Shameful act. Rivalries are part of intercollegiate athletics and that’s much of what makes the enterprise so special. Too often, it seems, fans are crossing the line of what’s actually appropriate within the landscape. We’ve established that it’s not right for fans to shout negative and harassing things at opposing players from the stands, but some Texas Tech students stooped to a new low this week. With Saturday’s football game between the Red Raiders and rival Texas A&M rapidly approaching, members of a fraternity did their best to make a buck off grotesque references to the Michael Vick proceedings. On the front, the t-shirt says “VICK ‘EM”; on the back, a football player wearing a Vick jersey is holding a rope with an image of the Texas A&M mascot at the end of a noose. The Texas Tech fraternity responsible for the t-shirts has been suspended indefinitely by the university and the t-shirts will not be sold before Saturday’s game on the campus. Texas Tech acted swiftly to remedy the situation, but we still have to wonder – what were these kids thinking? When would it ever be appropriate, funny or a remotely good idea to design something in such poor taste? It goes against the spirit of rivalries and the nature of competition.

Community service on campus. James Madison’s student-athletes hosted “A Day With the Dukes” last month, a special program for Special Olympians. The Olympians attended a basketball scrimmage, volleyball match, football game and toured athletics facilities … Harvard’s wrestling team participated in the university’s Day of Service on September 29. Every member of the wrestling team participated in the event – many volunteering at a local Boys and Girls Club while others organized activities for children during the Chinatown Field Day for Youth program. Other wrestlers helped clean the banks of the Charles River and some planted flowers and picked weeds at a rundown house in Boston … Last Saturday, the Tusculum women’s volleyball program hosted its second “Dig For The Cure” Day during a match with Brevard. The Pioneers raised more than $1,500 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, as both teams collected pledges from sponsors per dig registered during the match. Tusculum is one of 42 institutions that have dedicated a home match to raising money for breast cancer research this season … On Friday, members of the Sewanee women’s basketball team spent several hours participating in a local Habitat for Humanity build.

Concession geniuses. This summer, we discussed the deliciousness associated with a cheeseburger served between two halves of a jelly donut. While surfing the Web last night, I stumbled upon what may be the next great concession stand innovation to hit stadiums and arenas across the country – the french-fry covered hot dog. It’s already hit the streets in Seoul, South Korea, so hopefully it won’t be long before we’re chowing down on this piece of heaven during the seventh-inning stretch.