AS THE clock ticks farther away from the devastating moments of the Sept. 11 terrorist assaults, the widespread ramifications of the attack begin to come into focus. Much of the reaction to the attacks has been positive and admirable, such as the massive prayers and donations being made across the country. However, a disturbing current of anti-Arabic sentiment also has been unleashed.
People who appear to be of Middle-Eastern descent have reported being the target of assaults across the nation. This wave of negative emotion sadly is visible even on Grounds. In an ACC press conference last week, Virginia football Coach Al Groh made the following remarks when asked about any fears of airplane flights: "I'm not saying this to make light of it by any means, but I don't plan on having any Arabs in the traveling party, so therefore I think that the probability of our being hijacked is fairly remote." To many, his remarks insinuated that Arabs were terrorists. Even though he has apologized for having caused offense, his racist statement still remains. Groh should have been more careful with his remarks, but his apology should be accepted so that the University can move on with its student life.
Groh is responsible for recruiting, training and coordinating the University's football team to achieve victory. The team is showing improvement, with this weekend's monumental win over Clemson as testimony to Groh's strength as an effective coach. The high profile of the University's football team and Groh's impressive career record make him a respected and admired figure. When he speaks, many people listen and pay close attention to what is said.
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Also because of his position, Groh is a representative of the University and likely one of its most well-known representatives. Some Virginia football games are televised nationally and most anyone who knows anything about sports knows who Groh is. Such a position makes his remarks all the more damaging to the University, its reputation and its students.
Whether he meant what he said or not, Groh should have been more careful when preparing his statements. The remarks can be admitted as a mistake on Groh's part, but it was quite a gaffe. We do not expect, nor can we easily accept, such blunders from people of Groh's stature. We would be equally outraged if such statements came out of the mouth of any public official, and Groh must recognize that he falls into that category even though he is far from the political realm.
Groh's remarks were callous, and in the current environment of animosity toward Arabs, could be considered particularly dangerous. In the same way that Groh stated that his emotions were very "near the surface," so are the emotions of many Americans and others around the world. It is tragic that some people choose to act out on those feelings in a violent and unthinking manner, attacking people that are not responsible for the tragedy and also have been angered and touched by such a terrible act.
As shocked and as irritated as some people may be with Groh's statements, his apology should be accepted. In addition to issuing an apology, Groh has been responsive to concerned students in further efforts to make amends. Groh hopefully knows and understands that most Arabs and Muslims are just as horrified by the attacks and condemn the terrorists as much as any other person. If he didn't realize it before, the negative attention placed on his remarks by the administration and student body should be enough to change his mind. If nothing else, it should prove to him that some of his ideas are wrong.
The University and its student body must forge ahead. Groh does not deserve to be fired - as some have suggested - as a result of his comments. So far, he is doing a good job filling his coaching position. Although part of that job is representing the school through athletics, he has recognized and apologized for his error in that respect. He cannot be disciplined because there is no tenable punishment for such an offense. It can only be hoped that Groh changes his views, if they have not already changed.
With all the colossal events that have transpired in the past two weeks, the only way to move out of a rut that the University has found itself in is to keep pressing on.
(Alex Rosemblat's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at arosemblat@cavalierdaily.com.)
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