Purdue Responds to Locker Room Criticisms

Submitted by BoFlex on

Purdue released an official statement on the recent criticisms of its locker room by Harbaugh:

Source/Tweet

Purdue regards the welfare of all student-athletes as its No. 1 priority. We would fully support a conversation regarding a conference-wide set of guidelines for visiting football team accommodations because we have experienced less-than-ideal conditions on the road. There IS no place for gamesmanship when it comes to player care and safety.

The after-the-fact concerns expressed by Michigan are somewhat surprising because a member of its football staff conducted a walk-thru of our facilities with our athletics department staff at Ross-Ade Stadium on July 18.

Furthermore, to help teams prepare in advance, our visiting team manual highlights in bold type "there is no air conditioning in the (visiting) locker room," with accompanying Purdue Athletics staff contact information about how to request preferred temporary accommodations. We did not receive any such request.

Basic x-ray is available within our athletic footprint and more-sophisticated capabilities are located two blocks away, similar to the arrangements at many other schools. Our sports medicine staff members, in fact, have received numerous compliments from their Michigan counterparts regarding the care they received at Purdue.

From the sounds of other Purdue blogs, and writers. There are several older athletic and non-athletic facilities on Purdue's campus that do not have permanent A/C installed. Purdue instead opts the use temporary units/chillers during the warmer months the facilities are being used, and removes them during the fall. It seems strange/idiotic that a school with resources like Purdue does not just do a campus-wide upgrade of all their facilities.

FauxMo

September 26th, 2017 at 9:05 AM ^

I think some day, scientists should attach an actual number to a "Shitload." Like, 500 pounds, perhaps? Or 1000 pounds, so we can do away with "half-a-ton." Oooohhhh, and then a "Half-Ton Truck" could be called a "Shitload Truck." 

MGlobules

September 26th, 2017 at 12:10 PM ^

into our working vocabulary here. That would be fun. A puncheon is how much an opposing QB, on average, evacuates with the tandem of Winovich and Bush bearing down on him. 

There are, however, some smaller weights missing from the graphic illustration. Clearly, a turdlet is smaller than a rundlet, as pictured. Although one could make arguments for the contrary.  

Sorry, I know my mom would not cosign this line of thought. But she is dead. 

CarlosSpicyweiner21

September 26th, 2017 at 7:20 AM ^

What is the member of Michigan's staff supposed to say....Hey guys get A/C installed before the game in Sept. I am guessing walk throughs are simply done, so the staff knows what to bring or how they need to set the room up. Nobody is going to tell a program your facilities are shit.

triangle_M

September 26th, 2017 at 9:12 AM ^

I posted Purdue's response in yesterday's presser thread along with my assumption that someone at Michigan dropped the ball in the walk-through.  I was quickly corrected by Mr. Yost who explained:

 

I call bullshit.

1. The football staff walking through your facilities doesn't mean they saw your visiting team locker room. Why would you show that off on a tour of your facilities? I've seen stadiums across the country...rarely do I ever walk through a visiting team locker room. Besides, they could literally be looking at anything. And if they DID see the locker room, it would be fair to assume that you all (Purdue) would provide better accomodations during the season that aren't set up in the middle of the fucking SUMMER!

2. Every school sends out a visiting team guide at the beginning of every year (for every sport) and everyone knows you use it as a "backup" in case you need a map to the stadium, a contact number, a restuarant for team meals, etc.

But even if you did list it in there...did you list the size of the space? Did you provide fans? Did you mention that it would be 20 degrees warmer in the locker room than it was outside? Fuck you and your bold type.

3. It is common practice that you might mess with a team (i.e. pink walls), but you don't EVER do anything that could affect student-athlete welfare.

There should've been lockers (not wood fancy ones, standard boring metal lockers), lighting, restroom facilities, space, taping tables, reasonable minimum accomodations...and if you cannot provide that space this it's on YOU as the host institution to provide an alternative.

At my school we don't have locker rooms for soccer anywhere near the field. WE rent tents, fans, lights and set it up so they have a place to go at halftime and don't have to run across the street and run back. That's on US. I would never expect someone to bring their own tent. That's nuts.

This Purdue AD needs to some making excuses and start finding SOLUTIONS. I guarantee if I saw that locker room for 10 minutes I would have a list of solutions they could come up with until they could build better facilities. Step 1, if you have facility limitations, as the host institution it's common practice that YOU disclose those limitations and offer solutions. If Michigan doesn't like them? Hey, that's their problem - you tried.

Assumptions are bad. Thank you Mr. Yost.

bluesalt

September 26th, 2017 at 8:16 AM ^

Portable air conditioners were removed earlier in September based on that statement, so there probably wasn't the same feel as no A/C in 90 degree weather with 90+ people in the room.

But seriously, Purdue, look at the forecast and get the A/C's put back in before a game in those conditions -- it'd have taken no more than 2 hours.

mGrowOld

September 26th, 2017 at 8:21 AM ^

Plus who knows when the walk-through's were done cause by their own admission the AC units were removed.   

What I couldnt believe was they only have TWO toilets?   For 75 people all pushing a ton of fluids they have two potties which is beyond ridiculous

1. Smelled like garbage

2. No modern medical equipment

3. Two bathrooms

4. No AC

And they're going to try and defend that?   I sure hope the next away team to play there calls a presser immediately after the walk-through to loudly inform the world that the Purdue facilities are inadequate and demand they be improved immediately.

