By Billy Garland

“It’s happening here,” is the University of Louisville’s slogan intended to apply to every department at U of L. However, in the case of the Athletic Department, it is more approrpiate to ask “What is happening here?”
Several initiatives, efforts and events have been carried out by the U of L Athletics department, but according to a recent poll conducted by The Louisville Cardinal, these actions haven’t reached the ears of students.
Polls have shown that less than 20 percent of students had heard of “Pack the Parks,” which aimed to raise attendance to some of the lesser known sports. 17 percent of students knew of the initiative, proving the full potential was not reached. The second part of the survey dealt with the “Nest” initiative. Offering incentives for attendance to games, “Nest” proponents hope to encourage more consistent student involvement. Results showed eight percent knew of the “Nest.”
Students were asked whether they had been personally contacted by the Athletic Dept. with information concerning any of the university’s current efforts, initiatives or sporting events. Only four percent of students polled had received information directly. Adding to the results, only freshmen were shown to have been contacted.
If we are to find the reason for the unfortunate ignorance that is plaguing athletics at U of L then we need to look no further than the lack of direct contact between the athletic marketing officials and the student body. With the convenience of the university’s e-mail list serv, it would be easy to contact the majority of students directly.
More public light than before has been placed onto the institution as the Cards have won multiple titles in the past years. However, as this light becomes more apparent, the shadows cast by this success still leave many students in the dark.
So what is happening here?