After Twenty Years, It Is Time To Take a Stand

[Mexmustang]

SMU has pretended to want a major sports program in football and backetball for twenty years. For twenty years it has simply gone through the motions--basically lying to all of us that have been foolish enough to beleive that they were sincere. Surely anything can be fixed in twenty years!if you are really trying!

Now comes an issue regarding a player who obviously was wrong in striking another student. This probably goes on every weekend. But, the issue involves another student that has a an orientation that has become vogue for the liberals in our society and faculty.

For twenty years, the faculty have held down the resurgance of SMU athletics, blaming powerfull board members and the penalties handed down by the NCAA, which were unique to any other member.

During the Pye years, they gained a disproportionate "say so" in the running of the school and athletics, to the extent, we have become one of the worst sports programs in the history of the NCAA. Over twenty years, we have failed to have a single season in either football or basketball that has excelled by any measure.

The faculty senate has ruled our admissions and transfer policies to such an extent that even transfers from better accademic institutions were barred (Northwestern University). At the same time they have not performed their own investigation into their own staff and performance, including a number of mediocre departments.

Alumns it is time to get our school back. The situation this past year is an embarassment to the school and all alumns. It is bad enough to be the laughing stock of any college conversation every Monday afternoon in the fall, but when one of our players can't defend himself againt an unwanted intruder, who is trespassing on private property, who the school treats as guilty until proven innocent, by publicly banishing him from the team and making the assumption that it was a hate crime, it is time to stand up and say enough is enough. Our player obviously was wrong in striking the boy, but the boy was trespassing, and refused to leave a private residence. Two wrongs don't make a right, but either does dragging this thing through the papers. If Justin had started Friday, and everyone had waited to either mediate this or let the Dallas police and even the Dallas courts handle this, I wonder if wouldn't have been more acceptable both victims. I also wonder what sanctions have been played on the other party? If it is truely a "hate crime", quite frankly, SMU is out of its juridiction and it is a matter for the Dallas DA.
At least the school can be honest with us, do they or do they not want a sports program? If not, my money, your money and our time can best go elsewhere, like it has for 75% of our fellow alumi.

[perunapower]

You should send that to Turner and Orsini. Very well put and I agree 100%.

[J.T.supporta]

Send that to the WHOLE athletic department, even the grounds keeper.

Lets take a stand by FIRING PB!!!

[Mexmustang]

I think I will use spell check first!

[Mexmustang]

I think Phil Bennett is our best solution. I can't defend him as a coach, as I am still miffed (my true fellings would be blanked out), but my God, look at what he has to put up with. If Phil is now taking a stand on behalf of his players, then he has my full support. It takes time to grow into a head coach and his support of Willis is a dramtic sign to me he is finally begining to fullfill his promise.

[FloridaMustang]

I think Phil Bennett is our best solution. I can't defend him as a coach, as I am still miffed (my true fellings would be blanked out), but my God, look at what he has to put up with. If Phil is now taking a stand on behalf of his players, then he has my full support. It takes time to grow into a head coach and his support of Willis is a dramtic sign to me he is finally begining to fullfill his promise.

Amen. It's Orsini (because we don't really know him) and the Student Life idiots (because they have a track record of being idiots) that I'm worried about.

[J.T.supporta]

You speak the truth. the People in STUDENT LIFE are IDIOTS!!!

[OC Mustang]

MexMustang wrote:

If it is truely a "hate crime", quite frankly, SMU is out of its juridiction and it is a matter for the Dallas DA.

This part is well-said, but the university administration and faculty feel compelled to deal with stuff like this in almost a third-tier campus legal system because they feel obligated to control the "bar" that is set for student behavior. Nevermind that it is inconsistent and fraught with double-standards and injustice, they camp out on SMU being a private university, and therefore subject to a third silo of rules besides criminal and civil.

I admit to being of two minds on this issue. I do agree with controlling the bar that is set, and I think it is better to have people involved with the process rather than immutable policies. My reasoning is analogous to why I like judges setting sentencing guides instead of the legislative branch. Flexibility takes advanced handling, but is useful toward the end that is "Justice". But it has been my experience (circa 1991 "date-rape" case) that the university does not learn lessons that have any institutional longevity because of student turnover. They keep having to re-learn what cow-patties to avoid...i.e. the steaming ones.
Therefore, when the managerial parts fail (can you say Residence Life?), everything bogs down again.

[Corso]

I think Phil Bennett is our best solution. I can't defend him as a coach, as I am still miffed (my true fellings would be blanked out), but my God, look at what he has to put up with. If Phil is now taking a stand on behalf of his players, then he has my full support. It takes time to grow into a head coach and his support of Willis is a dramtic sign to me he is finally begining to fullfill his promise.

This isn't the first time Coach Bennett stood up for his players -- remember the Tech game a couple of years ago?

Good coach, good man, good luck against Marshall.

Go Ponies!!!!!

[J.T.supporta]

SMU is not out of Jurisdiction because of laws they have within student policy and school policy.

The school can punish Willis too.

[couch 'em]

At least the school can be honest with us, do they or do they not want a sports program? If not, my money, your money and our time can best go elsewhere, like it has for 75% of our fellow alumi.

They want us to keep forking over money to pay for the football team so the school can say they have one, but they do not want it to be a winning one. Maybe if people start withholding their academic donations based on lack of athletic success, perhaps the school will try to win.

[jtstang]

SMU has pretended to want a major sports program in football and backetball for twenty years.

There is no evidence of this, you need to rethink your entire premise.

[LakeHighlandsPony]

I still think Willis should have played against UTEP until the investigation was done.

[Billy Joe]

Great post. I agree that Willis should still be playing until the entireinvestigation is concluded. If Willis was arrested and charged with assault and/or a hate crime, then a suspension would be the correct punishment until the matter was concluded. However, when a player is harrassed and stalked it is a different story. Willis is getting treated unfairly.

[Mexmustang]

jtstang, the evidence is in the results. For twenty years, the teams have not performed. Perhaps there should be an "summit" to investigate why? Why should our programs be failing so miserably. What practices and policies are responsible and how can they be fixed. We need to examine the flaws in the system that evolved after the NCAA, or put the athletic department in charge of the tenure reveiw at Dedman.