After all - that's what they said we should've done.

mgobleu

September 26th, 2017 at 7:22 AM ^

What does the walkthrough accomplish? Like if the staff objected to the conditions of the locker room would anything be done about it before the game? Doubt it.

This statement is basically, "yeah it's shit, but everybody knows it's shit and theirs is shit too, so..."

BoFlex

September 26th, 2017 at 7:25 AM ^

According to some Purdue blogs, several athletic and non-athletic facilities on campus do not have permanent A/C installed. Purdue opts instead to bring in temporary units/chillers during the warmer months that the facilities are in use, and remove them during the fall when the weather normally cools down.

GoBlueUSMC

September 26th, 2017 at 8:08 AM ^

I lived in MoJo in 2004-2005.  No A/C then either.  Don't know if there is A/C now that it's been renovated.

They hadn't even updated the bathrooms from when the hill was all female.  Just took off the doors to the stalls, and then ripped off the toilet seats to keep the piss off them.

Evil Empire

September 26th, 2017 at 8:40 AM ^

Which I thought was a bit weird.  I lived there in 1992-93 and 1993-94 and I recall maybe two or three days when it was hot enough to want AC during that span.  I suppose if they're using the building over the summer it would be important. 

I remember that they spent my second year drilling holes in the building to install cable TV in all rooms, but that the cable was not active until the next year, after I had moved out.  They compensated for the noise and inconvenience by giving us voicemail on our room phones.  Thanks!

I did think it was gross that there were bathtubs in the bathrooms.  Who's going to use those?

The new dining hall has to be sweet.  When I was there they were considering closing the MoJo dining outright and leaving us the option of eating at the other hill dorms.

bluelaw2013

September 26th, 2017 at 8:11 AM ^

I remember being awestruck by the law quad when I first arrived at Michigan. The history, the grandeur... one of the world's most prestigious institutions of legal scholarship. What a privilege to study there!

Then I went through orientation. In late August. Sweet Jesus Christ. There I sat, surrounded by all this intricate, beautiful, single-sourced, hand-carved stone architecture--stuff that surely cost several large fortunes to put together--while crammed in a room with ~80 people, all being cooled by a single Walmart-style oscillating fan.

But at least we didn't have to run around a football field for a couple hours beforehand. Get it together, Purdue.

GoBlueUSMC

September 26th, 2017 at 8:17 AM ^

No A/C even in historical buildings is something that really amazes me.  I know the upkeep of facilities is high, so is the cost of renovation.  But you would think that by the 1980s/90s every facility on major campuses would have been upgraded with A/C.  Michigan has an endowment of what, 13 billion or something like that?

SpikeFan2016

September 26th, 2017 at 8:32 AM ^

Lol no AC in a dorm is not the same. Apples and oranges and you know it. That's extremely common among northern colleges all throughout the country and most of us lived with it. 

 

She'll be fine very soon and won't need AC the rest of the year (even until the end of April when she leaves), relax. 

The Mad Hatter

September 26th, 2017 at 9:05 AM ^

Just that Purdue isn't the only school without AC in places you would expect to have it.

Summer lasts until October now.  AC shouldn't be optional on the 4th floor of a building in a room with a tiny window.  Especially at a school with a $13 billion endowment charging 60k for oos students.

Also she keeps coming home on weekends.

SpikeFan2016

September 26th, 2017 at 11:27 AM ^

Michigan starts school in September, which is later than average. That's a mere 3-4 weeks where it's much more common to be in the 70s than 80s for highs (obviously this past week has been record breaking heat), and low temperatures are often in the 50s.

That is extremely far from "AC-mandatory" weather, unlike the SEC schools that begin the second week of August in a much hotter climate.  

All of our new dorms have AC, and going forward U of M will always include it, but Bursley is giant and nearly impossible to renovate because it holds so many students that closing even half of it down would cause massive housing shortages. It's more of a logistical problem than money. Bursley likely won't ever be able to be renovated on a large scale; eventually they will have to build a new giant North Campus dorm and tear Bursley down once it's complete. 

As someone who literally lived on the fourth floor of a non-AC dorm very recently (2012-2013), 3 weeks of mild discomfort out of an 8 month academic year isn't worth the hassle by any stretch of the imagination.

I can promise you she won't even remember wanting AC by November. I'd be more worried about your latter statement one month in than the lack of AC. 

MGoChippewa

September 26th, 2017 at 8:09 AM ^

people would realize that a calculus class doesnt need to cool down as bad as heavily padded football players running around for three plus hours.  And if they have these temporary AC units, why wasnt one provided?

Hail-Storm

September 26th, 2017 at 9:10 AM ^

and how was Purdue supposed to know they'd want them? Especially since the Big 10 hasn't provided exact regulations about what is decent. 

I hate when people hide behind the "well there's no standard" bullshit.  Obviously there are standards. Woud you be ok with your team being set up in your visitors locker room? If not, it's bad and you should feel bad. Way to take ownership of this Purdue. 

UMProud

September 26th, 2017 at 7:29 AM ^

Michigan should not have had to request portable A.C. for one thing...and I think Purdue does have a staffed xray center close to the stadium like Michigan does....not sure what happened there