A Reprieve for AU Tennis and Golf

As I was reading email before leaving my office, I received word that AU President Ladner had postponed discontinuing AU’s tennis and golf teams for one year. An excerpt from the press release follows.

“We recognize that the timing of the initial announcement caught our student- athletes, their families, and fans off guard,” President Ladner said. “This new timetable will provide sufficient time for our student-athletes to compete for another season while planning for their future.”

Vice President of University Relations Al Checcio, who oversees AU athletics, expressed appreciation for “the comments and suggestions from our student body, student-athletes, alumni, and parents on this issue,” and indicated that “the University will continue to seek opportunities in the days and weeks ahead to meet with those who have been affected by the decision.”

While this recently announced decision would have been the more humane and sensitive process, initially, it will be useful to view the initial decision and and how it was communicated as a “teachable moment” from which there are still lessons to be drawn. Drawing such lessons, from a variety of life experiences, is a special responsibility of faculty members. President Ladner has often spoken movingly on this faculty role.

Equally important, this is a time for the AU community to come together and move forward; with transparency, candid sharing of views, compassion and mutual respect. Dormgrandpop looks forward to participating constructively in that process.