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Message: [QUOTE="SUMB, post: 298671, member: 1426"] Hi Chip, The Band size seems to be holding steady right around 200. When I got the Band in 2005 we had 155; our highest since then was 204 in 2010. It looks like we might go slightly over that this year but we're right in the middle of recruiting season and we won't know until mid-July. I'll update you then. As a frame of reference, the SUMB saw its highest numbers in 1999, and that was 224. As for filling that section, I'd actually like to move to the corner near the tunnel so we can be close to the student section. I think we're the only Div. I-FBS stadium that seats its band off in the middle of nowhere closer to away fans than home fans. This really detracts from the atmosphere and home-field advantage. I'm working on this, but there's a lot of resistance to moving us. I want to break through and get to 250-275, but we don't offer scholarships like a lot of programs in the Big East and many in the ACC (there aren't $$ for this. If there were, we would have more Tubas than we'd know what to do with!), and the University actually ties our hands with recruiting; we aren't allowed to contact all incoming students directly. The reasons for this are a bit silly and we're working with the upper administration to fix it, but it's slow. As for scholarships, until we can get some kind of base funding it won't happen, but that's the quickest way to grow the Band. Uniforms! Yes. These are in dire need of replacement, if for no other reason than our current set is falling apart. A typical life cycle for uniforms is 10 years; the set we have now was first used in 2005. The current design was introduced in 1995 and is admittedly very dated. We are currently working on a replacement design for 2015. We know what it'll look like: more orange and navy, and only a little bit of white. It's a really nice design that's contemporary and a little bit traditional at the same time (although if this platinum thing catches on we're going to have to revisit). What we don't know is where the $$ will come from to buy them (about $200,000). Again, we're working on that, too. Our biggest challenge is getting the University to invest in the SUMB. We're working on organizational and funding models from the early 1990s! We're starting to get traction on all of these things but as you might imagine it's hard to make it to the top of the priority list when there are so many other pressing needs. We are optimistic that the move to the ACC will help. [/QUOTE]

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