The economic impacts of the 21st century’s Great Depression have altered many perceptions on the value of a college education, but the wise sage Yogi Berra knew better.
Also known for his career in baseball as one of the most accomplished catchers of all time — 10 World Series Championships will do that — Berra might be even more known for his homespun, philosophical observations on life. One of his classics was, “You can observe a lot just by watching.”
Without even knowing exactly what it was he was talking about, we all get it. Life is learning, if you pay attention, you might just acquire some knowledge along the way.
That job installing sheet rock out of high school could look appealing this month, but long term, you will be well served with a larger perspective on the work force and life in general.
Not all the important lessons are acquired in the standard classroom. The core curriculum in life doesn’t always have a grade point average. Ask anyone, our college memories, and sometimes the most important tests we passed, had more to do with learning how the world works in a learning environment.
That might go double for college athletes who develop of stronger sense of confidence than many of their non-athletic peers. Sometimes they can feel almost invincible as a result of sculpted bodies, proper nutrition and a commitment to team and the benefits of sacrifice.
And then, it can all go away when parties and alcohol converge. Inhibitions fall, issues arise.
At the University of Hawaii at Hilo, the athletic department was visited earlier this month by Brooke Conway, from the Kapiolani Medical Center on Oahu. She is the education and community outreach manager for the Sexual Assault Treatment Center and her message may have been as relevant to the lives of the athletes who came to listen to her as anything they learned in the classroom, on the courts or fields.
“There’s only so much you can do,” said UHH women’s volleyball coach Tino Reyes, “you can’t be with them night and day, you can’t be at the parties or wherever they go, but you want (the athletes) to at least have a clear understanding about the warning signs, the big red flashing lights, so they can interpret those signals in the right way.”
The most significant news is that about 1 in 5 women will be sexually attacked at some point in their college careers, 1-for-16 for men. Thirty years and more ago, Title IX was an avenue into equality in athletics for girls and women in public schools, but these days, an important aspect of the legislation falls on the university to take steps to assist and protect individuals who report sexual misconduct or seek confidential assistance.
You can probably guess that more than 50 percent of the sexual assaults against college students involve alcohol, by one or both parties.
“It’s always been such a taboo subject, talking about sexual assault, that it complicates the discussion,” Conway said. “People are becoming more conscious, but the numbers aren’t always helpful.”
Conway describes and instructs about issues in this destructive subculture of assault on campus and while imparting the message makes her feel good, there’s a certain amount of frustration that comes with her work because she knows the statistics.
The numbers indicate the incidents of sexual assaults on campus have remained steady over the years. Conway cannot point to a study that shows sexual attacks decreasing, despite the informational seminars and talks she and others around the country have instituted.
“We have a lot of things going on,” she said, “and one of them we fight is this kind of drinking-and-hooking-up culture that has become more and more evident in recent years. It’s hard to say if there were more incidents of this at some point in the pass because it is still very much a challenge when it comes to students reporting when it happens.”
Cultural pressures are often implacable, the urge to be quiet, to keep your story to yourself, works against the victims and the cultural awareness that needs to change to shine a bright light on the crimes.
There’s a line that should never be crossed and it’s probably a different for everyone. People need to understand, through an adult conversation, where the line is, the line needs to be respected and it needs to be protected by an understanding in the community.
Conway said her descriptions of most common incidents of sexual attacks are known to college students as soon as they hear them, “The statistics are staggering and sobering and they come to realize during these sessions that it could easily be themselves or their friends caught in the situation. That makes it real for them.”
There should be nothing taboo about observing the danger zones and making a smart decision when all you need to do is watch and see trouble coming.
