhere): A son of a former baseball and basketball player and a former baseball player myself, has there been any talk of bringing the baseball program back? It is only the oldest sport the school has had. |
| | Robert Driscoll: Not at this time. We do not have the necessary resources to fund our current athletic programs in order to achieve success. We have a long way to go with respect to fundraising before any additional athletic programs can be considered. |
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| Bob, Bridgewater, MA: Has any significant progress been made regarding updating the Dunkin Donuts Center? |
| | Robert Driscoll: Meetings with both the city and state representatives have been ongoing and we hope to be able to reach an agreement on the future of the Dunkin' Donuts Center sometime in the very near future. |
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| dan boston: how much does the school fund your budget versus internal fundraising? will the college be willing to commit dollars more if the department continues it success in fundraising, atheletic performance and academic achievement? |
| | Robert Driscoll: The College currently contributes over 60 percent of our athletic budget. To date, thanks to the generous support of many people, we have already surpassed our fundraising goal for this year. Each dollar we raise can and will be spent on athletic improvements. |
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| Richard (Stamford): Can you comment on when Gerald Brown will be eligible to practice/play for providence? Has he enrolled yet? Thanks - Go PC!!! |
| | Robert Driscoll: If all the paper work with respect to his admittance is completed we hope to have him in uniform this Sunday. |
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| friartowndotcom (Providence): Bob, could you give us an update on number of tickets sold for the Texas and Syracuse games? Are either approaching sellout status? |
| | Robert Driscoll: The Syracuse game has only a few tickets remaining and will sell out. Texas is close to a sell out also. |
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| friartowndotcom (providence): Any big plans for the Texas game? Without students there, I hope the administration is planning a giveaway (friar hanky's or pompoms) of some sort that will look good for one of our few opportunities on ESPN. |
| | Robert Driscoll: Our marketing department is working hard to generate as much interest as possible in the local school communities to ensure that there is a high degree of energy at the Dunk for the game. |
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| Billy, LA: What is the status of the Raymond Turf Field, soccer stadium/track at Hendricken field as well as the Valueland property |
| | Robert Driscoll: We are on target to start construction of artificial surfaced field for field hockey, lacrosse and intramurals in the spring. We are also developing plans for a state of the art fitness center that we hope to build this summer. |
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| Kevin, Providence: Will there be any bus trips for some of the local away games in basketball? |
| | Robert Driscoll: We are going to host a bus trip to St. John's, Boston College and possibly Connecticut. |
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| Vinny (North Providence: Robert, as a season ticket holder I was embarrased to bring a business colleague to the "Pre Game" event upstairs as there was a bowl of popcorn and a dish of nachos available. Why bother sending out the invite letter? |
| | Robert Driscoll: The athletic department hosts two pre-game parties before each game. The downstairs' club room is for donors that give $1000 or more and the upstairs' reception room is open to all other donors under a $1000. Athletic department staff members are present at both receptions. I am sorry that you felt that it was an embarassment. |
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| Jerry, Warwick: Will the Friars be playing in the jam feast tourney in St. Thomas next year.Would like to make travel plans early |
| | Robert Driscoll: We are currently looking at a number of options for next year, but at this time nothing has been confirmed for the Jam Fest in St. Thomas. |
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| Jon (Providence): I have heard rumors of the hockey team finally returning to the classic skating friar logo. (The best logo in college sports). Is this true, I speak for many when I say I sure hope so. |
| | Robert Driscoll: We will be utilizing both the new logo and old skating Friar on our uniforms in the years to come. |
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| Brian, McDermott Hall: Where has the mascot been this year and will he be back at any time this year? |
| | Robert Driscoll: Due to popular demand, the mascot is undergoing a face lift and will be having his unveiling sometime in the near future. |
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| Pete from Gloucester: Is there any chance that Louisville, Marquette, So Florida and Cincinnati be in the Big East by next year? |
| | Robert Driscoll: All schools are currently scheduled to start play in the BIG EAST in the 2005-06 school year. |
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| friartowndotcom (prov): When are we going to give Lenny some company up in the rafters? |
| | Robert Driscoll: We are currently planning a few special events to celebrate our rich history. These events include retiring jersies as well as a special dinner for the 1973 Final Four team. Information on these events will be released in the near future. |
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| Mike, California: Is there any way to get more of this year's basketball games on national TV on than the two we already have? |
| | Robert Driscoll: Unfortunately, the schedule has already been set. We don't anticipate any more regular-season national TV exposure. |
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| Jon (Providence): How is the athletic department going to make a commitment to the students of Providence College when it seems that the students are often forgotten about. |
| | Robert Driscoll: We value the support of all our students. It is the primary reason that we cut our season ticket price in half in order to make it more accesible to our student body. We have also added additional buses to and from the Dunkin' Donuts Center, as well as conducting pre-game parties at McPhails on campus. With the exception of men's basketball, all other athletic events are free for the students. That is not the case at all other BIG EAST schools. |
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| Jim D: What is your position on scheduling BC in the future? We have heard Tim say he isnt against it while all the other Big East schools have come out and said no way. Should we be aligned with their thinking? |
