As a Duke graduate and current Duke law student, I fully understand how important it is to maintain our University as, first and foremost, an educational institution.
Furthermore, I am entirely unsurprised that a small, yet vocal, minority of Duke's faculty have mocked Professor Paul Haagen's "Faculty Athletics Associates Program," a program that seeks to increase the connection and understanding between Duke coaches and faculty about their respective spheres at Duke.
If the snide comments of Professors Fred Nijhout and Richard Hain were merely indicative of an opportunistic cannibalism of two professors capitalizing on the unfortunate men's lacrosse situation that we all have lived through, it would be manageable. I am afraid, though, that the parody authored by Professors Nijhout and Hain represents a deep philosophical divide that is informed as much by their athletic ignorance as it is by their academic arrogance.
I applaud Professor Haagen's attempt to bridge this philosophical divide. Although his plan is certainly not an exhaustive remedy to an admittedly complex problem, it is first and foremost a constructive attempt at moving the ball in the right direction. I wish that I could say the same about the actions and comments of Professors Nijhout and Hain. The one problem I foresee, of course, is that the individuals who are most in need of the education that this program seeks to provide are the ones who are least likely to voluntarily participate. I challenge Professors Nijhout and Hain to participate in the "Faculty Athletics Associate Program." You never know-you might learn something.
Vincent Asaro
Trinity '04, Law '07
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