While the college years are supposed to be fun, some kids can get reckless. The years are known for experimentation and alcohol, but most college students are still under the legal age. That's why it's important to have trustworthy and responsible adults on your staff. That's something that the University of Kentucky failed to do.
The University of Kentucky's cheerleading team had been under investigation for a few months. During these months, there were plenty of off-campus events that the team attended. Typically, this is when things got out of hand.
Aside from alcohol consumption, the kids exposed themselves and hazed other team members. Perhaps they thought they had the privilege to break the rules based on their multiple competition wins. According to ABC7, the squad has been a title contender for years. In the last 35 years, they've won 24 national championship titles. That's pretty incredible.
However, it's no reason to give them a pass, especially since they caused a lot of trouble. What might have been seen as harmless fun to them was actually pretty reckless. They're lucky that this is the worst that happened. The University of Kentucky made an example out of the situation that other colleges should follow if similar behavior strikes.
"This is not who we are at the University of Kentucky," university president Eli Capilouto said when the news came out. "This is not what we do." In total, four people lost their jobs. They were Jomo Thompson, who was the head coach, and assistants Ben Head, Spencer Clan, and Kelsey LaCroix.
The investigation happened during a cheer camp and a yearly retreat attended by the squad. ABC7 writes that a parent of one of the girls on the squad helped launch it. Apparently, they weren't too happy about the rumors of what went on during these events.
"Coaches allowed cheerleading alumni to bring boats and alcohol to the retreat, where some cheerleaders were naked and or drinking while riding on boats," provost David W. Blackwell said. While some people may see this as typical college behavior, nobody stepped up to tell them it wasn't tolerated.
As adults, they should have realized that any incident that happened would be traced to them. Allowing underage members of the squad to drink is dangerous for many reasons, especially if things routinely got out of hand. Setting rules and expectations before these events even happened would have made them safer and more comfortable for everyone. It's not a good look for an adult to be dismissive of drunk, barely clothed 18-year-olds.
Plenty of the events were absolutely dangerous. Other events, if they'd been caught in photos or video, could have permanently damaged the reputations of these young women after graduation. "Some cheerleaders performed gymnastics routines that included hurling their teammates from a dock into the water. While either topless or bottomless," the provost added.
USA Today points out that the UK cheerleaders had a mission statement that was written in 2002 about what was expected of them. However, it seems like recent behavior broke all the rules they had laid in place. "At all times, cheerleaders' behavior shall be exemplary," it said. "Behavior which is loud, boisterous, rude, unrestrained, rough, rowdy, offensively harsh or discordant, unruly, etc., shall subject a cheerleader to discipline."
However, that said, a lot of people feel as if the responsibility is straight on the cheerleaders. It should be, to a point. However, if a cheerleader isn't reprimanded for their actions or told otherwise by an adult, it's fair for them to assume that it'll be tolerated. These coaches were hired for a reason.
In this day and age, we can never be too cautious. By now, we can no longer openly blame alcohol for poor actions that may be misconstrued by others. We need to take responsibility ourselves and admit when we've been wrong. Since a parent went so far as to launch an investigation, obviously these events had been out of control for some time.
For those who may argue that it's all in college fun, it's important to remember that any incident that accidentally goes too far will make the college look bad. These students represent the University of Kentucky, and thanks to them, they may have discouraged a few incoming students who aren't interested in attending a party school.
It's also important for adults to know that they should apply for jobs like these for the right reasons. No adult should go into this trying to relive their own college years. They should also focus more on being a leader than being well-liked. Obviously, these coaches had talent — otherwise, the squad wouldn't have won so many championships.
No individual cheerleaders were named at the time, and it's important to know that it's possible that not every team member participated in these activities. And for those cheerleaders, this may be even tougher to handle. What was once an honor has now been stripped away. Of course, new leadership can easily turn things around.
When you're in college, sometimes you forget that you're living a privilege that many students wish they could have. Whether they didn't achieve the scores to get in or couldn't afford the tuition, they're taking a spot — both in the college and on the squad — that someone else would have loved to have. The University of Kentucky Cheer team is a prestigious organization — people literally dream of being part of it. These students are lucky that no further action was taken right now that would possibly jeopardize their education.
Just because someone is a good athlete doesn't mean that they're excused from the rules. We all remember Brock Turner, the Stanford University student who sexually assaulted an intoxicated girl at a party. The details of the assault were disturbing and hard to read. However, headlines kept mentioning the fact that he was on the swim team, as if this excused him for his actions. Much like these men and women, he was gifted. But he's still a person who should be held accountable.
Just because you can swim fast or present an incredible cheerleading routine doesn't mean your bad behaviors should be automatically excused. With the University of Kentucky case, at least nobody got hurt — as far as we know. But they were likely one or two events away from things really getting out of hand. If there are no boundaries or rules in play, it's possible these students would have assumed there was never a limit. While the team — including the past coaches —should be so proud for the athletic work they've done, they should also take responsibility for not setting a good example.
