Well said, Josh. I spent 5 years working at a university (Kennesaw State) in Georgia, and I know exactly what you mean when you say that this sort of thing is just not supposed to happen on a college campus. Sadly, we are seeing more and more of this sort of thing.

Josh I could not agree more with your sentiments regarding the magnitude of this tragedy on the Duke campus. I also agree with you that it is important to remember that these boys are not to be presumed guilty. That said, however, the members of the Duke lacrosse team have done nothing to allay any doubts of foul play. Almost immediately upon the commencement of the investigation the 30 players began "circling the wagons" and refused to comment at all (despite the allegations clearly stating that only 3 people were actually involved). While refusal to comment or disclose an explanation certainly falls short of meeting the evidentiary burden required for criminal conviction, I believe that it is fair to hold this against them in the court of public opinion. Even in the legal arena evidence like this is used at trial all the time (e.g. DA's offering evidence of flight to insinuate guilt). Human nature tells us that if someone levies false accusations against us that the truly innocent person is going to stand up for himself. I would like to believe that if I were in the shoes of some of these players I would have the fortitude to stand up and deny the claims if they were false, or finger the actual perpetrators if they were true. By "circling the wagons" the Duke lacrosse team is only exacerbating the situation on both an objective (public opinion) level and a subjective (moral) level.

There is a strong element of trust that parents extend to a college or university when they send their children off to a particular school. They trust their children will be kept safe.

And while no institution can watch over its students 24-7, adherence to an acceptable code of social conduct can be expected -- with severe consequences for abusing that code.

The Duke experience -- whatever the outcome -- should alert schools to the potential dangers of "athlete elitism."

Josh,
I appreciate your thoughts about every citizen's right to be believed innocent until proven guilty. However, we have entered an era of athletic elitism that encourages, permits and supports unacceptable behavior of high school and collegiate athletes. If, in fact, the Duke team was innocent of the allegations then they should be speaking out. They are silent. Certainly, not all the athletes were involved in this incident directly. Loyalty to any athlete who commits a crime is poorly placed. One can only hope that those athletes will share what they do know before it damages the athletic program and the university too much.

Dr. Clara Goldberg

Can anyone really say with a straight face that there's no place for alcohol and sex and bad behavior in college sports? That's half of the college experience for most students, athletes and non-athletes alike. If there's really no place for wild partying in college sports, why are Bowl Game and NCAA Tournament broadcasts so filled with very sexualized beer commercials? Why do students get loaded before going to a game? Of course, the NCAA has to say that the high level of competition and the great drama of collegiate sports draw people to the game. I'm sure it does draw some people. But the lure of a few cases of Busch Lite and a chance to scream awful things at rival teams probably attracts just as many fans.

College students get drunk and misbehave all the time, so why wouldn't we expect college athletes to do the same. I quickly grew sick of the supposedly shocking revelations that several players on Duke LAX had open container violations on their records or that they hired strippers for a rowdy off-campus party. It's as if the thousands of fraternities at colleges across the country weren't doing that. Even that nasty E-mail from the Duke player about killing strippers and skinning them isn't much different from the racist, violent style of humor on display from jeering fans at games (which has been going on for decades, i.e. Big East fans calling Patrick Ewing a gorilla when he played at Georgetown).

A lot of people love college sports because they're former athletes and played sports. They love the game, whichever game it might be, and they want to see it played by very talented "student-athletes." A lot of others are just looking for a party. That's what college is about to millions of young adults, thanks, in no small part, to the NCAA, which always gives them something to celebrate about and gamble on.

I know I do not know the full story of what happened at Duke, nor are any of us likely to know that for some time.
It is nice that Josh states "I won???t make any assumptions of guilt or innocence on this blog."

Yet by referring to the accuser as the "victim," he not only has made his assumption, but also posted it in this blog. If your belief is that the lacrosse players are guilty, that's fine by me, but don't post your assumptions under the guise of being open minded.

Point taken, Jerry. I do believe I'm open minded about this case, as well as all others that haven't gone through the judicial system yet. "Alleged victim" would have been a better way to phrase it.

The Duke women's lacrosse team is planning to wear sweatbands with the word "innocent" written on them in the NCAA Final Four. Is this allowed by the NCAA? I hope it isn't. http://www.herald-sun.com/durham/4-737916.html