Louis Stivers has been donating money to Eastern athletics for so long, he cannot remember how many years it has been.

The 85-year-old Charleston resident volunteers at track and field meets, but said he is not as involved as he used to be. Despite his decreasing involvement in athletics, he still donates, and said he thinks the direction Eastern athletics is going is a good one.

“I think it’s great,” Shivers said. “It seems like a big job – a big task. If you don’t start somewhere, these things don’t get done.”

The “things” Shivers refers to are the proposed changes to the athletic facilities that Athletic Director Barbara Burke made at the Athletic Director’s Gala on Feb. 24.

Among the changes, which are still in the planning stages, are a new football stadium, a renovation to Lantz Arena, a multi-purpose facility and a Panther Performance Center.

The changes would also combine the soccer and rugby fields, moving them south of where Lakeside Rugby Field is now located.

Summer Perala, women’s soccer head coach, said she thinks the athletic program is headed in the right direction and she sees only positive things in the potential changes.

“The direction that the entire new facility is going promotes a higher level of athletic thinking,” Perala said. “Also, with the field moving closer to the dorms gives students easier access to watch the games and could build a better fan base. I’m excited.”

Perala said the fact that her team would be sharing a field with the rugby team was a little bit of a concern, but she was confident that would be part of the plans if the field were to be built.

“With any natural grass there is wear and tear,” she said. “As long as they are smart scheduling with the rugby matches, I’m sure our facilities crew is smart enough to know grass management.”

Ed Corley is on the Panther Club Board of Directors but was unable to attend the gala. The retired economics professor said despite missing the gala, he has heard of the plans and thinks Burke’s ideas have a lot of potential.

“I think it’s a good agenda, I just hope that it flies,” said Corley, who was inducted into the EIU Athletic Hall of Fame last fall as a friend of athletics. “We’ll have to wait and see whether we can get enough money to finance it, but there are a lot of good things in there. We need a lot of those things.”

Corley has been the top fundraiser for Eastern athletics for the past four years, raising more than $31,000 for the department. He said the projects Burke has taken on during her tenure as athletic director have drawn positive feedback from donors.

“I think Barbara Burke has done something previous athletic directors haven’t done, which is take some initiative to try to come up with some new ideas, new programs and a new direction,” Corley said. “She’s been very well received on it. There’s going to be a positive response to this campaign.”

Melody Wollan, another Panther Club member, is also optimistic. She is on the executive board of the Panther Club and is the co-captain of the membership and fundraising drive committee.

Wollan is pleased with the progress Burke has made.

“(Burke) is taking effective action within her department with the student equipment, building and services, and working with community members and alumni,” said Wollan, who is also an assistant professor of management in the school of business. “She has done an outstanding job getting up to speed in her position and expanding the visibility of her staff and their activities.

“I am very excited about the changes being made. Of course, not everything can be addressed all at once, but I see an energy among the Panther Club members and her staff to strive to meet Barbara’s vision and ideas.”

Corley said the kickoff for the annual fundraiser drive is set for next week. Burke said there has not been a goal set on the amount of money the department hopes to raise.

Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or [email protected].