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Ushers Brian Fox, Teena Jones and Steve Wright stand at their posts Saturday during a University of Tennessee women’s basketball game at Thompson-Boling Arena.
There's no free lunch at Thompson-Boling Arena anymore - at least for the hired help.
To cut costs, the University of Tennessee Department of Athletics has eliminated hot dog and Coke vouchers for basketball event support personnel and reshuffled the number of ushers present per game.
The operational changes will return almost $80,000 to sports budgets, said Tiffany Carpenter, director of public relations for UT athletics.
In the past, ushers for basketball games were each given a voucher for one hot dog and one Coke, which retail for about $7, according to David Elliott, assistant athletic director for event management.
"It was something we've been doing over the past few years to show our appreciation," Carpenter said.
In addition, UT is "actively managing" its support staff for basketball games based on the number of fans in attendance, Carpenter said.
In the past, each game was staffed with the same number of ushers. But some games that have lower attendance do not require that many ushers, she said.
"We want to make sure we're not paying for manpower we don't need," she said.
A Nov. 1 memo from the athletic department's event management department to basketball event support personnel states:
"Like any business, intercollegiate athletics is dependent upon the patron. Given the economic situation of our country, all prudent businesses are scaling back some of their operations. Our goal is to make the best decisions, monetarily, without impacting the ability of our student-athletes and coaches to compete for championships."
The budget savings provided by staffing changes and elimination of vouchers will "help pay for the increased travel costs associated with away-from-home contests," the memo states.
"We regret that we have to make decisions such as these," the memo continues. "But (we) are confident that your goal is the same as ours - we want to provide opportunities for our student-athletes to compete for championships."
Chloe White may be reached at 865-342-6341.
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Comments » 91
utallvol writes:
1st
mpm80#1357758 writes:
7 bucks for a dog & coke dayum!!!
Goodvol writes:
Wow, we are already trying to save for our new football coach! Maybe this means they will shell out the bucks for the new guy!
JMP_Vols writes:
Could a $6M buyout have anything to do with this???
crmcm44#321757 writes:
It would only return that money to the program if those hotdogs and cokes were really worth 80K, the actual money saved is less than 10K. Another example of penny wise and dollar foolish. Nice how they allow some minion to do the dirty work.
DigUptheGeneral writes:
"this was a way to show our appreciation", he says...
So...taking that big fat $7 voucher away is doing what again?
Wow...the ushers must be thrilled. Where do I sign up?
TheFuj writes:
$7.00 retail for a hot dog and coke?? Please. What a rip off. Same for vending in football. We paid $7.50 for a box of popcorn and a coke. Last time I will do that.
bricker865 writes:
The food budget available on campus will take a substantial increase if we hire a skinnier coach. Ok, I'm new at this. :p
zqvol writes:
This is news because?
Volman42 writes:
I guess the usher Nazi's will be even more Nazish on an empty stomach. Thanks UT.
CoverOrange writes:
$80k divided by $7 divided by ~20 home games equals 571 hotdogs and cokes. Just exactly how many ushers are there?
Could have saved more by laying off one of the bureaucrats in the UTAD.
volboy81 writes:
since the UTAD recognizes the "economic situation" of this country at the present time, they should reduce the cost of a hotdog and Coke! Im not paying $10 for it! I eat before I go or after I leave. That Sodexho or whatever theyre called are ripoff artists!
pdhuff#552644 writes:
:et's see.
Pull $7.00 from an usher. They're doing their job.
Okay.
Send $125,000.00 per month to Phixable for not being able to do his job.
Hmmmm.
Sounds like we're on track to me. Need to invest in this.
cltvol writes:
sounds like a fired ex-banker is running operations now
WVVOLFAN writes:
got that right FUj, i dropped a 10 spot for a petros and a coke last week. not anymore.
dirtdobber1 writes:
This is a bunch of dung! 7 dollars for hot dog and coke- 80,000 dollars in savings! the cost on one hot dog and coke is probably 50 cents if that? If Mike Hamilton oked this, then he is a punk!
