WILL THOSE Maryland Terrapins ever learn? Almost a year ago, during the week leading up to the Terps' visit to Scott Stadium, a careless insult led to the visiting team's demise. Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen failed to anticipate that his public statement equating Virginia's football team with hapless Duke would serve to emotionally motivate the Wahoos, who walked away with a blowout victory. As the student section poured onto the field to celebrate the win, Coach Friedgen headed to the showers to wash the egg off his face. Despite this folly eleven months ago, prominent leaders of the University of Maryland have continued to decry the virtues of our dear old U.Va.
This time around, Maryland's own president, C. D. Mote, Jr., has offered up the trash talk. In a now-famous news article in The Diamondback, Maryland's student paper, Mote was quoted as saying that Virginia was "highly overrated" in U.S. News & World Report's annual college rankings. The inappropriateness of Mote's comment has been discussed at length by the University, state officials and this publication. Thankfully, the Virginian response to the attack from the north has demonstrated restraint. By not demanding an apology, legislators and the University administration have chosen the high road.
Once Mote's claims were made public, it must have been tempting for University officials to request an apology or retraction. However, this would have made Virginia look no more noble than Homer Simpson, who, during his brief obsession with dueling, demanded "satisfaction" from those who offended him. West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise tried using this tactic last year, calling upon the University to apologize for the Pep Band's negative portrayal of his state during a skit at the Continental Tire Bowl. To many on this side of the border, Wise's plea seemed immature and whiny. Instead of repairing his state's reputation, he simply gave rise to new claims that West Virginians couldn't take a joke. The same negative labels cannot be attached to the University in this case, since it refrained from asking anyone at Maryland to recant.
Furthermore, an appeal for an apology would only give President Mote's baseless assertions a hint of validity. As it stands, proponents of the University can claim that Mote's opinion carries little weight in describing the true worth of higher education in Charlottesville. If an apology were requested, however, this would imply that the University requires the approval of another school's president. Essentially, the University controls the extent to which Mote can act as an authority on its own ranking. President John T. Casteen, III and the Board of Visitors have smartly chosen to limit the importance of the University of Maryland's opinion and allowed the University's own qualities to speak for themselves.
As a positive consequence, a muted Virginia response marks a shift away from emphasizing the importance of ranking in promoting the University's image. While we have reason to be proud of our school's current number one status, we must not rely solely on that factor in recruiting students. The University enjoys beautiful scenery and architecture, as well as a vibrant student social atmosphere and strong sports program. These attributes would not fade away if our national ranking were to slip, and one would be ill-advised to ignore them in favor of concentrating exclusively on the University's place in the U.S. News hierarchy. In this instance, it was encouraging to see the University not rush to the defense of its ranking since the school also bears many other positive traits.
Lastly, a forced apology would be nothing but symbolic. President Mote made the decision to say what he said, but he has since clarified his remarksand to a fair extent, retreated from them. It doesn't seem very sporting to kick a man as he walks away with his tail betweenhis legs, and bullying him into formally composing an "I'm sorry" letter would have accomplished nothing but massaging the egos of those making the request for him to do so.
As a University student who has never set foot in College Park, I cannot offer an unbiased or educated opinion as to the relative values of a Terrapin and Cavalier education. What I can do is applaud University spokespersons for avoiding the pitfall of screaming for an apology. And, if C. D. Mote's bad karma results in continued Virginia dominance over Maryland in athletics and in academic ranking, I suppose I can find pleasure in that as well.
(Chris Kiser's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at ckiser@cavalierdaily.com.)
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