The Gentle Giant

i agree athletics are coming and hopefully other aspects of the school will also be developed. jay you almost sound like you are talkin about a cult...them and us; we will outnumber you. thats a lil extreme haha. yeah...shu is growing athletically...here it comes.

wellllll... i agree with you jay! :0... ahhaha., theres nothing that academically inclined people can do to stop athletic programs from developing and evolving this school. Athletics can and will make this school a better place to be. And for the "marching band" people, i agree again when jay says that you need a football field to march on .. duh, i dont think i have ever seen a band march on anything that didnt resemble a football field, FOOTBALL FIRST...marching band..( hopefully never) but..perhaps a close second.. people go to football games to see..uh..football..hence, buying tickets to a FOOTBALL game...if people came to see the marching band, either they are really close friends to the person in the band..or they are a relative....I love my atheletics...even though some of the athletes are assholes...its ok, because they are a fellow athlete.. i love football, i can't wait to go to a college fb game, seeing as how i haven't been to one yet!

First off, thank you for posting this. Your blog entry does a number of good things. It shows the kind of mindset that the "crazy jocks" have at this school. I never considered you a jock, but if you insist on lumping yourself in said category, then be my guest.

The first paragraph in your blog, which is about scholarships, is totally unrelated to my own blog entry (which is the entry you are trying to oppose). Honestly, people have gotten over the fact that SHU is dishing out tons of scholarship money for athletes that will just lose it anyways by drinking and being destructive. Many of the athletes deserve this scholarship money. And I would just love to see the jocks complain about the art kids, the very people this college was founded to teach and support.

Also, I wanted to thank you for writing the entry the way you did. It will certainly appeal to the people who love to scream when they read things aloud.

I would also advise reading things before you type them... your odd threats from the Athletic department make you guys seem more threatening to the SHU image than I even made you out to be. Saying that there is "nothing you can do to stop the athletic department" and that "pretty soon, there will be more of us than there will be of you." That's what people are afraid of. I'm not the only one. I'm just a freshman who came into this school because it was supposed to be a quiet liberal arts environment, and instead found a crazy new emphasis on SHU sports. But there are others, upperclassmen, faculty, and alumni who all see what is going on, and they don't like it one bit.

People need to realize what Seton Hill is, and what it is never going to be. Seton Hill is a small school. A liberal arts school. Yes, we have athletic programs, and that's expected and necessary. It's cool that we have a rivalry with St. Vinnie's, and that our girl's teams are popular. But people need to understand that SHU isn't going to be the next Syracuse or Pitt.

Athletics is THE reason Seton Hill University has become the what it has. That's why so many people are upset about it.

I think perhaps I may be one of the underlying causes of Jay's frustration with people chatting about the amount of scholarship money doled out to athletes. We had a brief conversation that evening that may have sparked this entry. I feel inspiring. If anything, I think it's good that we all put our opinions and beliefs out there on the blogs to see what's truly happening.

I like sports...yes I do...I like sports, how about you? Like I've said before...bring it on...

And in reply to Mike's comment- I have never picked up a beer on this campus and I have NEVER destroyed anything...I know of guys that are the same way (i.e. Jay and others)...and what happens when the jock is the art kid? Isn't this just a great oppurtunity for them then? This isn't just a school for art kids, there is a great emphasis on education here as well, and a lot of the athletes on this campus are majoring in just that. I know that the oppurtunities presented to me by SHU are the reason why I am here. Chew on this one for a while... I know of athletes that are able to play a sport, respect others, and pull off a 4.0 .... we gotta stop all of this generalizing and lumping athletes in one giant grouping! We're not all bad...we're just normal kids that are trying to get by... Yeah we play a sport on this campus and we do get scholarship money for it..but we represent this university 24/7...if we mess up it's "Melissa Whiteman women's soccer player at SHU" that gets printed in a newspaper...in addition when our sport is in season and also in the off season we work our tail's off to make our SHU community proud of us, this is our job; do you know how hard it is to write a paper, study for an exam, and prepare a presentation on a bus in between games? There are more aspects to this athlete/non-athlete thing that most people aren't exploring, it's frustrating to me, because I know I am more than an athlete here on this campus.

Why can't we all just be friends, we're a family here on this campus!

-Mel :)

Mel- Cool out. People are taking this out context and its getting out of hand. You are making this seem like I hate all of the athletes, and that I'm saying things about their intelligence, which I never did. And if you read the first number on my blog, It clearly states that there is a clear difference between athletes and jocks. You need to know the difference to which I refer.

Any substantiation of that claim that the school is making more money?

