COLUMN: A True Education

From Paul Godinez's "Word Up G," Fall '95 I had the preconceived notion that building a positive coach/player relation across racial barriers was going to be difficult. It has not been the first time I have been the minority in a group relationship but I knew, from past experiences, that the beginning is the most difficult. I could not predict the response I was going to get. My own pessimism, self-generated, was quickly dismissed by the initial reaction I got from the kids. As the coach introduced me as "Paul from Penn" a hush fell over the team. I spent the rest of the warm-up time fielding questions on my SAT scores. There was an interest shown in me immediately, a sure sign I was fitting in. Since that first day, the team has taken shape and my position in it has materialized. The practice rivalries, the trash talking and good-natured ribbing include me in the community of the jokesters, whiners and the speedsters who comprise this motley crew of athletes. The kids look forward to my attendance and are receptive to my advice and guidance. Coaching is about sacrificing some of the college scene. Watching the sorority queens strut in their latest fashions amid the frisbees and hacky sacks on College Green is an enjoyable waste of time but unnecessary. Doing the additional research and reading required for classes is tedious and boring but a reality. Having community service as a core part of the process and, indeed, one of the most enjoyable, has generated thoughts of what mandatory community service would do for good ole Pennsylva-ni-a. This idea of community service as a requirement for all students has great merit to it. It would facilitate the interaction between University students and the local youth where none exists. It would alleviate pressures on local school teachers who could benefit from this constant influx of help. Valuable life skills and teaching lessons can be learned by students unfamiliar with the teaching role. Today, all these great things can be had by anyone and only a small percentage step up to the task. The fact is the vast majority of kids at this university would rather pursue opportunities for personal self-aggrandizement than work with some inner-city black, white, Asian, or Latino youth. The stereotype of an Ivy League brat is a harsh one but also a sad reality. Volunteering takes a back seat to Smokes and Cancer Ball or wherever the social butterflies flock to regularly. Penn's relationship with the surrounding neighborhoods is, well, horrendous. Local neighborhood leaders have despised past and present Penn administrations that seek to enlarge the size of the University while putting nothing back into the local community. Penn kids' perception of West Philadelphia were epitomized in the asinine column on security written by Steve Ebert ("An Island in a Sea of Terror," DP 2/17/95) earlier this semester in which he likened the University to an island in a sea of swarming horrors that West Philadelphia reportedly contains. Racial prejudice significantly influences many individuals' perceptions of the local community. People associated with the University often are fearful when traveling the outskirts of the University grounds because there are black people there. Some people have even dubbed West Philly as "The Jungle," an obvious racial reference. Forcing the interaction between college students and local youth is, perhaps, the best way of breaking down the immense racial barriers. The predominantly white students of this university, products of racially homogeneous academic and social environments, would finally come in intimate contact with a young black youth who, too, is a product of a homogeneous environment. The opportunities to teach, tutor or coach athletics would be the prime arenas for breaking down misperceptions held by these different sides of society. There are some valuable lessons of life that this community service can teach. Notions of tension are only products of an active imagination while apprehension of becoming involved is a sure sign of the lack of any positive thought. People, of course, balk at the idea of something being mandatory, arguing it is the job of the University to provide opportunities. To this I say -- tough. Making something mandatory does not take anything away from its value. It would be the one and only way to force people out of their protective shells into situations where preconceived notions would be challenged. Only then can true education begin.