— STAFF EDITORIAL —
March to mayhem
With Xavier mere seconds away from a dramatic victory in the 2006 A-10 Conference championship game, hundreds of X-treme Fans gathered anxiously in the student section of U.S. Bank Arena in anticipation of rushing out of their seats and onto the court to celebrate. A Justin Cage block later, mayhem ensued, as students jumped over seats and the hockey boards to get to the arena floor and court as fast as possible to congratulate the Musketeer players and coaches.
A staple of NCAA March Madness, rushing the court after an upset or championship win is commonplace across the country at both the high school and collegiate levels. The spontaneous burst of exhilaration and subsequent flooding of students onto the court is a thrilling experience to be a part of…for most people involved at least.
Three years ago, Joe Kay led Tucson High School to an upset win over Tucson Salpointe when student fans rushed the court, tackling and piling on Kay in celebration. The force of the blow drove Kay into the hardwood floor, tearing his carotid artery and causing the 19-year-old class valedictorian to suffer a stroke. As a result of his injury, Kay was forced to relearn the most basic human functions such as walking and talking.
Later that year, Stanford students rushed the court after a desperation, running 3-pointer gave the Cardinal a last-second win over Arizona. Caught in the mayhem, a middle-aged woman was trapped underneath her courtside seat as hundreds of students stampeded over her.
Up by nine with less than 10 seconds remaining in George Washington’s eventual A-10 Championship win over Rhode Island last Saturday, GW coach Karl Hobbs called a timeout to send his little-used reserves into the game and his top players to the bench. At the sound of the horn, ecstatic Colonials fans poured out of the stands from both sides of the floor, surrounding the players at midcourt. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but Hobbs, smartly, was not going to risk losing a star player.
While Kay’s injuries are freakish and uncommon, the severity of them suggests that schools, conferences and arenas need to take a stronger stand to at least control if not prohibit students from rushing the court altogether.
Earlier this year, Vanderbilt was fined $25,000 when students stormed the court following an upset win over then-No. 1 Florida. The fine was the result of a Southeastern Conference rule attempting to limit student rushing, the only such rule of any NCAA D-I conference.
While the Newswire not only understands but embraces the uninhibited passion and excitement of athletics as captured in students storming the basketball court, the current trend of more frequent, less controlled rushes presents a strong potential for another severe injury to occur. Policies such as that of the SEC would force schools to take the matter more seriously, and increased security at games with a higher likelihood of rushing would make students less likely to act chaotically.
If nothing else, students need to remember to exercise restraint when rushing to celebrate with their classmate heroes in the heat of victory, as nothing dampens the excitement of an upset win like knocking your own star player out of the lineup for good.
The battle for Xavier begins
Matthew Finger
Op-Ed Editor
Well, it’s March and that means one thing and one thing only: brackets! It doesn’t matter what the bracket is about, as long as there is a winner, because America hates losers. Since I don’t want to be a nonconformist and resist the bracketological pandemic sweeping the nation, I’ve slapped together a nice little playoff for the institutions here at Xavier.
Now, I realize that everyone here at Xavier is important to the growth and success of the university, but some are more important than others, so only the 16 most influential groups, organizations and bodies here at Xavier were chosen.
There is no NIT for Xavier’s tournament, so if your group was excluded you can just assume that you’re the 17th best organization at Xavier. That being said, let’s meet the players.
newswire
Click to enlarge the Xavier Bracket.
We have, of course, the Newswire facing off against a tough but monthly Xavier Magazine for print media bragging rights on campus. In the same group, we have the ever-ticketing Campus Police going head to head against the Williams College of Business (WCB). Res Life will take on Campus Ministry in a battle for nothingness, and the Student Government Association (SGA) will duke it out with the Student Activities Council (SAC) for office space in Gallagher.
On the other side of the bracket, Ryan’s Pub and Victory Perk will struggle in an epic duel, deciding once and for all who has the most overpriced, mediocre food on campus. The Muskie, a long time rival of mine, will take on the Learning Assistance Center, a team that made it to the not-so-big dance by winning the Free Services Conference.
The Dorothy Day House has no intention of vegging out when it comes time to match up against Recreational Sports with their bench full of bad intramural referees and small amounts of field space. Finally, we have Sodexho trying to take down the bookstore in the match up everyone is watching. The winner will decide who is ripping off Xavier’s students the most.
Keep your eyes glued to the Newswire over the next couple of weeks as teams advance, dreams are crushed mercilessly and domination ensues. Good luck, everyone!
The executive strikes back
The February 28 issue of the Newswire contained an article that I feel was an insult to every student that strives to give something back to the Xavier community. As every student at this university is part of the Jesuit tradition, we are all taught through our experiences during our four years here to be people for others.
St. Ignatius said that as we come to know and love ourselves, we equip ourselves to live lives of service and solidarity for our brothers and sisters. Individuals across this campus strive to meet this challenge set forth by St. Ignatius through all walks of life.
Some folks challenge themselves to become people for others through their work in the Dorothy Day House. Others find their passion on a court or a playing field. Some of us prepare our lives for service through our academic commitments in the classroom. Many find their happiness with and for others through their leadership in organizations like BSA, SGA or ISS.
Yes, some even make the lives of others a little better by friendship and fellowship up at good old Dana Gardens. The list of course goes on and on, but isn’t it this diversity that caters to the old saying “to each their own?” Every individual on this campus becomes the person that he or she was created to be through the life that we chose to make for ourselves during these formative, challenging and unforgettable college years. Every student does that in a different way, but nonetheless, I think it’s something towards which we all strive.
In the article that was written in response to the recent SGA elections, Mr. Matthew Finger demeaned, offended and contradicted this foundational part of our identity as a community.
As a candidate running for office, I, along with some of the other candidates and members of the current executive, took great offense to this article, not because it was disheartening after months of hard work, not because many of Matt’s assumptions were misinformed and untrue, but because it was a slap in the face to every student that has ever worked for, believed in or advocated for change to make Xavier a better place.
There are people that genuinely and sincerely do things for the right reason. There are people that work hard to leave the world a little bit better than the way they found it.
And I would say to you, Mr. Finger, there are a lot of students at Xavier that are those kinds of people. I hope that I’m not the only one that thinks that the students that strive to give back through their roles on SGA fit into that honorable category.
Since it is quite clear that Matt doesn’t agree, which is perfectly fine (as I said, “to each their own”), my fellow candidates as well as the current SGA executive, have sent him a list of clarification for the false accusations he presented to his fellow students.
As we appreciate that he voiced his concerns and opinions, we hope that it will clear the air for him and for anyone that may share his frustrations. If anyone is interested in seeing this list of clarification, we would encourage you to ask Matt, and also to view the extensive SGA Midyear Report that has been accessible on the portal since the beginning of February.
As members of the Xavier community, we should all hold each other accountable and challenge each other to be better people. Just as you have challenged us, Matt, I challenge you to be the change that you wish to see on this campus, rather than accuse others of insincerity and dishonesty. If there is anything that myself, or any other student leader on campus can do to better serve the Xavier community, please do not hesitate to ask.
—Maggie Meyer
Class of ‘08
Darren LaCour
Op-Ed Editor
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