College Sports

Film Poster for Miracle, Copyright 2004, Walt Disney Film

This week, I went to two events of theme; on November 13th, I went ‘Showing of Miracle with an introduction by John U. Bacon’, and on 14th and 15th, ‘Values of College Sport Conference’.

The 2004 film, Miracle, directed by Gavin O’Connor, spotlights the story of the 1980 US Olympic Men’s ice hockey team. Herb Brooks, a main coach, trains a team in order to beat the Soviet team, and eventually brings a gold medal.

The conference mainly dealt with benefit and problems of college sports. Especially, Amy Perco, Executive Director of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Atheltics, gave a lecture; she stated that despite financial conflicts and risk of injury, college encourages sports program.

Also, Taylor Branch, Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Fellowship winning author, gave a lecture and spotlighted the conflict between sports and academic he insisted that students should be students, and priority task should be studying.

Priority Check

As a freshman at the University of Michigan, I feel pressure to apply to the Ross School of Business. I find myself surrounded by thousands of freshman, all of whom–whether they admit it or not–are angling for admission to Ross.

I have visions of walking into the sleek orange and blue building that is Ross and feeling like I am a part of the #4 undergraduate business program in the nation. I can see myself ordering a morning cappuccino in the Starbucks in Ross’s lobby while hurrying to a lecture where everyone will be wearing a fancy suit and carrying a designer label suitcase. There’s only one problem with my dream of Ross acceptance…I’m not interested in studying business.

The B-School sure is quite a sight to behold.

I like studying history, writing, government, and the humanities. Those have been my favorite subjects  since the beginning of high school. It would make sense for me to want to major in political science, English or public policy among other subjects. Yet, I rarely consider these academic focuses as my first choice–I desire to gain acceptance to Ross. A degree from Ross in finance sounds successful.

See, I, like many others, equate acceptance into Ross with success. Success is defined as “the accomplishment of one’s goals”. Yet, if I’m not actually interested in studying and learning about business, why am I so attracted to Ross? There is a wide-spread social and cultural dilemma at the core of my affection for Ross.

An Upvote for Yik Yak

While Yik Yak can be deplorable, egregious, offensive and utterly tasteless, it is a vital outlet for college students. That is why my learned colleague jessxl, I beg to differ.

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                  So what is Yik Yak?

No, Yik Yak is not a dating website for the lovable Himalayan animals that its name suggests it is. Sorry to disappoint all you yak lovers out there.

See, Yik Yak is a popular mobile application that is currently an increasingly popular social media tool on college campuses across the country. Yik Yak allows users who download the app–which can be done easily with the click of a button on smartphones–to post comments on a live feed that all other users within a certain geographical radius can see and either upvote (similar to a like) or downvote (a dislike :( ). Posters have the option to post anonymously–this feature encourages users to speak their minds in a free-flowing manner without having to face the consequences of their statements being attributed to them. So as you could guess by now, it’s obvious as to why this app would be popular on college campuses where tens of thousands of immature and freshly anointed young adults are co-existing in the same area. Posts frequently somehow incorporate profanity, obscenity and vulgarity to create a perfect blend of crudity.

However, what is left out of the description of the app above are the merits of Yik Yak. Yik Yak contains tons upon tons of funny anecdotes, helpful tips and interesting tidbits. Yik Yak’s reputation has fallen due to the actions of the few, not the many. Not all users frequent the app in a disrespectful manner; many use it to enjoy a quick laugh on a tough day…and that is what bring us to the second part of our discussion of Yik Yak.

College: Live, Learn, and actually…kind of like it?

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I remember what my older sister told me before I had started school at the University of Michigan. She said, “College is going to be the best years of your life. Enjoy it while you can.” Now I’ll admit, I was perplexed. After all, you go to college to learn and get a job, right? “School + learning = fun” was not on the list of equations that high school had taught me. But, now that I’m here, I’ve found that maybe, just maybe, my sister was right, college is pretty awesome: I can choose the classes I want, see my friends every time I step out my door, and most importantly, eat chipotle all day. I no longer think that the only reason I’m here is to get a job, having realized that there are multiple benefits of the college experience, shifting my view from Menand’s third theory to a combination of all three.