App State fans and supporters can reach out to Director of Athletics
Doug Gillin with questions regarding App State Athletics. Please submit questions via email at
AskTheAD@appstate.edu.
APRIL 2020 – ASK THE A.D.
Q: Did you support the idea of spring athletes not losing a year of eligibility when their seasons were cut short?
App State supports the decision to give student-athletes from the canceled spring sports an additional year of eligibility. In these uncertain financial times, it will certainly be challenging to figure out some of the details — our estimates say it will cost the athletics department between $350,000 and $400,000 more than what we normally budget for scholarships — but it is the right decision for our student-athletes and we are working through the financial models now.
We are certainly disappointed for the wrestlers who qualified for the NCAA Championships that were canceled and the men's basketball players who weren't able to participate in a postseason tournament.
Q: How is the athletics department handling expenses and budgets at this time?
All new expense spending has been put on hold, and all non-essential hiring has also been put on hold, per the UNC System's updated guidelines. We continue to partner with other App State divisions in following the guidance of the UNC System office and Chancellor Everts, as well as state policies as they develop.
Q: Can you give an update on the north end zone project and what it will look like when completed, especially the field side and the columns that are currently in place?
If you go to our Mountaineer Impact website and visit the end zone project page by
clicking HERE, we have a live feed that provides a real-time look at the construction via an on-site web camera.
The metal supports you currently see in the end zone are not the final product. They are temporary supports deployed during construction.
Within the next few months, structural columns will be added under the cantilevered stadium seating to provide permanent support. Adding these supports now will enable the potential addition of an awning in the future and fits nicely with our long-range plans to link the east and west sides of the stadium.
Q: When work on the south end zone begins, will that be done with a design that allows for stands to be built in the future?
Regrading Miller Hill will bring it closer to the field while making it less steep, still allowing fans to put blankets down to watch from the hill and leaving a pedestrian path for fans to circle the south end.
We regularly discuss the longer-term plans for the stadium. When working with architects, we always try to design with flexibility and future growth in mind. Miller Hill is an attractive feature that makes Kidd Brewer Stadium special.
Q: Through all of the stadium renovations, what would it take to include service elevators and/or ramps to the upper levels. Most of us that sit in those rows can't move fast and also have greater bathroom needs than a young person.
Thank you for the feedback. We are always looking at ways to improve the fan experience and will continue to look at future renovation possibilities when resources are available.
We appreciate everyone's support. Go Mountaineers!
