This year, I have had the chance to meet a lot of people affiliated with Southern University. Some have become great friends and mentors of mine and some of them I really don’t particularly care for at all. In either case, I have learned some valuable lessons from all of them and I would like to share with you some of my lessons in “Southern Living.”’
LESSON #1: Stay humble and patient. I would like to thank head baseball coach Roger Cador and his team for teaching me patience and humbleness.
I have watched the Jags and learned that even though you may be the best, those you represent still may not support you or recognize your abilities until it is time for them to get a bite off of your success. But the team has never openly complained or become exhibitionists and has become the champions that they deserve to be. Especially when I think that Rickie Weeks should have received the A.W. Mumford Athlete of the Year Award at the recent SU Sports Recognition Banquet. Nothing against volleyball player Maya Valerie (she is an outstanding player), but Weeks is a nationally known player who is expected to be a top pick in the draft, if not the number one pick. He has done some extraordinary things while here and I believe that he should have received that honor. But not once have you heard him complain; which brings me to my next point.
Some members of the track team walked out when the women’s golf team was named the Most Valuable Team at the banquet. I believe that they deserved that award. They knocked off a team that was sitting on the conference throne for 16 years; and they drastically improved from last season.
But without any question, the track team deserves their proper accolades. Track and field helped put Southern on the map and I can’t help it if the athletic department doesn’t see this. But to walk out on the ceremony exemplified poor sportsmanship and you all need to remember that you all are athletes. It is not those girls’ faults for being chosen. The girls still got the award and it is not like Floyd Kerr was moved, nor anyone else in the athletic department.
If you are true sportsmen, I would like to think that you all would know that sometimes you don’t get your due praise. If you feel that strongly about the department and its “misgivings,” then quit running track altogether.
LESSON #2: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS LOYALTY. Let’s be honest, Rusty Ponton just made the final selection in the coaching decision a little bit interesting and Dale Valdery sure got the working over by Southern. Was it because of his so-called “past” at Xavier? You know, people in glass houses should not throw stones, and we after all are on a bluff with eroding rocks.
Southern felt insulted by Ponton not taking the first job they offered him, but that is just business. Besides, Coach Pugh is “A-OK” with me.
I understand that spouses and board members got involved, and if that is true, why? How about just doing your duties (whatever they may be) and just worry about not getting investigated by outside sources.
LESSON #3: PEOPLE WHO DON’T VOTE ALWAYS COMPLAIN THE MOST. When Wayne Haydin was voted SGA President, people were in an uproar. What they should be in an uproar about is the voting participation. We have nearly 9,000 students and not even 1800 voted. That is what you should be in an uproar about.
Forget the fact that we have a Caucasian SGA President; one of the authors of the Civil Rights Voting Act was White, so is that why we as Blacks fail to vote?
Speaking of Haydin, after much thought and inner conflict, I feel that Haydin being elected SGA President is probably the best thing since the invention of the birth control pill. We are a school of excellence and if he is good enough to attend, he is good enough to run for election. Now read carefully because I am going to tie this into our god-awful football schedule.
First, we should not be playing eight games in a row. I think it should be four (then an open date), four more games (and another open date); then three games (and the final open date) and then the Bayou Classic.
We are going to play some tough teams down that eight-game stretch and no offense to Coach Pete, but I bet that we’re going to hear the same old “…Decimated by injuries…” excuse again by the time we play Alcorn State.
Now, going along with that, I think that we should change Homecoming to one of those no-name games, either against Lincoln or Allen University. This is simply because people are going to come anyway for a SWAC game; no money is going to be made off of two unknown teams in a row. You all should remember how fickle the Jaguar Nation got last year.
By the way, where is Allen University? If you really wanted to make money, you should have played Miles again. That would have been a true money maker. Of course, this is just a suggestion since I realize that money is the biggest factor and not necessary the win-loss record or the welfare of the athletes.
Now, with that said, if you change Homecoming to one of those dates, Haydin is going to be there walking Miss Southern and the crowd is going to pay dearly to see that. That way, Southern wins with a sell-out and Haydin wins because he can demonstrate to the masses that he deserves to be there. It’s a win-win situation.
LESSON #4: LEAD BY EXAMPLE. I really learned from watching the administration and their actions. Not just the SU System, but SUBR also.
This is why the students don’t go to any other games but the football games. They see you tailgating and they want to tailgate too. They see you sitting on the floor at the basketball games and they want to also.
They see you absent from the baseball games, the softball games or the track meets and they want to be absent also. They see you at the championship games and that is the only time they show up.
I saw SU System President Leon Tarver at the baseball game last Saturday and I commended him on coming to the game. I told him that the team would appreciate him being there. He told me that he was not there to see the game; he was there just to “follow up on something.
I believe that was the wrong answer. But he did come back the next day.
LESSON #5: KEEP IT REAL. Point blank, some of you “higher ups” just blatantly lie and hide the truth from students. So I really can’t blame our past SGA officers for being the way they were: unrevealing and unproductive (Springfest and Homecoming doesn’t count as productive).
Speaking of SGA, I am going to strongly advise past presidents or campaign managers to refrain from attempting to force members of our staff (who are also affiliated with SGA) to try to sway our staff’s individual voting ideology.
For nearly a decade, fees have been added to students’ tuition for an intramural facility and nothing resembling a new student gym, track or monkey bars has been erected. Students also need to know how much it is exactly going to cost them and fans for all of these athletic facility renovations.
There are some groups who keep it real though-the sports trainers and managers. They never get the proper accolades or recognition, but I could tell the world 3,000 times about the great support they provide to the athletic program.
LESSON #6: IT DOESN’T HURT TO ASK QUESTIONS. I believe that as students, parents, alumni and supporters, we have that right.
So here are a few questions for some of you: Where in Satan’s name is the budget report for the Bayou Classic? Do we even get one? Do I have to call the “State” to request a copy? Or has someone called them already? President Tarver and Vice President Slaughter, can we get a budget rundown before the next SU-Grambling game?
I believe that 1996 was the last time we had a financial report on the Bayou Classic. I don’t think that Slaughter can be blamed for all of this though. After all, the Classic is Tarver’s “baby.” I think that SUBR should have control of it, but the SU System has control. When you think about it, Slaughter is under Tarver, who is the final authority on the Classic, so I think Tarver should be held accountable for these missing reports.
Better yet, why hasn’t the board requested a report since ’96? Things like this should be mandatory.
People start saving funds in December just to attend the Classic the following November and I think that we should know where the money is going; we have that right.
LESSON #7: REPRESENT. If we are truly a part of the Jaguar Nation, we should represent all 18 teams. Football and basketball are only two Jaguars’ sports (and you could have done a little better in attending the basketball games).
We need to show up or shut up. Don’t worry about who is coaching if you won’t be at the game (that means you too, board members). Don’t worry about what the uniforms look like if you are not contributing to one of the booster clubs or the teams.
Conclusively, I have learned my lessons. Hopefully you have learned some this semester also. I have also learned that without the entire DIGEST staff (especially the sports team and photo team), none of the sports awards or any collective awards would have been possible.
To Chancellor Jackson, President Tarver, Vice President Slaughter and members of the board, thanks for allowing me to demonstrate my love for Southern, the concerns of the university and understanding my fearless crusade against what I think is wrong, no matter who commits the wrongdoing.
To those who mentor me (in whatever arena of life), I can only get better because of you (even when you fuss at me).
Thanks to the booster clubs for supporting me and of course I have to thank my home team in Moreauville and my biggest supporters, The Bannister Bunch…
See you next semester…
…And That’s the Way I See It…
