The Marquette Tribune | Thursday, May 5, 2016

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Volume 100, Number 27

Since 1916

Staffing counselors The Counseling Center is struggling to stay properly staffed for serving students NEWS, 5

Amplo’s path to MLAX How MU landed a coach who put the program on the map

SPORTS, 12

Thursday, May 5, 2016

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2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 SPJ Award-Winning Newspaper

MUBB attendance down again Student numbers, revenue fall as team continues rebuild By Patrick Thomas

patrick.thomas@marquette.edu

Even with a National Marquette Day attendance of more than 19,000, floor projections for a new arena and a potential NBA lottery pick on the team, the university couldn’t stop the second straight drop in men’s basketball attendance. Average game attendance fell to 13,308 for the 2015-’16 season, a decrease of 349 fans from last season’s 13,657. The average attendance between the 2006-’07 season and the 2014-’15 season was more than 15,400. “I think we came off a period of success that in the history of our program stands with the consistency we had in the ’70s. We played in arguably the best basketball league ever constructed at that time,” said deputy athletic director Mike Broeker. “Regardless of who was coaching our program in 2014-’15, we were rebuilding. With rebuilding comes a dip in attendance. A lot of times when you have the success we had, you pick up fans who maybe aren’t so closely tied to the program.” Director of Athletics Bill Scholl said it’s possible the decrease comes from the team not making the NCAA Tournament in recent years. “Clearly, the more successful your team is, the easier your ticket sales equation becomes,” Scholl said. Deputy athletic director Brian Hardin said the attendance drop signifies the importance of student fans. Students made up more than half of the decreasing attendance. On average, students accounted for 289 of the 349 fans lost per game on average, for an eight percent drop. Hardin said in no way does he blame the students for not coming to the games, and that it is his job to create an environment where students want to attend. “We need to do a better job of making the game enticing enough for our students to purchase tickets and come to the game,” Hardin See MUBB FINANCES, page 14

Photo by Ben Erickson benjamin.a.erickson@marquette.edu

The student section at the BMO Harris Bradley Center was sparce most games, including bouts against No. 20 Providence and Creighton.

McCormick Hall set for demolition Coed residence halls will open for 2018’19 school year Marquette is preparing to say goodbye to the almost 50-yearold McCormick Hall, which will be torn down in 2018 as part of an estimated $96 million residence hall development plan. The plan announced Monday in a university news brief. It was approved by the Board of Trustees and is set to begin in late 2016. It outlines the con-

struction of two connected, coed residence halls that are slated to open for the 2018-’19 academic year. Campus Architect Lora Strigens said it is a priority in the university’s Master Plan, which will outline campus construction for the coming years. The residence halls will be located south of Wells Street and between 17th and 18th Streets and have around 375 beds, each with pod and suitestyle living spaces. They will be connected through the ground floor by dining and campus community spaces. The structure will be designed

INDEX

NEWS

By Maredithe Meyer

maredithe.meyer@marquette.edu

CALENDAR...........................................................3 MUPD REPORTS..................................................3 MARQUEE............................................................8 OPINIONS........................................10 SPORTS...........................................12 SPORTS CALENDAR .........................................13

LIMO ride along

Get to know what an average night for the drivers is like. PAGE 4

to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification standards, as part of Lovell’s plan to make campus more sustainable. “It will focus on a sense of community,” Strigen said about the construction design. “McCormick Hall’s design is just not where student housing is headed.” Strigens said the Master Plan’s feasibility study on undergraduate housing, completed in April 2015, inspired layout plans for the upcoming construction. The university requested for design teams to submit ideas,

and it is currently searching for an architectural company to break ground later this year. The design of the new dorm will allow for multiple uses, including summer conferences and camps that are part of a campus-wide effort to use buildings more efficiently. “Residence halls provides just one opportunity to do that,” Strigens said. The construction’s funding will come from cash reserves, debt financing and funds from the university’s capital budget, according to the news See MCCORMICK, page 2 MARQUEE

‘Salvage’ premiere

Students Brian Mohsenian and George Bicknell create series.

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