| OCR Text |
Show DAILY THE CHRONICLE UTAH OHfMC OPINIONS -- I 'A!. THE CHRONICLE'S ? . 1 ff,,,1 ,.. VIEW Finding an Education When Games Arrive Wc gawk r. extended Spring Break and gripe about parking. But in the midst of the hoopla, it's easy to forget why we're here. U President Bernie Machen has long worried academics would take a back seat to the Olympic festivities. This is not to say our university will not benefit from the Games, which accelerated plans for new dorms, the university TRAX line and the stadium. And who knows what more long-terbenefits result from may national and internaephemeral tional attention focused on the m U. However, those seeking the best education possible at our state's flagship university may be disappointed this semester. Just as students did not get the parking situation they paid for, they will not get the education they paid for cither. Scheduling lectures, assignments and tests around a three-wee- k break early in the semester a formidable challenge for is most instructors, and a variety of approaches have sprung up around campus. Some departments offer condensed courses. Some assign big to keep students projects engaged, others take a more hands-of- f approach to allow stu X X X y - dents to take advantage of the at enormous on buildings, our &: 1 ' for vacation or Games, take-of- f hide at home. Ultimately, the decision is the student's. But in most cases creative solutions are just that. How do you compensate for a semester? The semester is already short, but the temptation to brush off the month prior to the Games takes another bite into many schedules. This opporcan dwarf more mundane tunity concerns or be a pain. But despite the hassles and anxiety, the Games will offer some irreplaceable experienceseven if the vast majority of us will be watching the events on TV, just like the rest of the world. But the opportunities are out there whether working as a translator, performing in the ceremonies, hosting visitors or just hunkering down to make bank. But it's up to the individual to take them. We will watch our university, our city, perhaps even our state, change. And as residents and as U community members, we have the opportunity to be a part of it. If you want to get the most out of this semester you probably won't from class the most reward will probably come from the Games. nL44tmrsj?wtn once-in-a-lifeti- once-in-a-lifeti- Oops! left my textbook in my dorm room. I M odern Olympic Gold Finds ay to Wrong F ockcts LAURA B. WEISS .,, rr, 1 Chronicle Opinion Editor gave in. It was a challenge of Olympic proportions, and I lost...big time. As I walked along the sterile main street of Salt Lake's newest shopping kingdom The Gateway the Olympic ideals whispered my name, caressed my purse and, one hour later abandoned me, alone with 39 cents and a 100 percent cotton sweatshirt emblazoned with Salt Lake City 2002. This is not an isolated incident. It's more of a global phenomenon that has come tumbling down on the shoulders of I Salt Lake City. Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of The Daily Utah Chronicle Editorial Board. Editorial columns and letters to the editor are strictly the opinions of the author. The forum created on the Opinion Page Is one based on vigorous debate, while at the same time demanding tolerance and respect. Material defamatory to an Individual or group because of race, ethnic background, gender, appearance or sexual entation will be edited or wiil not be published. ori- It's called commercialism and, for those Olympic officials who spend countless hours number crunching, it's indispensable. Sponsorship has become the water of the Olympic monster and advertising its food. You can go without food for a good couple of weeks, but a few days without water and you're a goner. Richard W. Pound, the vice president of the International Olympic Committee said "Take away the sponsorship and commercialism from sport today and what is left? A large, finely-tune- d engine developed over a period of 100 years with no fuel." As much as Mitt Romney throws out dreamy, idealistic terms such as Olympism ("...exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles"), the modern Olympics boil down to one thing: business. Perhaps when Romney refers to the "educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles," he's referring to the old American principal of capitalism. And, as years of practicing this tradition in America remind us, somebody is always going to get the short end of the stick. But wait, you say, that's us isn't it? Having to endure constant bombardment from the likes of McDonald's and Bud- - see GOLD, page 19 Com A emia: dAcad an Svecial vitiation ympics WAYNE CLOUGH if Almost President, Georgia Institute Of Technology a century ago, Baron Tierre de the father of the modern Olympics, why he restored the Olympic Games. His answer: "To ennoble and strengthen sports...and to enable them to better fulfill the educational role incumbent upon them in the world." When it comes to the participation of colleges and universities, the Atlanta Games fulfilled de Coubcrtin's ideal more than any previous Olympics. Never before in the history of the Olympics has higher education played such an integral role in the planning, construction, staging and outcome of the Games. Although the hustle and bustle of preparing for the Olympics often obscured the extent of its connections to higher education, Atlanta and the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) made a profound statement to the world in focusing the world's attention on the integral place of higher education in Atlanta and in Amer- out the active participation of the local academic ican life. community. No fewer than six metro Atlanta colleges and universities Clark Atlanta, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Morehouse, Morris Brown and the University of Georgia were venues for 11 different sporting events. And Georgia Tech's campus also served as the Olympic Village. Higher education's connection to the Olympic Games is more than just a matter of providing training facilities and athletic venues. The opportunity for students of all ages to be exposed to diverse cultures and outlooks from around the world will have a powerful impact Like institutions of higher education, the Olympic Games as envisioned by Coubertin provide an educational forum through which people can broaden their experience with and knowledge of other people and places. The academic community is working to expand on this unique opportunity. Several colleges and universities are developing courses on the Olympics, including one project supported by the University System cf Georgia that offered Although the 1996 Olympics were centered in Atlanta, institutions of higher education from around Georgia and the Southeast played a major role in helping athletes prepare for the Games. For example, nine French sports teams trained at Auburn University. So too did teams from Finland, Japan and Ukraine. Belgian teams trained at the University of Alabama. In North Carolina, N.C. State hosted Norwegian athletes, while the University of North Carolina hosted the training of American track and field athletes. The University of Tennessee was the training venue for U.S. swimmers, and Russian teams trained at the University of South Carolina. Here in Georgia, athletes from at least 16 countries prepared for the Olympics at 10 different colleges and universities. In Milledgeville, Georgia College became a mini-Unite- d Nations as badminton teams from Canada, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand, Russia, Switzerland and the United States prepared for the Games. In nearby Marietta, distance runners from Australia, Finland and France trained at Life College. As for the Games themselves, it is not too much to say that they could not take place with Olympics-relate- d courses throughout the state via distance-learnin- g technology. These are noteworthy efforts, and their impact will be increased by the learning opportunities CHRONICLE OPINION EDITOR LAURA B. WEISS LWEISSCHRONICLE.UTAH.EDU provided by the Olympics ?xperience itself. A second legacy the Games provided was the opportunity to showcase not only Atlanta, but also the campuses and creativity of the involved colleges and universities. The international publicity that the area's academic institutions received during the Games heightened worldwide knowledge of the quality and achievements of Atlanta's academic community. The Olympic legacy also included bricks and mortar. For example, at Georgia Tech we dedicated the new Georgia Tech Aquatic Center that was the site of four Olympic events. Alexander Memorial Coliseum was also and was the venue for Olympic boxing. Construction was completed on seven new residence halls that are now home to 2,700 Tech students after the Olympics. Living quarters are with a full kitchen, a apartment-stylrooms and livingstudy area, one bathroom shared by two students. Each room is connected to a d computing and communications network. With ACOG providing $27 million for the halls, Tech's remaining debt on the halls is $93 million. "re-create- d" e, single-occupan- cy high-spee- see ACADEMIA, page 581-704- 19 1 fZ L POOR C( |
