Tulane University - Jambalaya Yearbook (New Orleans, LA)

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Athletics and Ethics A Conflicting Association fc- jS in fmw. ]■ n ' 1 V 4«r ' « H H u V ' fl H ft- ' ' LM H BV « v m Lj| 1 ' ■ . M r ' ■ 1 ' p r H A V Digger Phelps, basketball coach of the reputable Notre Dame Fightin ' Irish, provides insight into the inner dynamics of college athletics. Present to add a different dimension to the topic under discussion, sports sociologist Dr. Harry Ed- wards voices his intention on the upcoming panel. On Monday, February 29, Direction ' 88 included for the first time in its history, a view of college athletics. The topic of con- versation centered around the changing face of collegiate athletics. According to the pan- el, this change is a step in the right direction. The panel included Harry Edwards, Ph.D., a sports sociologist from The Univer- sity of California at Berkeley; Digger Phelps, head basketball coach at the University of Notre Dame; Jan Kemp, Coordinator of de- velopmental studies in English at the Uni- versity of Georgia; Joe! LoefFelholz, legal council for John Hot Rod Williams and Dick Schultz, newly appointed Executive Director of the NCAA. Dick Engerg, NBC ' s leading announcer of NFL telecasts, moder- ated the program. A primary focus of the discussion was on the rising standards of universities toward athletics. Universities are no longer permit- ting student athletes to remain in school if they cannot compete on an academic level. Nor are athletes being stockpiled in remedi- al classes in order to keep them eligible. The panelists said the change in the face of ath- letics is directly related to the fact that the NCAA has gotten requests to raise the stan- dards for admission to universities. The second major issue centered around the question of a stipend for college athletes. In the 1960 ' s, athletes were given approxi- mately $ 1 5 per month for laundry money. In the 1980 ' s, there have been proposals put before the NCAA requesting about $75 per month. The issue of payment has brought forth two sides to the argument. Only a handful of universities are making a profit . . . They are looking at the $75 to $100 a month as another $100,000 to $200,000 that they can ' t afford, Schultz said. On the other side is the issue of student athletes ' rights. It is unconscionable. I don ' t care what the books say. For these individ- uals who run these programs to deny these athletes who bring in money, even sufficient money to wash their clothes or go to the movies, Edwards said on a debate with Schultz. Loeffelholz got the largest ovation of the night when he spoke about the return of men ' s intercollegiate basketball to the Tu- lane campus. It ' s the center of campus life on Saturday night. Without it, you ' re miss- ing something. You have to have some- thing to revive school spirit, Loeffelholz said. 9 — Peter Brown Direction 57

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Changing Ethics: An American Dilemma At the press conference before the symposium Dr. Ed Morse, . bbie Hoffman and Fred Barnes enter- tained questions from the press. Photos by: V Farinas On Sunday, February 28, 1988, Direction commenced its twentieth anniversay pro- gram with Changing Ethics: An American Dilemma. The program featured views ranging from the conservative Fred Barnes to the very hberal Abbie Hoffman and Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. Abbie Hoffman greeted the audience with a very cordial middle finger, which seemed to suggest his message to our apathetic soci- ety. Yet apathetic is not an adjective to de- scribe Hoffman. Throughout the years, he has been arrested 53 times and has been banned from many states, including Louisi- ana. When asked about the change in ethics over the past twenty years, Barnes said, the eighties are better. He felt there were too many illusions during the sixties and capital- ism, which leads to democracy , was im- moral. Hoffman disagreed, saying that cap- italism was presently irrelevant and was only relevant during the industrial revolution. Hoffman said that the sixties was a time when people whole-heartedly supported and fought for issues. Hypocrisy undermines ethics, according to Hoffman. He pointed out Ronald Reagan, the Actor-in-chief , as his prime example. Reagan ' s plans for traditional values in the family completely contradict his real life. Reagan has been divorced, remarried, and his children hate him, said Hoffman. Although Barnes is a conservative, he found fault in the current administration. He restated that capitalism was the key to de- mocracy. Under democracy, people like Abbie Hoffrnan were allowed to voice their opinions freely. Hunter Thompson, notorious for his disre- gard of punctuality, casually strolled in with a drink in one hand and a fishing rod in the other. His speech paralleled his writing, stream-of-consciousness. He compared the right to vote to using a dollar bill, and said participation was the key to solving prob- lems. One has to be a player in democracy for it to work. When asked if the conservatism of the 80 ' s would lead to something different in the 90 ' s, Thompson said change won ' t happen with a bolt of lightening. It ' s up to you. Don ' t be afraid to go against the status quo or pre- vious generations. People make change with mobility, creativity and guts, said Hoff- man. • — Mike Doyle 56 Direction

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Candidly speaking on his nomination and subsequent Senate rejection to the Su- preme Court, Judge Robert Bork appeared in McAlister Auditorium on March 6 as Di- rection 88 ' s final speaker. Bork dismantled the wall of misconcep- tions that had just this fall proven an impen- etrable barrier between him and confirma- tion as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Bork asserted that something more was and is at stake than his confirmation. This was the first national election campaign with respect of a judicial nominee in our coun- try ' s history. This experience is going to have long term effects on the judicial nomination process of the future, the substance of law, particularly our Constitutional law and on our intellectual life and ultimately, upon our culture, he said. Bork said he fears that a dangerous prece- dent may have been established. If it is left unchecked it could threaten the indepen- dence of the judiciary from legislative en- croachments. Independence is crucial of the operation of our repbulic under the consti- tutional prinicples upon which it was found- ed. Bork also discussed his style of adjudica- tion, according to original intent of the framers of the Constitution. Judicial power is legitimate only where the Constitution is law, he said. Judges should not govern, said Bork. • — Rick Ostermayer Senator Bob Livingston introduces Judge Bork to a sold out crowd in McAlister Auditorium. Bork was, by far, the most popular speaker brought to campus for this year ' s Direction. Judges should not govern, Bork said in a state- ment which reflects his opinions on his nomina- tion and subsequent Senate rejection. 58 One Man ' s Opinion Photos by: V. Farinas