re: Myron Rolle

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community service

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Is a major part of it because of his foundation that he started in high school. In the interviews I posted they had the dean or whatever of Oxford talking about the philanthropic work of all the students being a major factor in the process. He talked about how their students go on to be nobel peace prize winners and presidents of their countries

Sure it is. It's misrepresenting the original point and making it weaker. Also, there is only one person who really seems against Rolle getting the scholarship, while several others just want his accomplishments placed in a more accurate context.

Graduating from West Point is more prestigious than graduating from FSU so Pete Dawkins was probably more impressive.

A better example is Pat Haden who won two national titles at USC, which at that time was a very average academic school. There are plenty of examples of athletes getting the award. It's not supposed to be just about your academic success or GPA, even though obviously that's a major factor

Sure he was. He also had loads of other accolades at West Point. I just wonder why this person is not attacking the other winners that we posted in the link that I provided.

BTW, for those who don't know who the "other athletes" are that I'm referencing, here they are:

Matthew L. Gethers III, MIT, fencing. Gethers is a biological engineering major with a concentration in political science at MIT. In addition to a three-year stint analyzing the effects of recombinant protein expressions on host cell growth rate, he also is an active volunteer emergency medical technician and tutors underprivileged students. At Oxford, he will study philosophy, politics and economics.

• Caitlin E. Mullarkey, Swarthmore, soccer, basketball and track. Mullarkey, who captained the soccer team at Swarthmore and earned varsity letters in two other sports, is a two-time recipient of research fellowships at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She also is a sportswriter and is active in community service. The biology major plans to pursue a master of science by research in pathology.

• Anthony Chase Palisch, Centre, soccer (club). Founder of Centre’s club soccer team, Palisch, a biochemistry and molecular biology major, also helped established the college’s science journal and served as president of the student government and editor-in-chief of the college newspaper. A Goldwater Scholar, he will focus on doctoral work in infection, immunity and translational medicine at Oxford.

• Julia Parker Goyer, Duke, tennis. In addition to helping the Duke tennis team to two NCAA quarterfinal appearances before graduation in 2007, Goyer developed the Coach for College program, which provides interactive sports learning camps for middle school students in rural parts of developing countries (the Coach for College program will be featured in the January issue of Champion Magazine). At Oxford, the psychology major, who is currently pursuing a doctorate in education at Harvard, will complete a master’s of science in education.

• Gregory E. Lippiatt, VMI, rugby (club). VMI’s Lippiatt is a double major in history and English with a concentration in military history. A member of the club rugby team, he is the first Rhodes Scholar to be chosen from the school in 42 years. Lippiatt, whose scholarly interests are in the medieval period, will focus on earning a master’s degree in byzantine studies at Oxford.

• Abdulrahman M. El-Sayed, Michigan, lacrosse. El-Sayed, who was a starter on Michigan’s lacrosse squad before graduating in 2007 and entering a joint MD/Ph.D program in medicine and public health at the school, is a junior member of Phi Beta Kappa. El-Sayed, who intends to pursue a master’s degree in global health science at Oxford, has published in scientific journals and served as vice president of Michigan’s Muslim Students’ Association.

• Noelle R. Lopez, Santa Clara, cross country and track. Santa Clara’s Lopez is the first Rhodes Scholar from the university. The philosophy major and decorated cross country student-athlete also captained the women’s track team and actively participated in community service projects in Guatemala, Mexico and California. She plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in philosophy at Oxford.

• Lindsay M. Whorton, Drake, basketball. Whorton, an English and secondary education major, is Drake’s first Rhodes Scholar in 82 years. A first-team academic all-American and first-team all-conference in basketball, she has worked on a South Dakota Indian reservation and is interested in a teaching career. She will pursue the master in philosophy in evidence-based social intervention.

• Ashley L. Nord, Minnesota, track and field. Minnesota pole vaulter Nord is a triple major in physics, astrophysics and global studies who plans to pursue a doctorate in physics at Oxford. Nord, who took fourth in the Big Ten Championships, has conducted research in biophysics at UCLA and in astronomy at Hawaii and Minnesota.

• Scott W. Hugo, UCLA, rugby (club). A political science and history major at UCLA, Hugo is a four-year starter on the rugby squad. A junior member of Phi Beta Kappa who has conducted research on U.S.-China relations and other aspects of East Asian affairs, he is a leader of youth groups against violence in Los Angeles and plans to study international relations at Oxford.

• Christopher D. Joseph, UCLA, football. Joseph, a 2008 UCLA graduate with a major in geography, was a four-year member and three-year starter and captain for the Bruins football squad before a season-ending injury in 2007. Joseph has conducted ecological and geographic research involving exotic species in Brazil, glaciers in arctic Canada, migration in Morocco and inter-tribal trading in Micronesia. He will do the master of philosophy in geography.

They all won Rhodes Scholarships the same year that Rolle did, yet they are not under the same scrutiny from our message board colleague as Rolle is.

LINK

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Poor choice of words on his part.

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nah, other muhfrickas in this thread called him a career backup, over rated, "uppity", and I got the sense that this other cat you're talking to was just hating on him just because he's not as smart as him

Well, if his major is "easy", what does this guy say about the others?

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Clearly, the people over at Oxford have and they disagree with you.

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Obviously. And that's alright. Disagreement is good.

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So what's your REAL reason for not liking Rolle's selection?

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Because, from my admittedly myopic viewpoint, he isn't a stellar candidate. Though from the WSJ link, he does seem to be an energetic and charismatic young man. I am charmed by his earnestness, and it is perhaps that same charm won over the committee.

By the way, why is it that you capitalized the world "real" in your initial question? The thought crossed my mind that perhaps you thought my reluctance to agree with Rolle's candidacy had a racial dimension, but you worded your question so that if I answered the implicit question I would then be cordoned off as a racist. Though now I seem to have cornered myself by admitting to some racial undertones that were not at all present in your question, thus opening the door for you to write off my opinion as that of a petty racist, which I am not. I am simply asking what I said previously gave you the idea that I disagreed with Rolle's legitimacy based on race?

With reference to your link, I notice nearly all the other candidates have prior research experience. What research has Rolle conducted at FSU? Does he speak any foreign languages? I am absolutely open to someone convincing me of the legitimacy of this selection.