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This week, Warwick High School of Newport News, Virginia
removed Michael Vick's football jersey from its trophy case. The future NFL
quarterback played at Warwick
High for two seasons before matriculating to Virginia Tech, where he led the Hokies
to an 11 – 0 season and a trip to the Nokia Sugar Bowl.
Long before graduation, Michael Vick left Virginia Tech and
was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons. He enjoyed several Pro Bowl seasons, but
was suspended by the NFL in August 2007 after pleading guilty to federal
charges related to an interstate dog-fighting ring. The man who once posed affectionately
with his dogs now faces state charges in Virginia
for beating and killing animals.
Today, a framed portrait of Michael Vick hangs beside the
entrance to Michael Vick Hall on the campus of Virginia Tech
University. In August,
the college's athletic director, Jim Weaver, told the Chronicle of Higher Education that the quarterback's name and
picture should stand because "Michael Vick earned those honors when he was an
undergraduate, long before the dog-fighting activities". Jim Weaver has been
asked to remove Vick's images, but Virginia Tech refuses to follow the example
of Warwick High School.
There are many things wrong with college sports, but Jim
Weaver's notion of "honor" is particularly disturbing. Long before Michael Vick
ever set foot on campus, Virginia Tech hired Dr. Liviu Librescu, a
Romanian-born aeronautical engineer. Professor Librescu taught courses in
engineering and mathematics for over 20 years. He also published more than 1000
academic papers and served on the editorial boards of 7 scientific journals. Librescu
may have been a dedicated academic, but a former colleague remembers the
engineer as "strong and dignified" with "a huge affection for his students".
In death, Liviu Librescu demonstrated a strength, dignity
and respect for life that Michael Vick will never achieve. On April 16, 2007, Dr.
Librescu was murdered by a deranged student named Seung-Hui Choi. As Choi
entered Virginia Tech's Norris Hall, Professor Librescu was teaching a class –
one of many he had led during a long and distinguished career. As gunshots
claimed the lives of the first of 32 victims, the 76-year old professor used
his body to barricade a classroom door so that students could open windows and
jump to safety.
It's time for Virginia Tech to remove a disgraced athlete's images
from Michael Vick Hall, and to rename the building after a true hero – Liviu Librescu
Resources:
http://cr4.globalspec.com/blogentry/1758
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Vick
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/2007-10-10-693514130_x.htm
http://chronicle.com/news/article/2905/virginia-tech-stands-by-michael-vick
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_massacre
Steve Melito - The Y Files
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