Party School

The state media has debated a lot in the past week over West Virginia's resumption of the top spot in a national poll. It isn't the AP football poll (although we are close.) The Princeton Review ranked West Virginia University the top party school in the United States.

West Virginia University president David Hardesty battled this image for a number of years. He was concerned that a party reputation might harm the academic mission of the school. Dan Page's recent op-ed in the State Journal asserts that the label adds no value to the reputation of WVU, stating "How sad."

West Virginia University does not necessarily sit in poor company here. Ohio University, Penn State, and the University of Wisconsin also receive regular mention on this poll None of these schools' academic reputations suffer as a result of their recognition there.

The problem lies in the criteria used to rank the schools academically. US News and World Report, among others, looks more closely at whether or not a college or university screens out low achievers in high school. Some schools do, West Virginia University does not. It should not.

WVU exists to serve the people of West Virginia, not the judgment of people that may have never set foot on campus. Our state university provides an outstanding education. They can and often do lift students up who have not done well in the public schools and turn them into scholars. Some kids just do not fit the mold of the classic public school student. They cannot pay attention for six or seven straight hours. College gives these students more flexibility and support. They get a chance to succeed if only they can get in.

The university is one of the few government run organizations in the state that consistently gives the taxpayers their money's worth. One could always get a great education there, now it has turned into an economic engine. The future of the institution looks bright in many different ways despite what the ivory tower says. If you ask me, that is reason for anyone associated with WVU to party.

Saluting the Keyser Mini Tornadoes and Football Values

Last Saturday the Keyser Mini Tornadoes A, B, and C teams all rolled over their competition from Oakland, Maryland. The game kicked off what ought to be another strong season for Keyser. Another run at the league championship should lie in these teams' future.

Evn more important is what football does for these children. In America today children have few chances to learn real values. Few minors have to do much work these days as their parents or grandparents did on the farm. Many of the schools have transformed into institutions that emphasize self-esteem and rigid enforcement of rules rather than overcoming challenges. Even other sports try to remove the competitiveness by not keeping score. Everyone is supposed to walk away a winner just for showing up even though the kids are well aware who won or lost.

Football is a harsh and unforgiving sport. Each player must work hard to learn their job and do it to the best of their abilities. If someone does not do their job, the team fails, and likely a teammate ends up getting hit hard. Football punishes physically, but helps develop menta and physical toughness. It also teaches the value of hard work and the important lesson that your best on some days was just not good enough. Within football, individual achievement is recognized and praised, but children also learn to work with each other. More than other sports, players learn a sense of brotherhood that comes from experiencing hardship together.

Football has its own value set. With some notable exceptions, the culture encourages pride with humility, strength without boasting. Players celebrating after a touchdown are told "act like you've been there before." There is a reason why the National Football League has the most player pastors of any professional league.

In short, football is one of the last opportunities available to children that teaches how to compete, how to succeed, and how to respond to failure. These values give participants a leg up when they eventually hit the adult world.