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4 | March n, 2003 | The Red & Black
Dena Levitz | Editor in Chief
editor@randb.com
Lona Panter | Managing Editor
me@mndb.com
Leah Newman | Opinions Editor
opinions@ranclb.com
Majority opinions of The Red & Black's editorial board
We got no game
Adams and Dooley announce the Dogs w ill
not play post-season basketball in 2003.
I
There’s no reason the entire basketball team
should be punished for the wrongdoings of a
coach.
Many of these players work from the time they
learn how to walk in order to make it to this
level, in order to participate in an SEC or NCAA
tournament.
And for some of them, this was their only shot.
By pulling out of post-season play, Georgia is
basically suspending its entire team, even those
who had no involvement in any of the alleged
violations.
These players deserved a shot to showcase
their talents in front of a national audience, to
play for professional scouts and to bid for a
championship trophy.
But a joint decision between Athletics
Director Vince Dooley and University President
Michael Adams is denying them all of this.
Both men spent the last part of last week out
of town — Adams in Costa Rica and Dooley in
Wyoming — while the players were in Athens
dealing with media, practicing for a SEC cham
pionship run and facing the problems which
have arisen since former player Tony Cole first
alleged violations in February.
The players were working even while the
administrators were away plotting their team’s
doom.
So assistant coach Jim Harrick Jr. let some
kids slide through a class.
The allegations themselves are serious, but
the only proven violations are against Harrick Jr.
and players Rashad Wright and Chris Daniels.
Harrick Jr. was suspended last week and then
told his contract would not be renewed while
both players have been suspended.
This is where it should have ended until fur
ther evidence is found.
In the end, however, Harrick Jr. never should
have been hired in the first place.
There’s no reason a father and son should be
working together, and Adams knew it. But he
pushed for it, nonetheless, and Dooley hired
both.
In the end, a good look needs to be taken at
who is really running the Athletic Association.
Adams seems to be too involved for his own
good and ours. First he found himself up to his
elbows with former head football coach Jim
Donnan and now he’s the person who urged
Dooley to hire the Harricks.
Adams, you have a University to run —
although you should be worrying about the aca
demic allegations against Harrck Jr. and the two
players involved.
Let Dooley select the next coach on his own.
Maybe we won’t have any more of these
Harrick/Donnan messes to deal with.
Also on Monday, head coach Jim Harrick was
suspended with pay, another action which seems i
to only attempt to protect the decision-makers
from further scrutiny.
If there is evidence Harrick knew or partici
pated in other alleged violations, he should be
treated just as his son was.
But, as Dooley said numerous times during
Monday’s press conference, there has not been
any connection found between the sins of the
son and the job being done by the father.
If the Athletic Association knows something
the public doesn’t about Harrick’s involvement
in violations, we should be told.
If not, he shouldn’t be suspended.
Our Staff
NEWS: 433-3002
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The Red & Black is published Monday through Friday fall
and spring semesters and each Thursday summer semester, except
holidays and exam periods, by The Red & Black Publishing Company
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of Georgia. Postal address: 540 Baxter St. Athens GA, 30605. Fax
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Opinions expressed in The Red & Black other than unsigned editorials are the opinions of the writers of signed columns and not nec
essarily those of The Red and Black Publishing Company Inc. All rights reserved. Reprints by permission of the editors.
Editorial board members include Dena Levitz, Lona Panter, Leah Newman and Mack Williams.
Phone (706) 433-3002 | Fax (706) 433-3033
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540 Baxter St., Athens, Ga., 30605
Letters should include name, year in school, hometown, phone
number, major or job title or other appropriate identification.
Letters should be no more than 150 words. All letters are
subject to editing for length, style and libelous material.
■Iht
Doves need to shape up or ship out
P rotests seem to spring
up more rampantly
today than even in the
Vietnam era.
Another insignificant and
entirely forgettable anti-war
protest took place at the
Arch last week where the
utter ignorance and distaste
of a few was displayed.
I really don’t understand
why people have such nega
tive ideas toward this pro
posed idea of using pre
emptive force.
I predict that this move
ment will fizzle because it
lacks a substantive message.
