Hello Huskies!

Excitement is in the air, campus is energized and the hallways of the Convocation and Yordon centers are once again filled with Huskie student-athletes. It is a great time of year to be on a college campus as we put summer vacations and planning sessions behind us and embark on a new school year, and a new season of NIU Athletics.

I've spent my entire career on college campuses, and I get the same feelings of anticipation every year. I love, speaking to every team at one of their first practices, introducing new employees at our first "Town Hall" (all staff) meeting of the year and greeting the NIU freshmen at the Huskie Fall Kick-Off. 

The Huskie fall sports seasons are off and running as the defending MAC Champion NIU Volleyball team competes all weekend in the NIU Holiday Inn Express Invitational at Victor E. Court in the Convocation Center.  Be there at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night (August 25) as we raise the 2016 MAC Championship and NCAA Tournament banners!

Just prior to that, our newest head coach, Ryan Swan, makes his Huskie debut as the NIU men's soccer team opens its regular season versus DePaul at the NIU Soccer/Track & Field Complex at 6:30 p.m. Cross country takes off Sept. 2 with a meet in Romeoville and women's soccer is already two games into its season and hasn't given up a goal yet!  Both teams placed second in the MAC Championships last year and are hungry to take the next step!

The Huskie Football team is hungry too. On September 1, we welcome a premier opponent in Boston College to Huskie Stadium. The Eagles are the first Atlantic Coast Conference team to play in DeKalb since that magical night versus Maryland in 2003. They are just the second team from what is now known as a "Power 5" league to face NIU at Huskie Stadium since that time.  By the way, the last time we lost to a team from one of those leagues at Huskie Stadium was all the way back in 1997!

NIU is taking a "back to basics" approach to the 2017 football season. The team is focused on returning to the Smart, Tough and Relentless values that embody "The Hard Way," and which have made NIU the most successful Mid-American Conference team this century.  In that spirit, the Huskies will wear the "traditional" uniforms of black pants, red jersey and black helmets at home, beginning with the season opener. In addition NIU's sideline returns to the West Side of Huskie Stadium in 2017. For years, NIU students on the East Side helped make Huskie Stadium the toughest place to play in the MAC and with your help, we're ready to reclaim that designation! 

Filling Huskie Stadium with fans for the season opener versus Boston College on September 1 will be a great start! We want to #BlackOutBC and are encouraging all fans to wear black. We'll be giving away black T-shirts to students and want to fill both sides of the stadium for the CBS Sports Network national television broadcast beginning at 8:30 p.m. 

The game is also DeKalb County Day with half-price, reserved tickets available to fans from DeKalb County. To get this $15 offer, tickets must be ordered in advance by calling 815-753-PACK (7225) or by going online to NIUHuskies.com.

Last week, the new Huskie Fan Advisory Board held its first meeting and I was impressed with the commitment and the energy of the group. We discussed a wide variety of topics including: strategies for outreach and engagement of the Huskie alumni and fan base; improving customer service and standard operating procedures to enhance the ticket buying experience; and addressing attendance issues. The board expressed a willingness to think outside the box to address attendance issues, which may include moving additional home contests into Chicagoland to meet attendance requirements.

Your support is so important to all of these initiatives and especially to our 400 student-athletes in all sports.  By attending games and events, purchasing season tickets and/or becoming a donor to the Huskie Athletic Fund, you help us to ensure that the rich tradition of NIU Athletics continues. To achieve that goal and to support the Huskie student-athletes of today and of the future, we introduced the Campaign to Sustain last spring, and launched a website at NIUSustain.com.

The Campaign kicked off over the summer and we have already received numerous commitments. We look forward to building momentum as we continue to bounce back from the adversity caused by the lack of a state budget over the last two years. 
In addition, research shows that the gap between the Group of Five institutions and teams in the better-resourced conferences is widening. Our goal is to position NIU to maintain and sustain its competitive and academic successes, while further solidifying our position as a premier FBS institution.

With these two factors in mind, your support remains absolutely critical at this time in our history. Please, feel free to contact me or any member of the Huskie Athletic Fund staff regarding the Campaign to Sustain.

When you call the Huskie Athletic Fund or the NIU Athletics Ticket Office this fall, you may have a chance to meet or talk to two of the newest members of our external staff as TJ Feuerbach joined the senior administrative team as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development and Revenue Generation, and Collin Bruning came on board as Assistant Athletic Director for Ticket Operations.

TJ's arrival also provided me with the opportunity to shift and enhance some administrative responsibilities among the senior staff. These changes will allow us to better serve our donors, season ticket members and patrons while continuing to provide the best experience possible for Huskie student-athletes. I am extremely confident in the dedication and professionalism of the leadership team we have recruited and maintained here at NIU.

Finally, one more note, I hope you will consider joining me on Friday, October 6 as we induct six new members into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame. The Induction Ceremony will take place in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center, beginning with a reception at 5:30 p.m. and there is no charge to attend.

The season is here! I'm ready! Look forward to seeing you in The Yard, at Huskie Stadium and in the Convocation Center this fall.  

Go Huskies!
 

Sean T. Frazier
NIU Associate Vice-President & Director of Athletics
#NIUSustain
 
P.S. – The start of the academic year is a great time to review this important reminder from the Huskie Athletics Compliance Office.

Northern Illinois University is committed to maintaining an athletics program in compliance with all NCAA, Mid-American Conference, and University regulations. The responsibility to maintain compliance falls on all members of the NIU family, including boosters.

Your awareness of and adherence to NCAA regulations are essential to the success of NIU's athletics programs. Under NCAA rules, NIU is responsible for boosters who violate NCAA rules, so we encourage you to contact the Huskie Athletic Compliance Office if you have any questions or knowledge of a potential rules violation. Asking the compliance staff questions about what you can and cannot do is the best way to protect NIU and our current student-athletes, as well as safeguard against future problems.  PLEASE REMEMBER: ONCE A BOOSTER, ALWAYS A BOOSTER!

To promote our mission of developing champions in the classroom, in competition, and in life, we must always seek the highest standard of ethical conduct and institutional control. With your assistance and cooperation in adhering to NCAA rules, we believe these goals can be accomplished. NIU thanks you for your continued support and loyalty to the University and its athletics programs.

ASK BEFORE YOU ACT
NIUHuskies.com/compliance
Call us at (815) 753-8447 or reach out via email to niurules@niu.edu
Twitter @NIURules