1996_05 Insight May 1996

              Editorial
May 15,1996
High school athletes going pro
taking a chance on their future
by Rob Morgan
Staff Writer
Scott) Thurman. talented junior
guard for Ihe 1994 national champion
Arkansas Ra/orbacks. never expected
to be left for dead after the June 1995
National Basketball Association draft.
Thurman. seeking millions in ihe
NBA. went undralied.
An epidemic is in the making.
As if college underclassmen forgoing NCAA eligibility for the NBA
wasn'i ridiculous enough. Suddenly,
it's in vogue for high school seniors
.• Hum
elv<
eligible .1
.ell.
would like to make
A unique experience
But the experience and educat
pnc
v NBA
ips
High school seniors going straight
to the pro ranks is about as ridiculous
a. blow drying vour hair in ihe bathtub. If something goes wrong, it's all
Last season. Kevin Garnett. prep
star from Chicago, made himself
available for Ihe NBA draft.
Garnett. who couldn't muster 7(K)
points on his SAT. was eventually
drafted     by     the     Minnesota
Timberwolves and enjoyed a giildly
successful season after signing a
multi-million dollar contract.
Not all are as lucky as C.arnell.
Sixteen college underclassmen and
two high school seniors have declared
themselves eligible for ihe upcoming
June draft.
Kobe Bryant, prep star from Philadelphia who scored I. I IK) on his SAT.
and Jennaine O'Neal, from a South
Carolina high school w ho also did nol
score 700. have decided lo follow
Garnett.
Ofthe IS wide-eyed hopefuls, only
a handful are guaranteed first-round
selections and legitimately ready to
make the jump to the pros.
The shoo-ins: Marcus Camby. junior center Massachusetts and Ray
Allen, junior guard. Connecticut.
Ihev are proven winners and seasoned college veterans.
Others such as I.SL's Randy
Livingston and Iowa's Jeff Settles
will, like the Scotly Thunnans of yesteryear, be left lor dead. Livingston
couldn't make il through a season
without blowing out his knee, and
Settles was only a decent college
player.
The experience and knowledge-
gained from going to college cannot
be maiched. Garnett. Bryant or
O'Neal will never be able live the life
of a college student.
Coming^ Out Early
High school seniors, college freshmen, sophomores and juniors who
have announced they will leave early for the NBA draft
• Jermaine O'Neal:
• Kobe Bryant:
Eau Clair HS. Columbia. S.C.
Lower Merion HS, Ardmore, Pa.
• Stephon Marbury:
• Shareef Abdur-Rahim:
Georgia Tech. Fr.
California, Fr.
• Randy Livingston:
• Allen Iverson:
Lousiana State, So.
Georgetown, So.
• Ray Allen: Connecticut, Jr.
• Jess Settles: Iowa, Jr.
Dirty laundry strewn all over the
floor. I.ale nighl panics in the dorms
and campus apartments. Hundreds of
meals in ihe Residence Dining Facilities. Good friends made and loves
Aside from all lhat. there is a quality education to be gained.
All gone. Memories and moments
such as ihese cannoi be experienced
al any other time of a young person's
life. It has to be now.
Many of these young hoopsiers are
claiming financial hardships as to why
they are bolting for the NBA lifestyle.
They waul to repay their families.
Looking for the big bucks
Yet, college would have been free
for any of these young men. All (hey
had to do was sign on ihe doited line
and play basketball.
Few of these boys are in a life or
death situation.
Bryant is from an affluent, middle-
class suburb of Philadelphia. The decision to play pro ball was imminent.
Bryant's father quit his job as a St.
Joseph's basketball assistant coach to
follow his son's pro career.
Everyone would be happier if
they'd just come out and say. "I'm
going to ihe NBA for the big bucks."
Save the lear-jerking speeches and
marathon press conferences on
"SportsCenter."
Just get on with it.
Adrian Wojnarowski, sports columnist for The Fresno Bee. quoted Hall
of Fame NBA guard George Gervin
on this terrible situation.
