Solomon Johnson
I’m glad the Athletics Department decided to do a short but glowing obituary for Dean Karen Blank, who died on New Year’s Eve.
She deserved to be recognized in that way.
But contrast this to the coarse and dismissive way the
department handled the death of star player Solomon Johnson ’91. Not only did he not receive an obituary on the
AD website, but repeated appeals for the department to do so were ignored. In
fact, the effort to rebuff the requests far exceeded the effort that would have
been necessary to write a short, but appropriate tribute to “Solo.”
The Athletics Department’s behavior in the Blank vs. Solo
matter is indicative of the general problem we’re facing right now as true fans
and alumni at Columbia try to get our varsity teams to actually win games.
We’re faced with an insular department that values
administrators much more than student athletes and fans. Once again, I insist
that Dean Blank WAS deserving of recognition… but so was Solo and so are the
thousands of living student athletes and fans who are ignored, insulted and treated
like trash.
The message is clear. The staffers and bosses in the
department care about their own, consider the alumni and the players to be
dangerous outsiders, and don’t consider winning to be more important than
preserving their power, jobs, and the status quo.
And in addition to the arrogance, they’re also too stupid to
realize that small gestures - like actually apologizing for this terrible
football season, (instead of trying to blame it on the fans or on another coach’s
recruits), and publishing a simple obituary for a beloved player -- could go a
LONG WAY towards making the alumni, current players and fans feel like someone
gives a damn about us.
Time to yank the security blanket away from these people,
and fast.
9 comments:
This is the incomprehensible part of all this, and it goes to the very heart of the current problem.
Why does the CU administration, and by that I do not mean only the Athletic Department, have this "Marie Antoinette" attitude towards the rest of the world?
These people are not brahmins, yet they consistently act as if any comment or critique is beneath their notice. They alienated a good portion of the University in '68 when they did this, and they are doing it again.
No one is demanding that CU "cave in" to a particular interest group; just that they acknowledge failure, or problems, or oversights such as recognizing Solo's passing. But what we continue to get is a blank stone wall.
Do they not realize how badly they are damaging themselves?
Jake, your point is well taken although I would not even have mentioned Dean Blank. The AD reminds me of the present Administration in Washington, DC, dictating to and lording it over the populace they are supposed to serve.
That said, I remember Solo and he too deserved an obit. He and Greg Abruzzese were a running tandem at CU, our own little Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside.
And again I note how EASY it would be for them to make most people feel better. Even token gestures are too much for them.
I agree entirely with that point, Jake. They reign without any regard for the feelings of "the peasants." And even worse, if they don't care enough to throw a bone to the alums and other fans, it's because they personally don't give a damn about winning.
Let them eat cake.
There's a well-written letter by an alum named Levine in the new CCT. Says CU's "brand" takes a beating because of poor image of its sports programs. Says first step toward fixing this is for everyone to admit it. Calls for an open debate among admin., faculty, students and alums to bring about a transformation. Nice idea, but I don't see the Admin participating or facilitating such a discussion.
However, I think something like this is the purpose of Rich Forzani's new committee in the making. So we'll see.
Great points that the school just doesn't get how to deal with the public. So arrogant..
Also, Dean Blank was a great woman, I would not have made it out of school if not for her support and understanding.
Great points that the school just doesn't get how to deal with the public. So arrogant..
Also, Dean Blank was a great woman, I would not have made it out of school if not for her support and understanding.
I got to know Karen Blank when she was Dean of Freshmen at Dartmouth in the late 70's. She was a great person to know and wrote grad school recommendations for me when I graduated. She was also a big proponent of well-rounded student athletes. I have no doubt she had a similarly positive impact on the generation of students she met during her years at Columbia/Barnard.
Bob Spears
Dartmouth '81
Father of Connor Spears CU '17
Post a Comment