Pay consulting firm millions of dollars to tell UT who to hire for coach?????
If Mike Hamilton is pulling this crape' he needs to be the one to go!
MANVOL writes:
Eat a snack before the game and and nice dinner afterwards. It's cheaper. Never do I pay for overpriced nasty food at any UT sporting event. You're only there a couple hours anyway you want starve. I have seen some of you there you may want to skip the hot dogs and nachos.
The_the writes:
Slap in the face.
richvol writes:
Someone with some sense needs to be involved in these decisions. As stated previously, the actual cost of a bun,a weenie,a cup and coke is definately under a dollar. What genius came up with this idea?
After deciding to pay a coach that deserved to be fired over six million dollars,charging students for tickets on top of huge increases in tuition,spending untold millions on facilities and producing the type of product they ought to be ashamed of, "they" have decided to save money in this fashion?
Who made this idiotic decision and why does the University not have enough sense to see the damage this does? Andy Holt,Dr.Boling and Dr.Johnson would roll their eyes.
tenntallguy_29#615180 writes:
BOYCOTT! BOYCOTT!
Big orange fans please join be in a boycott of all consession stands at UT Atletics till this crazy stupid decision is changed? Seven dollars? More like the 2.00 everyone has said. Tell your friends, pass the word! We won't get change till we all do it. Post again if your will agree to Boycott and remember to tell your friends to do it too!!
cparay#1346966 writes:
Let me tell you. This is what it takes. Straighten out the ushers. Charge them the price of a ticket. And make them contribute to the VASF fund. That will teach them about economics and higher education.
etsuvol99#227561 writes:
Food prices at UT have been outrageous since Sodexho took over. They jumped the prices up didn't they? If "the economic situation of our country" is hurting enough to take hotdogs out of the mouths of starving ushers, maybe Sodexho will lower their prices? Economics has "the margin" maybe they should look at that.
My only question about vendors at UT games is what cut do the people who sell the food get? At one of the games I went to I bought from the Halls HS Drama Club, so I assume they do it for a fundraiser. Are they getting a bigger cut with the higher food prices or is Sodexho keeping more?
silentvolfan writes:
M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E....................
I do not believe it costs UTAD 80k for hot dogs and cokes......
unless the UTAD is buying them with the $7 vouchers at arena retail prices from contracted vendors?????
If UTAD is doing that, they need to renegoiate the contract for a "cost of the product" voucher for workers.
HOTDOG or PORK??????
TommyJack writes:
They can make it up with volume.
rusty_shackleford writes:
UTAD, don't be cheap.
jjhvols writes:
I am 16 years old and worked the vending at UT football games for 3 years. I loved it the first year and made a lot of money. When they sold in to sodexo 2 years ago, I made next to nothing. The first game I made 3 dollars for 6 hours work. They were so cheep I had to pay the sales tax on the hot dogs I sold. I quit after the Florida game because it was a rip off.
SemperVol writes:
Given 50 ushers....that's about 12 hotdogs and cokes per game per usher.
They're not that good. Funny post.
ggriggs939#223122 writes:
Why don't they do the same thing with local media types at the athletic events??? They could add several more bucks to the budgets of lesser sports and not affect the reports written and broadcast.
Are the ushers volunteers or do they get in at a reduced price???
murrayvol writes:
I'll second that. What's the over/under on Associate ADs as of this writing?
murrayvol writes:
Cruel but oh so correct.
This is the UT version of wealth redistribution.
askUncleMaze writes:
I got an idea to raise money... I been trying to but a B.Maze jersey. WHY CANT I BUY A JERSEY? Ms. T.Carpenter & Mike Hamilton (AD) can get together and order some jerseys for the fans. The only jerseys out there are T.Smith & C.Lofton. I like both of those guys. If your good enough to make the team they should SELL YOUR JERSEYS TO MAKE MONEY FOR THE SCHOOL.....
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Simply shows how insulated from the real world of high gas prices, etc. the ivory tower of UTAD is.
I'd rather run thru a backyard full of pit bulls wearing a pork chop suit than put out a memo like this one.
