This past week was a big one for the University of Connecticut.
Monday was the Men’s NCAA Basketball National Championship game. UConn defied the odds to make it to this major game as a 7 seed. Looks like Warren Buffet knew what he was doing when he offered $1 billion to anyone who could submit a perfect college basketball bracket. Nobody could have predicted No. 7 UConn facing No. 8 Kentucky.
UConn finished off its miracle run by defeating Kentucky to win its 2nd championship in 4 years.
Tuesday the UConn women faced Notre Dame in the women’s National Championship game. UConn finished off its brilliant season in which they went 40-0 by defeating Notre Dame to become champions.
Two days, two championships. Think UConn students and fans went wild?
They did, and Derek the RA saw it coming.
An RA at UConn reached Internet fame overnight when an email he sent to students went viral. Derek the RA warned students to act responsibly, and if they couldn’t, to take their shenanigans elsewhere. It didn’t work.
This is the email Derek the RA sent out that reached Internet fame
Derek the RA responded to his fame.
UConn students and fans lined the streets near the school in massive numbers. They caused an uproar. They created fires, destroyed miscellaneous objects on the streets and even threw a light pole through a building window on campus.
Students line the UConn campus
However, it seems like the media is looking at this like it is funny or okay. If you follow this incident you would notice that it seems like this type of behavior was not only expected but that it is warranted. People are making jokes about it and treating it as if it were some scene from a movie and not real life.
Was what these students did acceptable?
I do not think so. I get it. What happened for UConn was unbelievable. I was excited and I don’t know anyone who goes there and have never been there. If I went to the school or if I were a fan, I would also want to go crazy.
However, there is a difference between having fun and expressing your excitement, and being dangerous. What these people did was dangerous. You just cannot get away with throwing a light pole through a window. You can’t start fires and think it is ok. This is real life. This isn’t a scene from the sequel to the movie “Project X.” These students should be held accountable for their actions. Someone could have gotten really hurt. They toed the line between fun and catastrophe.
A light pole is thrown through the IT building window on the UConn campus
The media cannot glorify something like this.
Derek the RA has been made fun of nonstop. This is just another instance of people taking the wrong side. What he did was right. He was simply doing his job. He may seem like a “party pooper” but to me he sounds like a responsible RA.
So what do you think? Was this acceptable behavior from the UConn students? How would you have reacted if this happened at your school?
