Re: Advice: School/Quizbowl Team relations

• From: tfmichael1 <no_reply_at_yahoogroups.com>
• Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2003 17:14:57 -0000
• Message-ID: <br7kah+nq6f_at_...>

In Fall, 1981, when I first started in academic competition, I was 
part of a student union at the University of Virginia. The Union was 
run by students who were elected by students and who had free reign 
to pretty much try anything. I was also a member of several 
organizations that U. Va. was proud to be affiliated with.

By 1997, the student union had been downsized, its leaders were now 
selected by administration, and its programming initiated and run by 
grad students and professionals. The student organizations were all 
legally separated from a University that now wanted to disavow any 
knowledge of their actions.

And that seems to have been the trend in a whole lot of places. There 
have been a lot of factors that led to it, including liability 
issues, and the development of a large group of non-academic (i. e. 
they don't teach and some have never spent a day teaching in their 
lives) administrative professionals that increasingly control 
universities at all levels.

One of the things I liked about the recently deceased Institutional 
Rep rule that ACU-I had for College Bowl is that it required schools 
to acknowledge their teams. Academic competition is so intimately 
related to the mission of a university, which is to provide academic 
training for students to be able to compete in the Game of Real Life 
(tm), that it is quite myopic (imo) for universities to treat teams 
with the disdain, or, at best, indifference, that most do. I have 
seen what fully funded and supported university teams can be, and 
both the players and the institution really benefit.

Tom
Speaking only for myself, and not for anyone or anything I may be 
affiliated with. :)
--- In quizbowl_at_yahoogroups.com, "pakman044" <pakman044_at_y...> wrote:
> I know that it's been a long time since this 'thread' (for lack of 
a 
> better term) was discussed, but I think I have a new reason why it 
> is used.  On the hsquizbowl.org, there is decently sized flamewar 
> involving Martin County HS.  One of the events in that flamewar was 
> that someone called their school to complain about conduct even 
> though the team says they weren't affiliated.  Colleges likely 
> insist on not using the school name to try to prevent that sort of 
> complaint.
> 
> That was just a justification for why that policy is in effect, not 
> an invitation to bring the flamewar over here.  My fire 
extinguisher 
> is ready just in case though (or take it over to qbflame...they 
> haven't had any good flames in a long time, and the last attempt 
was 
> for ACF Fall).
> 
> Patrick King
> 
> --- In quizbowl_at_yahoogroups.com, "pakman044" <pakman044_at_y...> wrote:
> > At NC State, we have the same problem.  So the way I do it is 
> > promote "quiz bowl" on campus, and if (when) we go on trips, we 
> can 
> > slide in the word "NC State" since it is unlikely to make it back 
> to 
> > the admins.  Of course, I have never tried this idea yet, so I 
> don't 
> > know.
> > 
> > Patrick King
> > NCSU
> > 
> > --- In quizbowl_at_yahoogroups.com, johncodringtonbampfylde 
> > <johncodringtonbampfylde_at_y...> wrote:
> > > The University of South Carolina Academic Team is
> > > currently classified as a student organization at USC.
> > >  It has recently been brought to my attention the
> > > University policy that states: 
> > > 
> > > "The University of South Carolina does not allow...the
> > > organization to represent the University on behalf of
> > > the University."  
> > > 
> > > Specifically, the problem was raised in reference to
> > > the use of the name USC in an organization's
> > > publicity.  This obviously brings up a few problems in
> > > that the purpose of any Academic Team IS to represent
> > > their school.  I was wondering how other Academic
> > > Teams are classified in relation to their University
> > > and whether any other team has had this sort of
> > > problem before.  It may very well be that USC is
> > > unique in this rather unbecoming regulation of its
> > > organizations.  Short of that allowance, I'm open to
> > > any ideas or discussion the quizbowl community may
> > > provide.  
> > > 
> > > Thank you,
> > > Erick M. Bousman
> > > USCAT President
> > > 
> > > __________________________________
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