| | Robert Driscoll: We will make our decision on future games with BC based on what's in the best interest of our basketball program. |
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| friartowndotcom (Providence): Bob, thanks for your time today, we're very supportive and appreciative of your constant interaction with supporters of the program. This is a great thing you do with these chats! |
| | Robert Driscoll: Thank you for your comments and I appreciate all of your support. The new BIG EAST provides us with a wonderful opportunity to build a nationally recoginized program. With the support and enthusiasm of people like yourself, I am confident we will be a leader in athletics. |
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| Mike (PC Student): Robert, the student support at the games is dissapointing compared to the energy that URI has? What is being done about moving the students closer to the floor on the sidelines and moving the older less energized fans out of the way? |
| | Robert Driscoll: Having just attended the game at URI, it is safe to say that we have twice as many students at our home games. We position our students as close to the court as possible in the end zones so that they can stand and not obstruct the view of those who wish to remain seated. |
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| Chad (New York City): What are some of the improvments that we might see in a "souped up" Dunkin Donuts Center? New scoreboard? Sound system etc... |
| | Robert Driscoll: If the plan is approved, you will see new video scoreboard, sound system, seating rest rooms, restaurant, etc. in the renovated facility. |
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| Jess (Providence): Right now is PC in full compliance with Title IX. What is being done to get to that point or to maintain compliance? |
| | Robert Driscoll: PC is in full compliance with Title IX and we continue to make decisions that positively impact the quality of our women's sports programs. |
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| Dave, Poughkeepsie: The fall teams generally did quite well;however, the volleyball team was very poor. Are you going to put money into this program or get rid of it. |
| | Robert Driscoll: Because of a lack of scholarship funds for women's volleyball it is difficult to compete successfully at the Division I level. We are putting together an independent schedule that will allow our women to compete on a more level playing field. I don't anticipate adding scholarship dollars to volleyball until a number of our partially funded women's programs such as softball, soccer, track & field, hockey are fully funded. |
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| Kyle, Raynham: What happened to the recliners at the Dunk? Will they be making a comeback? |
| | Robert Driscoll: Unfortunately, Lazy Boy that sponsored the two chairs did not renew its sponsorhip. |
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| friartowndotcom (providence): Would the Dunk "plan" include expanded seating that would allow us to compete for the NCAA Tourney again? |
| | Robert Driscoll: There are no plans to increase seating capacity. However, it does not prevent us from hosting all NCAA events. |
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| Tony Providence: What is your assessment of botht he men's and women's hockey teams this year and in future years. Are we going to be able to compete in a very strong Hockey East? |
| | Robert Driscoll: Our goal is to compete successfully in the HOCKEY EAST and the NCAA Tournament. We have a number of things that we need to do with respect to facility enhancements, coaches, and student-athlete support in order to achieve this goal. |
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| Brian, West Islip, NY: Will Hall of Fame inductions be held on a regular basis? |
| | Robert Driscoll: Our plans are to hold hall of fame inductions every other year. This will allow us to also host special events such as the celebration of 1973 NCAA Team that I mentioned earlier. The date of that event is March 6 in Alumni Hall. We will be sending our information soon. |
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| Spark (Boston): How can alumni and boosters help in recruiting? |
| | Robert Driscoll: NCAA rules prohibit alumni and boosters from helping in the recruiting process. |
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| Kevin, Providence: How are the new online store sales doing and can we expect new item to added to the store in the future? |
| | Robert Driscoll: We have had a great response to the on line store. Last month, we sold over $7000 worth of merchandise -- that was a record month for us. We will continue to add new items periodically. The next item that you will see posted will be NIKE hats. |
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| Richard, Providence: What are the primary factors regarding an on campus arena that are keeping it from happening? |
| | Robert Driscoll: The college just completed a master plan for facilities and it was determined that there was not a large enough foot print for a facility on campus. Other issues such as parking, egress, neighborhood relations, etc. all make it a complicated issue. Not to mention a price tag of at least $50 million. |
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| Peter (Rye, NY): What is the biggest difference between your job here and the AD job at your previous home, Cal? |
| | Robert Driscoll: It never snows in California!!!! I love my job here at Providence because of the people and the passion that everyone has for Providence College. Not having a Division I football program affords us the opportunity to build a successful broadbased program. |
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| bob: Lets give Tim a contract extension to keep him long term |
| | Robert Driscoll: Tim is doing a great job and he is already signed to a long-term contract. |
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| Bill Smithfield: Since had your last chat you have given an extension to Coach Deraney. I think that was a very good move. Was it in response to the school he played for adding a varsity program in the next year or two? |
| | Robert Driscoll: We gave Coach Deraney a long-term contract because the outstanding job he has done with our student-athletes. He represents the vision of the department of most respected, 100 perecent graduation and winning championships. |
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| | Robert Driscoll: Thanks for the great questions and for your continued support. All of us here in the athletic department wish you a safe and happy holiday season! GO FRIARS |
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