Mike-I am not bantering you and I think that you are descent, and always have. But you saying that the NAIA is peanuts completely shoots down what we are playing for. I know that we are not PITT, but the fact still remains that all colleges and universities have sports. I don't want a war coming out of this, but when people say that having sports here is terrible, and athletes are just vandalists and morons, it makes me feel like what I am doing is wrong, and it isn't.

Amanda, if you ever walk past the coaches offices (which I highly doubt), you would hear that the athletic program has made much more money. The coaches would not say so if it wasn't. So let's cut the hard news bull crap for just one day, and face reality.

Jay- Oh I certainly understand this as a mature discussion (well, when things aren't in ALL CAPS)and there aren't any hard feelings or anything. But I do think that my message and opinion was bent a little bit. I clearly say in my openning statement that there is a difference between athletes and jocks. A big difference. And all of my comments and statements have been towards the jocks, not the athletes. Athletes are good people, with restraint, with class, and with friendliness. They aren't totally consumed with a facsist attitude about their sport of choice, and they aren't reckless because they feel invincible for playing said sport. That, in my opinion, is a jock. Everyone who is going against me on saying these things, is forgetting my distinct separation of the two. I don't dislike people that play sports. And many of my good friends at SHU play sports. I dislike the people that take things too far, that don't have respect for others who aren't on their "team".

(And I would like to see actual statistics that show SHU is making more money than it is spending on these new sports programs)

And now, I retire from posting on this subject. It's been enjoyable, to say the least

Yeah, I do walk past them...when I am leaving...or when I talk to them for an article. I have never heard anything about money. They are nice people and you are stereotyping me right there.

And I do not care if you are "just writing" or "writing hard news"--substantiate your claims with facts. Do you read The National Enquirer and believe that Saddam Hussein and bin Laden are having a homosexual affair, just because the writer (and I am using that term loosely) tells you that they are? Don't think so.

Journalism skills (essentially telling the truth with facts, quotes, statistics to back you up) come in handy everywhere, especially when you are trying to make a point. Not everyone has to believe what you say just because words are in CAPS.

HERE IS THE DEAL... I AM WRITING IN CAPS, BUT IT DOES NOT MEAN I AM YELLING AT ANYONE. FIRST OF ALL, ABOUT THIS WHOLE JOCK THING GOING ON, LET ME STATE MY OPINION.

FIRST OF ALL, IN THE NEXT YEAR THAT I AM HERE, IF I NOTICE THAT THIS COLLEGE IS TURNING INTO A HIGH SCHOOL, THEN I AM OUT OF HERE. I AM HERE FOR AN EDUCATION. ABOUT 70% OF STUDENTS HERE AREN'T EVEN GOING TO PURSUE IN THE NFL, NBA, ETC... SO I BELIEVE THAT SETON HILL IS TEARING DOWN PEOPLE'S EDUCATION... SHOULDN'T THEY BE CONCERNED WITH ACADEMIC STANDARDS RATHER THAN THE NEW FOOTBALL TEAM COMING INTO PLAY. OH WELL, JUST KEEP RAISING OUR TUITION UP AND GIVING OUT FREE MONEY TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE ATHLETES. SINCE SPORTS "SUPPOSEDLY" ARE THE ONLY IMPORTANT THING ANYMORE TO SHU, RATHER THAN THE BOOK WORK. SETON HILL CANNOT EVEN HANDLE THE NUMEROUS AMOUNTS OF STUDENTS THAT WE HAVE NOW. CAN WE PLEASE BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT EDUCATION, BUILDINGS NEEDING RENOVATED (NICE HOW IN THE DORMS THERE ARE NO SPRINKLER SYSTMES, WHICH IF THERE WAS A FIRE, SHU WOULD BE SCREWED), AND PARKING SPOTS FOR STUDENTS. I COMPLETELY ENJOY THE SPORTS AT SHU, BUT ITS TIME FOR A CHANGE. I WAS SO THANKFUL TO GET AWAY FROM HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE OF THE CLIQUES AND ATHLETES, NOW I AM STUCK AT A SCHOOL THAT THAT IS THE ONLY THING THAT IS IMPORTANT. OH WELL SHU, YOU'LL BE LOSING MANY STUDENTS NOW FROM THIS SPORTS INCIDENT, YOU MAY IN THE FUTURE BE LOSING MY MONEY AS WELL.

