Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / Nov. 18, 1992, edition 1 / Page 2
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Editorials November 18, 1992 Page 2 Viewpoint Discouraging Iieadlines can point out our blessings The headlines scream out at us each day of death and disea‘'c and fajiiinc and hate. While it is hard to see anything good about what’s going on out there, here within the brick boundiries of Elon College we are somewhat insulated from the problems of the outside world. We are all too often absorbed in our own crises, like getting a paper done on time or sleeping through that morning class or having to cat in the cafeteria one more time. With Thanksgiving break just around the corner, ' e will finally have a chance to unload from hectic college life for a w hile and perhaps take some time to count our blessings. And while it may seem backwards, the bad news in our world can point out just how blessed we indeed are. ■ Poverty: Habitat for Humanity demonstrated for the campus and community this week what it’s like to be v roof over your head on a wintry night. We can be thankful that wc always have a place to go each night and never have to worry about where our next meal is coming from. ■ Disease: Two former Elon students have been stricken with leukemia and are searching for bone marrow doners to save their lives. We can be thankful that we are young and >irong and our bodies are still able to do all the things we want thcM to. ■ War: While warring and bloody fighting continue throughout much of the world, we can be thankful that our country is now in peace and that we are no longer haunted by the threat of nuclear war. ■ Unemployment and illiteracy: During recessionary times, many Americans arc spending their days in the unemployment lines. Many adults cannot read a menu or read a story to their children. Wc can be thankful that as collegc students wc are hlo'-sod with the opportunity that many Americans never had lo be ;mc cducatcd and to hope for better jobs and a brighter future. Many look at those headlines and curse God, questioning why some have so much while many have so little. I recently heard an explanation to that eternal question that made a lot of sense: The world is not in desperation because God has not provided. It’s because we haven’t shared. As the holidays approach, there will be many opportunities to share that wealth with others, even though we arc usually more concerned with our own getting and giving. Whether it’s through 1 labitat. Toys for Tots or campus canned food drives, tliis year let’s try to use our blessings to become a blessing to someone else. The Pendulum Editor: £)ceDee Carowan Managing Editor: Tonya Taylor Commentary Page Editor: Jack Duval Sports Editor: Lynn Malkus Entertainment Editor: Jennifer Hudson Reporters: Allison Cooke, Kristin Blass, Lori Haley, Katie Brock, Rick Grimes Copy Editor: Bianca Brock-Smith Entertainment Reporters: Ashley Stone, Erick Gill Sports Reporter: Matt Ball Pliotographer Editor: Mark Wheeler Piiotogryphers: Erick Gill, Scou Hildebrand, Stewart Williams Advertising: Lisa Keaiing, Buff Harsh, Dave Alligood, LaToya Whitt Graphics: Rob Mancuso, Steve Good Advisor: Brad Hamm C^nspirac^ Thepr^ ^Z,H37 LOOK, POLKS, TWE ftEASOM iDIDNtW^ twe 8l£ct/on is son\e cartoonist out 7HER€ RELEASED A D0CTr>#^6D PICJUIE oFME, SES, IN ^NAJT&APTJh SP0/LTW6 A'tosr iAAPoRTWrOAy OF W LIF^. Ij PfttfS neRE.smt>£f\L,-n>c>Er'rc>m&yT7D>^ a M£, GO/A/G To be LooHIN&INTO-. X All’s wrong that ends wrong Football team gets slighted by NAIA Saturday - Elon College won its last game of the season by a 34-point margin, and dropped from sixth to ninth in the national polls. Yeah, you read it right We crushed the life out of the Wingate Bulldogs, (SS-21) at their home field, and dropped three places in the final NAIA polls. How could such foolery transpire, you ask. Easy. Just take 11 coaches voting on the national rankings and add contract renewals. Anatomy of a swindle - Only eight teams go to the NAIA playoffs - the polls are critical in determining which eight. (Keep this in mind). - The NAIA has a rule that no more than two teams from one conference can go to the playoffs. (Keep this in mind too). - Going into the last game of the regular season, three SAC-8 teams were ranked in the top eight slots of the polls: Gardner-Webb (1), Carson-Newman (5), and Elon (6). - After the last game of the season the polls chan^od - Jack Duval remarkably. Now watch the bouncing ball. Elon, which won by 34 points drops from sixth to ninth; Shepard, which lost by more than three touchdowns, moves from seventh to sixth; Harding wins and moves from tenth to seventh; and Concord, who was barely eighth, wins and retains its^sition with the help of a mysterious first place vote. Note: Concord's head coach was one of the 11 coaches voting on the rankings. Again you ask yourself, “how could this happen?” And again the answer is easy: the 11 coaches who voted in the polls were up to their playbooks in back-room deals. Why they did it Since Elon was eliminated* from the playoffs (via The Rule) it would be very awkward to explain why. But, if we received one more vote than we had the previous week, we would have been tied with Carson-Newman (two more votes and we’re ahead). To pul it simply - the tie would have been messy. But ties and such aside, the NAIA was worried about the embarrassment of having to explain why the sixth ranked team in the nation wasn’t going to the playoffs. (They keep tripping on their own rule). Thus we have a shady, back room deal that one usually reads in cheap novels... “hey Lefty, I’ve got 10 keys of China White comin’ in, can you help me unload it? Sure Carlos, but I’ve been holdin’ a case of Uzi's and...” The breakdown Granted, Elon couldn’t have gone to the playoffs because of the two team/one conference rule. Fine. (That’s another column). But to rig the polls so they conveniently push us out of the top eight is as cheap as it is Sec NAIA, page 3
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