"They arc babies being put into a
man's world." Gervin said.
Babies with million dollar cribs.
Women should be trained to defend themselves
■ Best defense
against rape is to be
prepared for worst
by Valerie Gibbons
Staff Writer
On Aug. 21. 1987. my neighbor.
Stephanie Holland, left a downtown
Los Gatos bar wiih a man she had
only known for 20 minutes.
He was an acquaintance of some
of her friends so Holland believed he
could be irusted. She asked him for a
ride home.
They had a nice conversation on the
10 minute drive to her house in Monte
Serena
When Ihey arrived, she thanked
him, got out of the car and walked to
her door.
She didn't notice lhat he had gotten out of the car and followed right
behind her when she entered the
dimly-lit courtyard. When she paused
lo take her keys out of her purse, he
attacked her.
When rapes are portrayed in the
media, they're always very loud'occurrences. At the very least, one expects to hear a scream or the sounds
of a struggle.
The only thing I heard while walking to my car. 30 feel away. was.
"Please don't. I feel sick."
I was walking down my driveway
with a friend. If we had been talking
at the time, we would have missed il
Terrifying realization
As my friend and 1 ran to help her.
I realized that we were bolh completely unprepared lo handle the situation. My self-defense skills were
few. and at 5 feet 5 inches tall. 1 was
hardly an imposing figure.
The only thing we had going for us
was that we were in a residential
neighborhood. If we made enough
noise, someone might come tit our
aid.
We goi lucky. Holland's attacker
lied when we arrived.
Holland wasn't so lucky.
The left side of her face was nearly
crushed.
She had to endure three plastic surgeries to repair the damage.
That night. 1 vowed never to be
unprepared again.
The nightly news is filled with
horror stories of violence againsi
women. Il has never been so important for women to learn to defend themselves.
Hoi
. ihe
simple as looking in the yellow pages.
There are numerous programs that
can actually do more harm than good.
Some "model mugging" programs
tell women to lie on ihe ground and
kick oui al an attacker.
This popular program is based on
the theory thai since most of woman's
strength is based in her lower body,
ihe best defense would be for her to
utilize kicks instead of strikes and
punches to fend off an attacker.
This program goes beyond a bad
self-defense theory.
It teaches women to intentionally
put themselves in the worst possible
position against a male attacker: on
the ground. Unless the woman is
trained in a grappling art such as judo
or jujitsu, she doesn't stand a chance
against the weight and strength ofthe
average attacker.
Ask about training
There are other programs that arc
taught by inexperienced instructors.
Some are even taught by people with
no self-defense training at all.
It is important to go to a long-standing, reputable school for self-defense
training. The only instructors who
will be offended by questions about
certification and training arc not
worth your time.
Don'l be caught unprepared.
Learn lo defend yourself.
Can MTV really 'rock the vote5 of U.S. youth?
by Troy Wagner
Staff Writer
Politicians and ballot propositions.
Wc all hale them, especially when
their countless television and radio
ads clog the airwaves for the months
leading up to "lection time.
Whether we like it or nol though, it
is these same politicians and propositions that make our local and national government tick.
But only a handful of the U.S.
population votes for them.
Urfortunalcly. low voter turnout at
local and national elections is a growing trend in the United Stales.
Only a fraction ofthe population is
deciding on the future leaders and
laws for the entire country.
And the biggest chunk of eligible
non-voters?
It's us. ihe college-age students, 18-
to 25-years-ol-age.
But wiih the help of MTV's "Rock
the Vote" campaign, it looks as if ihe
apathetic voting habits of college students are improving.
"Rock the Vote" — aimed ai gel-
ting young adults to register to vote
— started before ihe 1992 presidential election and produced immediate
results.
The United Slates had 13 million
new registered voters and iis biggesi
voter turnout ever during the 1992
elections, thanks in large part lo
"Rock the Vole."
Small turnout
This record number still accounted
for only 55.24 percent of the total
amount of registered voters.