These perennial
protesters seem to think
their catchy slogans and
ridiculous suggestions actu
ally add something of value
to this debate.
Don’t get me wrong, I
think it is fine and healthy
to debate this topic because
America is a democracy;
however, I also feel that this
issue demands it be treated
with a higher level of under
standing and respect.
Unfortunately, these
hypocritical, professional
picketers seem to
consistently sink to
unreasonable levels while
their arguments border on
the absurd.
It is hard to carry on a
meaningful dialogue with
these so-called Doves when
they insist on only beating
their drums of anti-war and
singing their criticisms of
world leaders who have the
courage to stand up for
what is right.
When I drive by and see
people holding signs that
read “Bomb Texas, they
have oil too” it is
bothersome, to say the least.
It’s unreal to think that
Ben Sheidler
actual Americans, who most
likely are receiving a college
education, think it is
intelligent or substantive to
make such a statement.
If I were a protester of a
war (that has yet to start),
then I would try to urge my
misguided, dictator-appeas
ing compatriots to con
tribute arguments that add
a little bit more credibility
to the cause.
Instead, these self pro
claimed champions of
human rights turn their
backs on an effort that
could possibly free a people
of an oppressive regime.
How can someone
honestly say that they wish
to help the oppressed
people of the world, yet,
when constructive ideas are
laid out which involve the
removal of a lethal dictator
from power, they refuse?
This is a regime that is
not only responsible for
countless human rights
atrocities, but also
attempted to assassinate a
former President of the
United States and has
evaded inspectors for the
last twelve years.
No one who is in support
of using preventive
measures for defense really
wants war just to have it.
War is not something to
be dealt with lightly, but
force is necessary when
dangerous people have
power in the world and use
that power to hurt others.
We know Saddam
Hussein has weapons, we
know he has not and will not
fully comply with the United
Nations, and we know he
has a history of building
weapons of mass destruc
tion.
At the end of the day, I
believe it is mindless for one
to assume that Hussein
does not pose a threat to
the security of the United
States as well as her allies.
However, our protesting
peers who frequent the Arch
pretty much on a weekly
basis tend to do little to
alter their ways.
Week in and week out you
hear the same mantra about
some old conspiracy theory
saying how the war on ter
rorism is just a guise for the
Bush administration to help
make their corporate/oil/mil
itary/billionaire friends get
even richer (or whatever the
trendy speculation of the
week is).
If there was some solid
evidence that warranted a
person to hold a sign which
suggested the U.S. actually
did want “Blood for Oil,”
then maybe more people
could identify with our fuzzy,
yet always gentle protesters.
If our Doves can’t find
any loving for their move
ment here at home, then
maybe our forgetful friends
in France and Germany
wouldn’t mind if they found
a place to nest.
— Ben Sheidler
is a sophomore
in political science.
ailbox
E-mail, letters and faxes from our readers
Bulldogs not playing only hurts the players
Not playing in the post
season is wrong!
It is unfair to the players
that did no wrong, to players
like Damien Wilkens who sat
out a year so he could be a
Bulldog, to staff like John
Bateman who worked hard
to fill Stegeman Colleseum
with fans and, most of all, it
is unfair to the fans.
I personally attended
every home basketball game
this year and went to three
away games.
I love Georgia basketball
so much that I would get to
games six hours early so I
could be in the front row to
see my beloved Dogs.
I am a Bulldog fan and I
loved watching Jarvis Hayes
and the team playing with so
much heart and enthusiasm
every game.
Fire Jim Harrick, that’s
fine.
If he knew about the vio
lations, then I would have no
problems with him being let
go.
But not everyone did
wrong.
University President
Michael Adams is just trying
to save his face so he is push
ing to cancel the post-season
for the Dogs.
He obviously doesn’t care
about the basketball team
and its fans.
I am still a Bulldog, and I
will not quit on my team like
Adams did.
I am proud of the team,
so from a loyal fan, thank
you for a great season and I
am sorry that someone who
probably doesn’t even know
what a free throw is is
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preventing you guys
from playing.
MATT MOORE
Senior, Roswell
Sports Studies
Innocent punished
by Dooley’s decision
Can somebody explain to
me why the basketball team
will not be playing in the
NCAA tournament or at
least the SEC tournament?
