Well, let me tell you, that FSU AAU membership thing, it’s a real head-scratcher. Everybody’s been talkin’ about it. FSU, you know, Florida State University, they been wantin’ to get into that fancy club, the AAU, Association of American Universities, for a long, long time. They tried and tried, but still no luck. It’s like trying to catch a greased pig at the county fair.
That AAU, they’re a big deal, you see. All the big shot universities are in there. And FSU, they want to be one of those big shots. They work hard, they have good students, and their football team is good! They even have free tickets for students. And student seating is not together with general seating.
FSU and AAU Membership
Now, USF, that’s the University of South Florida, they got in. Yep, they slipped right in there like it was nothin’. They are the only other one besides UF in Florida to be a member. And poor old FSU is still on the outside lookin’ in. Makes you wonder what’s goin’ on, doesn’t it?
Folks say FSU has been tryin’ to get into that AAU for years, maybe even decades. Decades! That’s longer than some folks have been alive! They said FSU even made a plan, wrote it all down and everything. I heard it’s called a “strategic plan”.
- They want to be in the AAU.
- They want to be seen as a top school.
- They want more smart folks to come here.
But that USF, they got their plan, too. And they put that AAU membership right on the front. Like a shiny badge on their chest. FSU, they don’t talk about AAU in their plan, least not where people can see it easy. Maybe they should, you think? Maybe they should shout it from the rooftops! “We want in the AAU!”
It used to be that a school like FSU couldn’t get into the AAU. They said it was ’cause of how they teach their doctors, something about it being “distributed”. Don’t rightly know what that means, but it sounded like a bad thing to the AAU.
Why is AAU Membership Important?
Now, why’s this AAU thing so important? Well, it’s like this. If you’re in the AAU, people think you’re a better school. You get more money, more smart students, more everything. It’s like winning the lottery, but for schools. More money means they can do more research, build more buildings, and hire more teachers.
Some people are whisperin’ that this whole thing is about football. Yep, football. They say FSU wants to join a different group of football teams, called the Big Ten. And being in the AAU might help them do that. Don’t know if it’s true, but people do love to talk.
USF, they’re the first Florida public school to get into the AAU in almost 40 years. That’s a long time! It’s like waitin’ for the rain in a drought. And they’re one of only two from the whole state of Florida in there.
What’s Next for FSU?
So, what’s FSU gonna do now? Well, they’re gonna keep tryin’, I reckon. They’re not the type to give up easy. They’ll keep workin’ hard, keep teachin’ those kids, and keep playin’ that football.
Maybe they’ll change their plan. Maybe they’ll start talkin’ about that AAU membership more. Maybe they’ll find another way to get in. Who knows? It’s a mystery, like why the chickens cross the road.
But one thing’s for sure, folks around here will keep talkin’ about it. They’ll keep wonderin’ why FSU can’t get into that fancy club. And they’ll keep rootin’ for them, ’cause that’s what we do. We root for the underdog, the one who keeps tryin’ even when things are tough. We root for FSU. That’s Florida State University.
It is not easy to get into AAU. FSU has to work harder. They need to find a good way. They need to let more people know they want to be a member. Maybe one day, FSU will be an AAU member. We just wait and see.
It ain’t gonna be easy. But nothin’ worth havin’ ever is. FSU knows that. Everyone knows that. You gotta work hard for what you want. And FSU is working for that AAU membership. They really want that.
