If Utah State were to host Grambling State University, would the student body show up in black face? How about the student body dress as priest and nuns when Notre Dame comes to town. Of course not. But their actions at the first game of the season against Brigham Young rose to that level classlessness.
Utah State students, in the first game of the season against the Cougars dressed as missionaries and mocked Cougar Bradon Davies for his honor code violation last year. The protest was at the level that the USU administration, including President Stan Albrecht felt an apology to the Provo campus was in order.
Tonight, the student section sat out for the first 3 minutes of the game, and then gave the team the silent treatment. As a result, the Aggies usual home-court advantage was lost and the Aggies dropped a game to a good Denver team, who will be in the WAC next season.
The articles in the newspapers did not make mention of this, but one of the comments from the Deseret News read, as follows...
I sure am glad that section F and the Refraction made their point about the apology from Stan about the BYU game, that's definitely more important that helping out a young struggling team come out with energy. Kudos to all of you
The Aggies came out flat, and Denver jumped out to a 31-14 lead. Energy from the student section could have helped USU avoid such a poor start. But Stew Morrill, who has more class than most of the State of Utah all together, gave credit to Denver for their performance.
However, the Student Body, especially those who are in section F need to realize that they crossed the line twice this season. Why? Religion is personal. You do not have to agree with another person's religious beliefs, but to mock people for their beliefs is over the line. Especially when the majority of your fellow students adhere to the same belief system that you are mocking.
I first met Stew Morrill in 1989. I was a missionary in Missoula, Montana and he was the Head Basketball Coach at the University of Montana and a member of the Missoula Stake High Council. Yes, Coach Morrill adheres to the same belief that the student body mocked on Opening Night. He remains one of the most classy coaches in College Basketball to date and perhaps the best college-level coach in the History of Utah. I do not know if he was offended by the actions of the students, but he would never say anything about it if he was. But some of my friends who are USU boosters have expressed to me their embarrassment over the whole act.
Now, I know that many other student bodies around the west have performed a similar stunt. San Diego State is particularly famous for making an art of it. But that does not make it correct. Students do not have an obligation to show up for games, it is secondary to their primary purpose at the university. Their primary purpose is to earn a degree and prepare for a profession. Part of that preparation includes learning how to work with other people. In my profession, I have worked beside Agnostics, Atheists, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus as well as Roman Catholics and Baptists. I met all of these people here in the great state of Utah. In the work place, you have to learn to get along. You can not afford otherwise. If that is all you learn from your time in college, you are better off than a lot of people in the world today.
5 comments:
Sorry, but you have it all wrong. Sure the letter pissed off the students, but that WAS NOT WHY THEY SAT. IT was the threads they got at the first of the game.
http://www.usufans.com/News/8176
WOW. This is the first post I've read on your blog, and I must say, well done. I will be bookmarking it just as soon as I post this comment.
As far as the content, I couldn't agree more. I'm all for the intimidation and harassment factor that comes from being in a student section. In high school, I participated in such various acts as hanging teddy bears from 2x4's, calling people ugly, and holding signs making fun of a particular rival school's teen pregnancy rate. I was 16, don't judge me. Never would I ever go so far as to mock someone's religious beliefs. I have been on the raw end of that deal more than once, and I can't imagine many feelings worse than the way someone makes you feel for making fun of your very way of life.
If that was classlessness what is Montana when they chant "F*** You Weber" and "Purple Faggots"? That was pretty offensive from 4-5,000 students.
LOL
Was Stew really in a stake prez? I find that very hard to believe.
Stew was not in the Stake Presidency in Missoula, as I remember, he was on the High Council...I was commenting on how classy Stew is. I have not comment on the Montana Student Section. I have never witnessed that.
I'm sorry but every time I read comments like this all I can think is that this is the biggest pile of hypocritcal crap I have ever heard. I went to USU, I love USU, but saying that its ok to humiliate others because it's just a game. We are supposed to be Christians and nothing I have read supports the USU students in this behavior. Would you all really feel comfortable yelling you suck, and your Ugly at the Savior? Would you really think it was ok to make fun of him for mistakes made in his past?
It's not ok, and personally I think the school shouldn't let any of the people who are acting this way in the Spectrum anymore.
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