Wednesday, November 27, 2002
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Wednesday, November 27, 2002 |
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In just a few hours, a lifetime of memories By MONROE ROARK There were favorite professors and favorite classes; there were friendships formed, some of which last forever (for many, a college acquaintance later became a spouse); there was, for many, the apprehension and exhilaration of being away from home for the first time. There was also the nervousness over whether one might survive a particularly difficult class, the depression over not having enough money at various times (perhaps all the time), and other negative aspects that really aren't exclusive to college but part of life in general. I've been reminded of these things yet again in recent weeks due to news coverage of an incident at my alma mater, now called the State University of West Georgia. Four young people from that school now have memories to last a lifetime, with the help of videotape and court transcripts. Their names are not that important, so we will spare them the added anguish of seeing them once more in print. To summarize their case, an alleged sexual assault took place at West Georgia a year or so ago, in which three members of the school's baseball team had their way with a female who may have been under the influence of a date rape drug. A video camera captured the moment for posterity. One of the three males (please note that I have refrained from using the term "men") agreed to testify against the other two, but then a mistrial was declared, apparently because of a comment made by one of the jurors. A new trial is expected to get underway after the first of the year, according to news reports. These guys will have some overwhelming memories of their college days. One incredibly stupid night has changed their lives forever. First and foremost, they're looking at possible felony convictions and a stint in another of our longtime public institutions the ones with bars and razor wire. Then, either after prison or even if acquitted, there is the media coverage, which is a bell that cannot be unrung. I don't recall where these three come from, although I think at least one is from out of state, but in this information age, is there any doubt that everyone in all three hometown knows about this? There will be future job applications on which they may or may not have to check "yes" beside the question, "Have you been convicted of a felony?" Friends and even some family members will look at them differently from now on. And I imagine this could have an effect on the number of dates these guys get in the future. As for the victim, she gets to live with this for decades as well. The only crime she may have committed is underage drinking, if she is indeed underage. She is reportedly unable to testify about the alleged incident because she was too drunk to remember anything. She has plenty of memories now. If the allegations are true, there is no way the victim can be blamed for the actions of these three animals, but I imagine she has thought many times about what might have happened if alcohol had not been involved. I hope a few other would-be victims learn something from this. Most young people between 16 and 21 think that they are bulletproof. There is no way to know how many lives have been ruined because of a single incident, criminal or otherwise, after a few hours of drinking. Hundreds of thousands of college students are home this week for the Thanksgiving holidays, taking a much-needed break from the rigors of study. It would be wise to take a moment and consider how each one is approaching college life in general. What will your memories of college be? [Monroe Roark's Web address is www.mroark.com.]
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