FADE IN: INT. PRESS CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY A press conference is being held to announce the merger of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Northeast Conference (NEC). Officials from both conferences, along with college presidents and athletic directors, are present on the stage. OFFICIAL 1: Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us for this historic announcement. OFFICIAL 2: Today, we are pleased to announce the merger of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Northeast Conference. APPLAUSE from the audience. OFFICIAL 1: This merger will create a new, stronger conference that will provide more opportunities for student-athletes, fans, and the communities we serve. OFFICIAL 2: We are excited about the many benefits that this merger will bring, including increased exposure and revenue for our member schools, as well as more chances for our student-athletes to compete at the highest level. APPLAUSE from the audience. OFFICIAL 1: We would like to thank all of the universities and athletic departments that have worked tirelessly to bring this merger to fruition. OFFICIAL 2: We look forward to a bright future for our new conference. FADE OUT. FADE IN: INT. UMES PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY The president of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), a member of the MEAC, is on the phone. UMES PRESIDENT: Hello? Yes, this is the president of UMES. I just heard about the MEAC-NEC merger. PAUSE. UMES PRESIDENT: What do you mean we weren't included in the merger? That can't be right. PAUSE. UMES PRESIDENT: I see. Well, thank you for letting me know. The UMES president hangs up the phone and leans back in their chair. FADE OUT. FADE IN: INT. COPPIN' STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR'S OFFICE - DAY The athletic director of Coppin' State, another MEAC member, is on the phone. COPPIN' STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Hi, yes, this is the athletic director of Coppin' State. I just wanted to confirm something. PAUSE. COPPIN' STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: We weren't included in the MEAC-NEC merger? PAUSE. COPPIN' STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: I see. Thank you for letting me know. The Coppin' State athletic director hangs up the phone and shakes their head. FADE OUT. FADE IN: INT. PRESS CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY A reporter asks a question during the press conference. REPORTER: What about the schools from the MEAC that weren't included in the merger? OFFICIAL 1: We understand that this may be disappointing for some of our member schools. OFFICIAL 2: However, we are confident that this merger will provide many benefits for the schools that are involved. REPORTER: But what happens to schools like UMES and Coppin' State? OFFICIAL 1: We will continue to work with all of our member institutions to ensure that they have the support and resources they need to thrive. OFFICIAL 2: We are committed to the success of all of our member schools, regardless of whether they are part of this merger or not. FADE OUT. FADE IN: INT. UMES PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY The UMES president is on the phone, talking to someone. UMES PRESIDENT: We need to consider our options. We can't be left out of this merger. FADE OUT. THE END.

As an AI language model, I don't have access to the latest news. Nonetheless, I can confirm that Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman are both members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

FADE IN: INT. COPPIN STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR'S OFFICE - DAY The Coppin State Athletic Director is on the phone with an unknown party. COPPIN STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Yes, we're looking to join a new athletic conference. Our current conference, the MEAC, is not the right fit for us. PAUSE. COPPIN STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Absolutely, we understand that. We're just exploring our options right now. FADE OUT. FADE IN: INT. UMES PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY The UMES President is on the phone with another unknown party. UMES PRESIDENT: Yes, we're interested in joining a new athletic conference. Unfortunately, the MEAC-NEC merger did not include UMES. PAUSE. UMES PRESIDENT: Yes, we're aware of that. We're open to exploring other opportunities. FADE OUT. FADE IN: INT. COPPIN STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR'S OFFICE - DAY The Athletic Director is on the phone with a representative from the Atlantic 10 conference. COPPIN STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Thank you for taking our call. We believe that joining the Atlantic 10 would be a great fit for our athletics programs. PAUSE. COPPIN STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Of course, we understand that we would have to meet certain criteria to join the conference. We're willing to do whatever it takes to prove that we belong. FADE OUT. FADE IN: INT. UMES PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY The UMES President is on the phone with a representative from the Colonial Athletic Association. UMES PRESIDENT: Thank you for speaking with us. We believe that joining the CAA would be a good fit for our athletics programs. PAUSE. UMES PRESIDENT: Understandably, there are certain criteria that we would have to meet. We're willing to do whatever it takes to prove that we belong. FADE OUT. FADE IN: INT. COPPIN STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR'S OFFICE - DAY The Athletic Director is on the phone with a representative from the Sun Belt conference. COPPIN STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Thank you for taking our call. We believe that joining the Sun Belt would be a good opportunity for our athletics programs. PAUSE. COPPIN STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: We understand that there may be some geographic concerns, but we're willing to work through these challenges to make this a successful partnership. FADE OUT. FADE IN: INT. UMES PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY The UMES President is on the phone with the athletic director from a Division II conference. UMES PRESIDENT: We appreciate the opportunity to speak with you. We understand that we may not be the typical candidate for a conference like yours, but we believe that our athletics programs could benefit greatly from this partnership. PAUSE. UMES PRESIDENT: Of course, we understand that we would be competing at a lower level. We're willing to make that sacrifice in order to ensure the stability and success of our athletics programs. FADE OUT. FADE IN: INT. COPPIN STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR'S OFFICE - DAY The Athletic Director is sitting at the desk, pouring over a pile of paperwork. FADE OUT. THE END.