May-June 2006
The View of a Lacrosse Parent (1)
Duke University is a huge source of pride in our family. I went to Duke and have a son, Robert, who graduated in 2004, and a daughter, Lane, a past member of the women's lacrosse team, who graduated in 2005. I have had the privilege of serving on the executive board of the Annual Fund for the past six years and chaired our 30th reunion last year. I have enjoyed the many opportunities to know Duke administrators, faculty members, and students through my children and frequent visits to Duke for meetings, ice hockey, lacrosse, and basketball games. I treasure the opportunities to reconnect with "old" friends and classmates. Our lives have revolved around Duke in the past eight years.
We were thrilled when our third child, Gibbs, was recruited by Mike Pressler to come to Duke to study and to play lacrosse. Gibbs, like many members of this talented team, could have gone to a number of schools, and we are proud that he chose Duke without a moment of hesitation. He was well aware that he was undertaking a heavy, difficult commitment to academic and athletic excellence and he looked forward to the challenge with healthy trepidation. I will always remember coach Pressler's words to the freshmen at their lacrosse orientation. These words sent a shiver through me last August and have echoed repeatedly through my mind in the past two months. "Boys, remember you have one chance in life to ruin your reputation. Every step you take represents you, Duke University, Duke alumni, and your families. And you have one chance in life to make a first impression. Don't blow it."
I have to admit that this group of skilled, capable individuals joined by their love for, and talent in, lacrosse blew it. They had a party over spring break and briefly let two strangers into their lives. It is still impossible for me to believe that this decision could so damage this group, Duke University, and Durham and resurrect emotions and fears that were considered if not buried, at the least dormant. Issues of race, class, and gender collided and formed what has been called "the perfect storm" and thrust this team and Duke University into the national limelight. On a smaller scale, this horrific incident also exposed a known problem at Duke-many students feel that there is no social life on campus. As ironic as Coach Pressler's words to the freshmen lacrosse players was my encounter with our dear friend, Sterly Wilder, in the Duke Forest, the morning before the Georgetown--Duke lacrosse game. That day, almost a full two weeks after the infamous party, I still had no idea of its repercussions. But I was aware of the dangers lurking in that neighborhood, and I interrupted Sterly's run with concerns about the social scene at Duke. Our older son lived a few doors down from the house imprinted on our minds, and I know that many Duke kids flock to off campus parties in that neighborhood. When I attended Duke, the drinking age was eighteen and keg parties in sections, on the quad, and Wannamaker terrace were weekly events. Now alcohol consumption by college students is considered one of the biggest problems facing college administrations, and Duke like many other campuses has become essentially a dry campus. Consequentially, the Duke social scene is driven into the surrounding neighborhoods where it is unsupervised and less safe, and where neighbors, understandably so, are fed up with antics of college students.
In the Duke Magazine article, "A Spring of Sorrows," Robert Bliwise uses "the lacrosse episode" as a spring board to focus on "issues that have been of concern on this campus and this town for some time" (President Brodhead's words). I completely agree that the tragic sequence of events ignited by that evening has highlighted problems that exist at many colleges and universities and in society as a whole. What I do not agree with because it is not true is that this Duke lacrosse team is a microcosm of these problems. It is not the behavior or culture of this team that exposed issues of race, class, and gender. These issues were thrust to the forefront because of a black woman's false allegations against white men. I was not aware that the hiring of strippers is a popular occurrence at college parties and that there had been over twenty parties with strippers given by Duke student groups this year. I am quite sure that there will be a lot more caution in the future when students are considering their party entertainment. I am also positive that the Duke lacrosse players did not hire these strippers because of any lack of respect for women and for race.
The Coleman Report commissioned by President Brodhead to study the culture and behavior of Duke lacrosse teams refutes the generalizations that are promoted by the quotations of journalists and faculty members in the article. Alcohol violations among the lacrosse team are comparable to other groups on campus. There are more general citations attributed to this Duke team than other teams because lacrosse players are the only athletic group that lives in two of the houses off East where the neighbors are most bothered by Duke students. In fact, there are fewer citations attributed to this team than there are to other Duke groups who live in this neighborhood. The Coleman Report found no incidents of racism among this team--it states, "The current as well as former African-American members of the men's team have been extremely positive about the support the team provided them." There are no incidents involving lacrosse players that in any way show a disrespect for women-in fact quite the opposite. Kerstin Kimel, the coach of the women's team, attests to the comraderie and mutual respect between the boys and girls and points out that the smart, savvy young women on her team would not hang out with "arrogant jocks."
It's sad that I feel compelled to continue to justify, explain, and prove this team's innocence of the damning charges brought forth by the media. They are not arrogant, swaggering, privileged, surly, violent hooligans and "jocks out of control" to quote the journalists. What a different picture the Coleman Report paints of these young men after a lengthy, thorough investigation. "By all accounts, the -lacrosse players are a cohesive, hard working, disciplined, and respectful athletic team. Their behavior on trips is described as exemplary. Airline personnel complimented them for their behavior....Both the groundskeeper and the equipment manager spoke about the players' respect for and appreciation of efforts for the team. They described the members of the team as the best or among the best group of athletes they served in their long tenures with Duke athletics. Although they give coach Pressler credit for instilling these values, they emphasize that the players are a 'special group of young men.' The female manager for the last three seasons, a Duke senior, echoed these sentiments."
"Lacrosse players also have performed well academically. In 2005, twenty seven members of the lacrosse team, more than half, made the ACC Honor Roll. The lacrosse team's academic performance generally is one of the best among all Duke athletic teams," according to the Coleman Report. The team also has an impressive, lengthy community service record both on campus and off.
And finally, one more truthful, factual explanation of lacrosse team behavior. The "vile" e-mail is a direct quote from the movie American Psycho, examined and discussed in three Duke psychology classes as an example of today's pop culture.
The lacrosse team had no intentions of malice and no idea of the "perfect storm" that would envelop them and their university. This group of boys is changed forever, and, though I'm sorry for my son's loss of faith and trust, his newly found maturity and disillusionment will ultimately serve him and his teammates well as they cautiously proceed through life. And because I am the ultimate "cup half full" person, I know that good will come out of this horrendous experience. I know truth will prevail and that we will eventually heal. I know that these boys and the whole Duke community will be stronger and more aware. I know that this team will play again, will represent Duke with honor and pride, and will serve as an example of excellence for all teams in the country. I know that the insecurities and realities stirred up that evening will continue to prompt a continuous, internal investigation and that Duke will change and adapt in its constant mission to be the best it can be. I would not expect any less of this team and our university.
Sally Johnson Fogarty, Trinity, 1975; Parent-'04, '05, '09 and hopefully-'12