Football coach John Volek?s recent appeal in The Sacramento Bee for more community support for our football program underscores a major issue that has confronted our university for quite some time.

Our university is on the cusp of emerging with a new found sense of regional importance. The necessity for community support has never been greater?not only for our sports programs, but our many academic programs as well.

Finding support from outside the University shouldn?t seem like a problem, and in reality, the community has a lot to provide?more than just giving money to University programs and showing up at sporting events. Community support comes in many forms, most important of which is consideration when their children are headed to college. All it takes is some positive press to get students interested in attending our school; students who would otherwise leave the Sacramento area to attend “better schools.”

But responsibility doesn?t just rest on the press. It just takes a little bit of work from the faculty and students of our school to present a positive appearance to the outside community. But when members of our campus community start making waves for mistakes they?ve made?you know there is a problem.

And with minimal coverage in the local press, the only news for Sacramento State that stands out recently is the negative. Take, for instance, the recent story that was featured in The Sacramento Bee about attacks and brawls caused by some barbaric football players. Not only is the story troublesome, but it is also very unwelcome bad press for a football team that is desperate for local recognition and support. It?s very unfortunate, and ironic, that this story broke several days after Volek?s appeal for more support from the community.

Last week?s bad press for our school wasn’t just limited to our sports programs. Right next to the story about the problems caused by certain football players was the story about the resignation of Patricia Larsen, the former dean of the Library, over an offensive racial slur she uttered.

Racial slurs have certainly been in the news lately (think Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante) and they are virtually assured to be accompanied by apologies and, in this case, resignations. But it just goes to show that what you say, can, and will, come around and “bite you in the butt.”

Just remember fellow Sacramento Staters, we are all representatives of the University, and our actions reflect heavily on the campus and its fragile image.

Brendan D. Wonnacott is a Government and History major and is opinion editor of The State Hornet. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].