Boston College Athletics: Town Hall Event - Part II

Two years ago, in his first few months on the job, new Athletic Director Brad Bates opened the kimono just a bit and sponsored what I believe were the first Town Hall style meetings discussing Boston College football in particular and the overall athletic program in general.

Select season ticket holders (I was fortunate enough to be one of them) were invited to the Yawkey Football Center to meet with Bates and members of his staff and voice opinions on the overall football program and game day experience. The response was overwhelming, with both meetings "sold" out.

That Town Hall forum is credited with making changes or bringing back some long standing traditions, like Homecoming, fireworks, the game day customer service reps, security training, live band entertainment, changes in the ticket access policy, additional parking opportunities and even Welles the live Bald Eagle...although it's debatable where Welles has gone.

Town Hall is back and on March 7 prior to the Wake Forest basketball game, Bates and team will once again entertain a group of season ticket holders.

What the focal point of this meeting will be isn't really clear—it wasn't specified in the invitation—but I am curious to see if it is more football-specific, once again around game day experience, or if it goes further and looks at the overall Boston College athletic program.

For me, my biggest questions have always been around how Boston College can make itself relevant in the local community and how vested the athletic department is in putting not just a winning but a championship-level program on the field, ice or court.

I do know that Bates looks at each fan and season ticket holder as a walking advertisement for the Boston College brand, so he is most definitely looking to promote the evangelical side of all of us when it comes to Eagle athletics.

So what say you? If you were attending, what would you want to ask Brad Bates? What topics deserve attention? Is it facility improvement, athletic programs sponsored, scheduling, coaching hires, getting into the Notre Dame game at Fenway this upcoming season, improving attendance...there are a lot of possibilities and only 90 minutes to get them all in...what really matters?