As a fan who attended RPI games even before matriculating 15 years ago, I've been intrigued by the RPI to HE rumors. I used to think it was a terrible idea.....now I'm mildly opposed. My view of the issues: 1) Attendance - I don't believe HE will help here at all. Maine is an attractive opponent with a strong following. On the other hand, Merrimack, Lowell, Providence and Northeastern are poor draws with little road following and no natural rivalry with RPI. I've been to several games at Lowell where RPI fans outnumbered (or at least matched) the locals. BU, BC and UNH are all attractive opponents when they are winning but won't bring many fans to Troy. Remembering top ten RPI against number 1 BU a few years back playing to an almost full Field House but with only a hundred or so BU fans....... This compares to the fanatical following and traditional rivalries versus Clarkson, St. Lawrence, Cornell, UVM, etc. Not to mention the Capital District rivalry with a Union program that will improve over the next few years........ 2) Number of games - This used to be my biggest gripe. When HE played 40+ games per year and travelled out west regularly I thought it was absurd. With the 34 game limit and end of the WCHA relationship this is less of an issue. Still, the fact that HE played that many games prior to NCAA cutbacks is indicative of the importance of athletics at those schools. 3) Mass pipeline - Don't bet on this changing dramatically. With UMass added to the mix there is more competition than ever. A few more might sign on, but if a player wants to play a lot of games close to mom and dad why go to RPI when there are 5 or six schools that play 75% of their games in Metro Boston. RPI would be playing approx. 25% of its' games in that area (up from approx. 10-15% now). 4) Media coverage - Not all its' cracked up to be. The Globe and Herald generally have short stories by staff about BU, BC or NU games played in Boston (same for Harvard home games). For out of town games by those clubs they'll pick up abbreviated wire service reports. Non-Boston teams.....2-3 lines. Not bad, but hardly a PR overload. As for TV, for a regular season game to receive coverage it has to be critical (e.g. Maine-BU for first place) or a very slow sports day. Either way, RPI's coverage will be a very small fraction of the locals. 5) Harvard-Brown "front-loaded" schedules. This is only a problem if those teams are winning and others aren't. No matter what Harvard's record is, if the Engineers were 4-1 or 5-0 as they "were supposed to be" (if you believe local press clippings) this wouldn't be too much concern. Not much of a reason to switch leagues in my opinion. 6) Buddy Powers' hiring and George Low's death - I know these are hardly linked events, but I suspect Jayson is right on the net effect. Buddy is a Boston area guy (CM, BU, etc.) and playing there must get his juices going (on the other hand he has pulled out of the running for two HE jobs for which he was reportedly a strong contender). George Low had a strong interest in emphasizing the school's academic strengths - directly or via association. The changeover in regimes can only work toward an RPI move. I'd be in favor of staying in alignment with the Ivies. {Side note: I did go to graduate school at an Ivy League institution but it is a fact that I often keep quiet). There is nothing wrong with aligning sports leagues with schools of like academic interest.....and make no mistake about it I think RPI is in that category albeit with a much, much narrower focus. It keeps sports in some sort of perspective. HE also contains fine institutions, but with a few exceptions there is clearly a much stronger emphasis on athletics (not a negative....just reality). Bottom line: If it is inevitable so be it.....but HE is not a panacea and I personally would not be happy with the move. Not crushed....but not happy. Jon P.S. Having spent my undergraduate years working in the Academic Advising office on campus I know that there's a range of students on the hockey team.....just as there is in the general population. Mike correctly pointed out that non-engineers are often frowned upon - but that does not mean they are not "real students." Management/business is considered a perfectly viable major for untold thousands of students per year - why not a hockey player? Someone mentioned Oates, Carter, etc. FYI, Adam Oates returned to Troy for many summers after he was a highly paid NHL player and did receive his RPI degree (despite signing after his junior year). John Carter also received his degree.` With all the demands on their time and the opportunities to walk away, that is something deserving of respect. ********************************************************************** Jon Greene [log in to unmask] Cheyenne Software, Roslyn Heights, NY **********************************************************************