As MurrayV says, wealth redistribution.
In thing.
chuckfromwoodbury writes:
Get rid of 500 of the 700 assistant AD's and we could save some real money. FREE THE USHERS!
GoVol writes:
Sounds like Fulmer's idea. He's been charting this for a while now!
nyyvol21#669431 writes:
My Goodness. I believe the bean counter has finally lost it. The ushers consume that many hotdogs and cokes during a game?
After 28 years of football season tickets I'm over it all. They can have it.
threehundredbowler writes:
My wife,2 grandchildren and myself equal approximately 50.00 in consessions,200.00 in ticket prices,gasoline about 50.00 and pre game post game meals another 60.00 totals about 360.00 a game give or take a little.Not counting donations for the right to buy the tickets.This may be my last year for attending games at U.T. Getting too expensive to watch a sub par team play.Forgot to count the parking and shuttle costs.
FLAVOLS writes:
This has to be the biggest crock of s**t I've ever had to read from the UT athletic department.
$7 for a dog and a coke??!!!! People would be amazed to the fact that an 8 to 1 hot dog with bun only costs the university about a quarter and the coke is about 10 cents without the cup. Even with the price of the cup it would ALL cost less than a $1 for a dog and a Coke. Incredible that these ushers are going to save the university $80,000 by not getting their $1 dog and Coke. They must think the public are complete idiots to think that this will save the university $80,000. Inflationary practices huh? Bull!%^@!
blitzshoot writes:
In 75 years, it will payoff the $6m buyout for Phillip.
khonea1553 writes:
It is the typical Republican economic philosophy. Take the people who make the least and use them to cut yor costs. Wonder why this country is in the shape it is. If you have a money crunch charge it to the people who make the least and give to someone who makes over 1 million a year...Next complain that the same person making over a million is paying too much in taxes and then tax the poor people of the state to pay college costs...How about cutting the salaries of people making over 250k to cover these costs. Oh no thats socialism...
kgehl writes:
As a 1998 graduate of UT, I was thrilled to attend the men's game Saturday night and see a great performance! The ticket price was well worth it. I was appalled that a coke and hot dog was $7.50!!! This is ridiculous! 10 years ago each was only a buck fifty. 4 dollars for a plastic cup (no longer with any good info such as the schedule or at least the alma mater song), ice, and a soft drink! Seriously!
blitzshoot writes:
Boycott...bring your own dogs to the game. Viva la Oscar!
CoverOrange writes:
I'm confused, what are we outraged about?
1. Ushers losing their jobs?
2. Ushers having to pay for their pop and dog?
3. Fans paying to much for their weiner and soda?
4. Mike Hamilton using a lame excuse to cut budgets?
5. Nothing, that just what we do here?
utvolz#637682 writes:
And after hundreds of hours "reviewing the film"
Laydbakvol writes:
"It was something we've been doing over the past few years to show our appreciation,"
Yeah, right. Since CBP the stands have been filling up like nobody's business. You would have thought that they would have slipped them an extra hot dog instead of taking the one away.
SandySpringsVol writes:
The last paragraph of the article was omitted...
Carpenter concluded by stating, "We will still allow the ushers to consume all the gum stuck to the bottom of the seats that they find, and each of them will be able to rent an orange and white putty knife to assist them in scraping the gum off."
dvol writes:
My friend I feel your pain. I also spend that much a game. One thing to remember during these hard times. To watch the V O L S run through the ( T ) on a Saturday Night. (Priceless)!!
brunovol writes:
There goes the home winning streak!
GreerVol22 writes:
do you think the sky box is free? how bout those pretty black chairs or Bruce's dining room ceiling?.....even the rodent service provided to coach Pat for her back porch...things like this cost a lot of money.
therfore....they urge you to pay those prices and please pay no more....
pdhuff#552644 writes:
If the UTAD wants to adjust something, how about a $2Mil recruiting budget that netted 3 wins?
Man, put me and my new AMG Mercedes in charge of (wink-wink) oversight on that line item review.
FLAVOLS writes:
Turbo,
All of the above.
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