That's right. Just under 45 percent
of registered v oiers decided not to cast
a vote.
Thai doesn't even account for the
millions of people lhat were eligible
lo vote, but for one reason or another,
did not register.
Or ihe large chuck of the United
Stales' general population lhat can't
vote because they are homeless, nol
a citizen or are imprisoned.
Misplaced priorities
Meanwhile. European counlries
such as Sweden and Denmark continually have 80. 90 and even close
to 100 percent of their registered
voters show up lo the polls on voting day.
The outlook for this year's U.S.
presidential election doesn't look
much brighter.
Americans jusi don't seem lo care
about politics anymore.
More people worry about whether
or not the "Seinfeld" gang will be
coming back next season instead of
who will be leading them for the next
four years.
Get out and vote
As 1992 presidential hopeful Ross
Perot would say, "Now that's just
sad."
Those of us that are American citizens have no excuse not to vote on
election day. Registering to vote is as
easy as ever.
With absentee ballots, you don't
even have lo leave your home to vote.
If you aren't registered to vote, regis-
If you are registered to vote, go to
the polling place or get an absentee
ballot and vole.
Make your choice, punch a hole in
the card, drop the card in the box and
you're done. a
Il's as simple as that.
ASI election follies
add to mistrust of
student government
The 1996 roller coaster of the Associated Student
Incorporated (ASI) election has slowed down to
a stop.
What an ordeal.
The splintering of a party and allegations against a -
presidential candidate for unsportsmanlike conduct
were only the foundations of this year's political
fiasco; the recount of the votes.
But let's look upon the election not as the pathetic
display of juvenile politics that they were. But. rather,
at the ramifications these actions have on the student
body.
What has this done to get more students involved in
school? How has this made our student body more
informed on issues?
Are school politicians the route to an involved and
empowered student body?
We do not condemn the platforms that any of the
parties perpetuate. It is the collective result of the
events that must be addressed.      •
It is the ideal of collegiate politics that has been
tarnished.
This is the time of life when students want to be
apart from the scandalous headlines and underhanded
dealings. The rest of our lives will be jammed full
enough.
An ideal setting
College is our own world. Being separate from the
real world is the privilege of education.
Trying out new ideas and theories is what college is
about. Life, and hence American politics, is too structured and institutionalized for the privilege.
It is this idealistic privilege that was continuously
stained by the students running in the election.
It's insulting to everyone involved, from the senator
to the guy sleeping through the three days of elections
in his dorm room. "
That snoozing student doesn't hate student government. Most are willing to concede the power of the
Senate to anyone willing to commit their schedule to
yet another obligation.
He's content to not think about it.
And not caring about who fills the void is a voter's   .
perogative.
But isn't that sleeping student the one politicians are
trying to reach?
Or at least reach him before he wakes up to an inch-
and-a-half headline in The Daily Collegian reading,
"OOPS."
Apathy is what student leaders are trying to fight.
They want more students to vote.
But after studying the candidates and issues, both
time consuming and problematic, the rewards are
elusive for the voter.
A need for real leadership
When antics like this semester's are what they get. is
it any wonder nobody votes?
It will only be a matter of time before the students
reform the current system and its inadequacies.    .
And is leaving it up to the sleeping dorm kid what
the reform really needs?
No. If that happens, the solution will lay ih abandoning the current form of ASI.
There will be no ASI.
The students have already spoken on that by voting
to reduce the Associated Student's fee down to a mere
$8 per semester. The end can't be far behind.
No. The reform must come from the top down.
Our newly elected senators must address the declining state of politics by recognizing ethical guidelines.
It's a simple case of integrity.
Take advantage of this ideal state to address the
issues that are concerning the students.
Campus leaders have done little thus far to promote
the idea of integrity in the elections.
By embarrassing yourself, party and school with the
same contempt and utter disregard that actual politicians show their constituents, you have succeeded in
alienating another generation of voters.
B
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il tha Lannon prompt
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