I dont go to your school at all and i pretty much ran over this post. But as a Division 1 college athelte i must say that atheltics are important for school spirit and comrodery and will make your shitty school a better place. It seems like you Art fucks are just bitching because you think you will be put back in your place so to speak as in you will be back to the tauntings and the eggs getting tossed at your heads and the torment. People grow up your all in college now and people arent like that anymore. I went to Art school a way better and more presitgous school than Seton Hill. I went to the Art Institute of Seattle. and i ahve to tell you that was the most horrible 2 years of my life. These "Art kids" hated me cuz i used to be and still am A athelte. They have this jealous hatred of athletes because we get the love and respect from the community and the parents and booster clubs for doing something they cant do and they deem stupid. Its not my fault you art fucks cant bounce a basketball. or dont get off your fat asses and run or work hard at anything. I realized by going to Art college that Art kids= not working hard, and being diffuicult for no god damn reason, and if anything goes wrong its never a art kids fault they had a bad childhood, parents, blah blah exuses up the ASS HOLE. and for #1 Art is the a fickle thing to do becuase you dont get money for it unless 1 out of 1million is discovered. because not everyone gets art and most people hate art not everymotha fucka is the next picasso or rick ruben for audio.

Atheltes we work our Asses off training all summer long, running stairs, lifting weights, we cant drink that much or like you Druggy art fucks do we cant smoke weed, or do heorion{like we would} you guys have it easy you art kids no one expects much from you if you fail they new you would and if you succced its like a miracle. Us athletes or Jocks are expected to always be the best they dont care if he have tendanitis in our wrist or if we fractured our ankle. we have to play if we dont were seen as bitches, and pussys, even if we just got off surgery 2 weeks ago for our knee they dont care all coach will say is tape it up! and thats that we are on our way to getting fuckedup. Be an athetle is the best experience anyone can have. the hate and love for your coach the love of your teamates. You will never have a closer truer friend than a teamate on a athletic team. You guys will never feel how it feels to be us so you resent us because we get things like scholarships and prefiential treatment. Well boo hoo. Maybe if you went through all the shit we went through on a daily and weekly basis you would get that shit too.

You art kids need to get off your old being picked on you were little complexes. I know alot of you are ugly and homely and you dont want to go back to the hole ambercombie football guy and his cheerleader chick. ok i know i have been both a Art kid and a football player. I left football to pursue Art and it destoyred my life. My friendships with my friends, my familys trust in my decsison making, and also my respect in my community. and when i was their at The Art Insitute of 2 years I realized I didnt even want to do music anymore I loathed it and i wasnt the greatest at it. and if your not the best have good luck finding a job. Im just happy i had the support and the luck to get back to football and playing sports and the frats. cuz thats what I am and always was A JOCK! and im proud of it. Art fooled me into thinking i was something differnt and i tried it and i hated it.

SPORTS WILL DO NOTHING BUT BRING YOUR SCHOOL TOGETHER AND HELP YOU NERDO"S GET SOME MORE FRIENDS AND NEW PEOPLE FROM OTHER AREAS COMING TO YOUR SCHOOL, PLUS MORE FOOTBALL+MONEY= BETTER SCHOOL DEAL WITH IT YAH ART FUCKS!

I think Jay's original post made an important point, offering a perspective that our network of blogs needed.

I can't say that I feel the same way about Jonah's comment, which, sadly, reinforces many stereotypes about the intellectual abilities and personal arrogance of athletes at division I schools.

Jonah, if you are still reading this, I invite you to open up a little, getting beyond your own personal bitterness at being rejected by your art school classmates, and show us the value of athletics -- moving away from the unproductive and exaggerated assumption that anyone who is not an athlete is an alcoholic or a heroin user. (We are a Catholic liberal arts school, not an arts college, so there may be important cultural differences.)

My hope is that Seton Hill's combined recruitment efforts in academics and athletics will draw more of the kind of students who are talented in many different areas, including athletics, but who see the value in engaging in intelligent debate that rises above than name-calling.

The proble is not with the athletes themselves, the problem lies within the audience who pays to see them, thus keeping them in business. Really the people who are cheated from the great revenue is the doctors and others who are on the front line of saving lives everyday. To think that an athlete like Derek Jeter or any other athlete is payed more than a doctor who can save a child by giving them a heart transplant is mind boggling. Athletes need to know there place in life and the fools who pay to see them. Get real here people, we have a society which loves entertainment. Point is clear, athletes are impressed with themselves. Perhaps they should donate a percentage of their salaries to curing cancers of the world and make this a better world to lived in. Many have no desire to be your children's role models, many are involved in drug scams, and most are just like you and I--"a squrrel trying to get a nut" in this big bad world of free will and opportunity.