I am an avid fan, and am
appalled by the decision of
the Athletic Association to
opt out of the tournament.
The team busted its own
tail for the sake of the
school, and what does it get
in return?
Not even a chance to
make an appearance in an
post-season game.
They might as well have
fortieted every game then —
not to mention the reserves
who attended every practice
session with hope of having a
go during the grueling tour
nament schedule.
Maybe I am an interna
tional student who does not
“understand the system,”
but it seems to me that some
people up there are being
reactionary so as to safe
guard their own reputations.
My question is this: “What
about those young men who
were helping build your rep
utation? Where is the con
sideration for them?”
Leave the innocent
ballplayers out of this mess.
MICKEY N. NZIRA
Junior, Genetics
Zimbabwe
Adams should go
before Harrick does
I am writing to say how
disappointed I am with how
the senior officials in the
Athletic Association are han
dling all this news about
coach Jim Harrick.
The last time I checked,
the law in this country pro
tects people until they are
proven guilty.
President Adams, it
seems though, is so self-con
scious about his damn image
that he is penalizing not just
a coach that is not guilty yet
but also players who have
done nothing wrong.
Ezra Williams is a senior
who I’m sure was hoping to
use the SEC and NCAA tour
neys to shine for the scouts.
Alas, Michael Adams
doesn’t want his ego bruised.
Well, I say we get rid of
Adams before we get rid of
Harrick.
CASEY BOWMAN
Senior, Snellville
Mathematics/Computer
Science
Briana Green
▲
Dorms not
assigned by
priority list
A fter considering fac
tors such as conve
nience and location, I
chose to remain in the
dorms for my sophomore
year.
Soon after making the
decision, I began looking
into the different options
offered for on-campus
housing.
Although the East
Campus Village apart
ments will not be avail
able until 2004, the newly
renovated Myers Hall will
open in August.
Myers caught the
attention of many stu
dents planning to stay on
campus for the 2003-04
school year, myself
included.
Even before construc
tion on the building
began, Myers Hall was
known for its wonderful
sense of community, mak
ing it an extremely popu
lar dorm with students.
And with its now air-
conditioned and suite-
style rooms, who wouldn’t
want to live there?
Yet by the time I was
allowed to sign up for
housing, nearly all of the
dorms had been filled —
including (not surprising
ly) Myers.
Myers, which was ini
tially publicized as the
new honors dorm, had
filled quickly with juniors
and seniors who were
given earlier sign-up
appointments.
Not that this isn’t fair,
since priority for on-cam
pus housing is based on
the number of terms a
student has lived on cam
pus. No complaints there.
Contradictory to this
precedent of priority, how
ever, is the fact that 200
spots — approximately
half of the spaces avail
able in Myers Hall — have
been reserved for incom
ing honors freshmen.
That’s right, there will
indeed be honors
students living in Myers
next year, but they will be
first-years.
Half of the rooms in
this newly remodeled
dorm are being saved for
students who haven’t
lived on campus before.
The current honors
students, as well as the
rest of the upperclassmen,
were completely neglect
ed in this decision.
So much for priority.
Instead of allowing
upperclassmen to have
first dibs on housing, we
are being pushed aside to
make room for students
who aren’t even here yet.
Myers may be the new
honors dorm, but if that is
the case, let current hon
ors students apply to live
in Myers before giving
those spaces to honors
freshmen.
The point is, everyone
must pay their dues.
Students who have
already served their time
trudging up the notorious
hill leading to the fresh
man dorms each day
deserve priority over
those who haven’t.
So exactly why are
these honors freshmen
being saved spots in
Myers when there are cur
rent honors students who
could fill these spaces?
Could it be that the
University is using the
promise of this “reserved”
housing to entice out
standing high school
students to attend the
University?
The University wants
to ensure that the best
and brightest attend, but
it is doing so at the disre
gard of its current
students.
Freshmen who five in
Myers should be warned
they won’t receive special
treatment next year.
By that time, the
University will have
moved on to impress its
next batch of recruits.
— Briana Green
is a freshman
in pre-journalism.