MVC in preliminary talks with ORU?

[getreal4]

This is Elgin's best choice? Another wasted opportunity for the MVC.

[MVCfans]

I'd also like to think that New Mexico State is in play. Football is moving to the Sun Belt which leaves their other sports open for a possible move (in theory at least).

[nokota]

Please to be sharing what terrible things ORU has done in the name of JC?

The hand healing/tongue talking is weird but so is holy water and alter boys.

Just cause ORU joins the valley doesn't mean you have to start speaking in tongues.

Loyola is Jesuit, belmont was baptist and now simply Christian so get over it.

I have no problem with them being religiously affiliated, and I don't want to make this too political, but given the events of today and tomorrow I would say ORU is out of the mainstream of current MVC institutions on the issue of LGBT rights. Even Creighton as a Catholic institution has a Gay-Straight Alliance and adopts standard approach to dealing with these issues.

As for athletics, some here like to criticize UNI and MSU for being D2 institutions 30+ years ago. After de-emphasizing athletics in the 1980s, ORU became D1 again as recently as 1991 and has never advanced beyond the first round of the NCAA tournament since that time.

Yes, being "mainstream" was a good thing in Sodom and Gomorrah.

[DoubleJayAlum]

I have no problem with them being religiously affiliated, and I don't want to make this too political, but given the events of today and tomorrow I would say ORU is out of the mainstream of current MVC institutions on the issue of LGBT rights. Even Creighton as a Catholic institution has a Gay-Straight Alliance and adopts standard approach to dealing with these issues.

I can think of a lot of reasons to be opposed to ORU, but their position on LGBT rights seems to be the about the weakest one ever.

I get that you have your own personal agenda here, but if that is the standard you are using, you might as well strike every single religious institution from the list of possible members because none of them are going to come out openly in favor of LGBT rights.

If this is the kind of bright line test that some members of this conference are now advocating, I'm glad we are leaving. Apparently determining the quality of an athletic department is secondary now to a school's stance on LGBT rights. What litmus test issue is next for potential members -- the schools stance on abortion? Mandatory health care insurance coverage of birth control?

It is disappointing when one is unable to evaluate things quantitatively, but relies instead on things that are not even determinative to one's quality as an athletic program. Get off the soapbox.

[REDBIRD FAN 77]

Please to be sharing what terrible things ORU has done in the name of JC?

The hand healing/tongue talking is weird but so is holy water and alter boys.

Just cause ORU joins the valley doesn't mean you have to start speaking in tongues.

Loyola is Jesuit, belmont was baptist and now simply Christian so get over it.

I have no problem with them being religiously affiliated, and I don't want to make this too political, but given the events of today and tomorrow I would say ORU is out of the mainstream of current MVC institutions on the issue of LGBT rights. Even Creighton as a Catholic institution has a Gay-Straight Alliance and adopts standard approach to dealing with these issues.

As for athletics, some here like to criticize UNI and MSU for being D2 institutions 30+ years ago. After de-emphasizing athletics in the 1980s, ORU became D1 again as recently as 1991 and has never advanced beyond the first round of the NCAA tournament since that time.

Are you serious? You don't like there stance on gay rights? Why is this even a topic of conversion on a college basketball forum? The last thing the Valley schools think of when adding a school to the conference is there stance on gay rights. My God man stop getting caught up in the media BS... For the record i don't want ORU to be added to the Valley..

[shockem]

Adding ORU is exactly the mediocre reaction I would expect from the MVC. Let's add another mediocre midwest school and keep plugging along while the world changes around us.

[PantherSigEp]

Perhaps I'm wrong but I believe the example chosen was more to highlight a recent lack of forward thinking in the priorities of ORU. They have every right to do what they do as a university but I think we all want a conference member that will be willing to think of the MVC as an organization that it can positively contribute to and help all of the organizations grow and further acheive in all capacities. Outside of a few above-average athletics I'm not sure where Oral Roberts fits that role.

[TheAsianSensation]

My major concern would be making a move before having a final answer on the availability of Dayton and/or St Louis.

That aside, I'm ok with Oral Bob. Not the sexy pick. But not a lot of downside. Of course you want to find the next great thing in expansion, though.

I think it's worth playing a season at 9 teams to see if something opens up, before adding Oral Bob.

[CaseyGarrisonforPrez]

Man I don't get the anti-ORU crowd. Getting into the MVC will elevate their program immensely. They will have more fans, increase their budget, and plus it puts us back into Oklahoma which we have not been since Tulsa left.

Selfishly I love the close proximity of Tulsa to our fans in Springfield. Really easy drive down I-44. Really easy drive for them too. Close proximity to Wichita as well. They aren't perfect but they are at worst an adequate replacement for CU.

[DoubleJayAlum]

Perhaps I'm wrong but I believe the example chosen was more to highlight a recent lack of forward thinking in the priorities of ORU. They have every right to do what they do as a university but I think we all want a conference member that will be willing to think of the MVC as an organization that it can positively contribute to and help all of the organizations grow and further acheive in all capacities. Outside of a few above-average athletics I'm not sure where Oral Roberts fits that role.

Why would ORU's stance on that one issue keep other MVC organizations from "growing and further achieving in all capacities"? Are BYU, Notre Dame and countless other schools no longer top notch academic institutions for having similar values?

In your personal definition, would objecting to Obamacare's requirement that health insurance be required to pay for birth control for everyone be considered a "lack of forward thinking?" Because if it is, than about every single religious institution, not just those that are catholic, are off the table since they all joined a lawsuit originated by Notre Dame challenging the law.

When evaluating every single school's political position on individual issues as part of the expansion process, you will rapidly run out of candidates.