And the reason is window dressing, like I said below. A school changing conferences is a big PR deal, so presidents feel compelled to speak about it. Being leaders of ACADEMIC institutions, they feel like they have to address academics...so they spin what they can. They don't "love to bring it up," they *have* to bring it up to support the charade. That's sourced from the same place that has resisted like hell to recognize players as employees and pay them. That ruins the charade and becomes a tacit admission that playing sports isn't about the university mission. Ever hear any academic other than a president speak about how conference membership is going to be a boon for their work? If "many of the Academic Staff feel the same way," I would think it has happened quite a bit . I've spent a lot of time in academia (including working in the highest academic office at VT)...I've never heard anyone speak of conference membership impacting academics...for them personally or for higher levels. The reality is conference membership makes no real difference academically. Why would it? Seriously...tell me what would change for ND academics if they joined a conference...either good or bad. Walk me through how Father Jenkins' "academic collaboration" is facilitated via playing sports together.