By Carol Gachiengo
Arizona Daily Wildcat
January 16, 1998

Panel swaps info on gangs, athletics

Katherine K. Gardiner Arizona Daily Wildcat From left, Gitem task force representative Martin Ramirez, UAPD police chief Harry Hueston, Harvey Thompson of UA Athletics, and UA associate athletic director Gayle Hopkins address the audience during a panel discussion yesterday on the affiliation of gangs with college athletics.

For many student-athletes from violence-riddled urban areas, going to college often creates a question of where their loyalty will fall - with their hometown gang colors or the colors of their new team, panelists said yesterday at a noontime discussion.

"A lot of athletes come from an environment controlled by drugs and gang activity. They may bring this with them to the university," Gayle Hopkins, the UA's associate athletic director said. About 25 people gathered at the University of Arizona's Main Library for Sankofa's forum, "Gangs and Their Relations to College Athletics."

Sankofa, the UA's African American Faculty-Staff Association, played host to the event as part of celebrations for Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Hopkins said the UA athletic department tries to help ease the transition for students through counseling and interaction with the University of Arizona Police Department.

But gang ties, beliefs and practices are hard to give up, said Martin Ramirez, of the Arizona Gang Task Force.

"When they're here, they act one way, and, at home, they act another," Ramirez said.

University police Chief Harry Hueston said the department tries to assist the student-athletes by talking about the "dos and don'ts" of campus life.

Hueston said most gang-related problems involving student-athletes happen off campus, and the person most likely to find out about gang affiliations is the players' coach.

"The head coach sets the tone for what is acceptable behavior, and the coaches here are very strict," he said.

Former UA basketball player Harvey Thompson said most student- athletes are very bright students who just need motivation.

Thompson said his days on the hardwood kept him from hanging out with friends involved with gangs, but that does not work for everyone.

"To some, gang affiliation is more exciting than staying in school. They have to make the choice between being alienated by other gang members or doing well in school," said Thompson, now a graduate assistant in the athletic department.

Ramirez said being on a sports team allows students affiliated with different gangs to put their differences aside.

"As long as they have a common cause and one benefits the other, they get along," he said.

After their freshman year, students gravitate away from home and gang life and prefer to stay close to school during vacations, Hopkins said.

He said students seldom want to go back to gang life after they become comfortable with the college setting.

Although they might be familiar with gang signs and colors, Hopkins said not all black athletes from urban areas are gang members.

No UA student-athletes attended yesterday's forum.