On his first trip outside the United States, Paul Alvarez professor of movement and sports science, served as athletic trainer for the United States International University Sports Federation competition hosted by Serbia. The event, held in Belgrade in July, is an international competition for collegiate athletes. Alvarez will join Team USA again for next year’s competition in China. / photo by Scott Mirimanian
Marilyn Mejia
Staff Writer
Paul Alvarez, professor of movement and sports science, talked about the perception other countries have of the United States and how it affected him when he was in Serbia this summer for Universiade.
“Universiade invites the best (athletes) in the world from their respective sports,” Alvarez said.
Universiade took place in Belgrade, Serbia, where more than 70 countries participated. Alvarez was there in his capacity as an athletic trainer for the United States International University Sports Federation competition.
His talk Monday in the President’s Dining Room was part of the faculty lecture series
“It was very fascinating to see people who were very passionate about their country,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez also spoke of how people from other countries reacted to the U.S. teams and the precautions that he had to take while in Serbia.
Everywhere he went there was security with him because there was a fear that something could happen to him and other Americans, he said.
At the open ceremonies, the U.S. team was booed and yelled at when they were walking down the streets of Belgrade on their way to the stadium, Alvarez said.
He also spoke of how other teams were free to hang their country’s flags from their hotel balconies but the U.S. was asked not to for security reasons.
Alvarez reminded the group of students and faculty of the NATO bombings that started in 1999 and lasted for 11 weeks in Serbia, which the U.S. took part in.
There is still damage in Belgrade from those bombings, – physical and the emotional, he said.
Alvarez said the U.S. as a country is oblivious to what happens globally.
“The rest of the world pays more attention to the rest of the world than the people in the U.S. do,” added David Werner, associate professor of English, who attended the event.
“Things have context and Americans are bad at understanding and caring about that,” said Philip Hofer, director of the international and study abroad center, who attended Alvarez’ Monday talk.
Alvarez said that despite the negative perception of Americans, he was treated kindly when in Serbia.
“The cliché in this is that the people hate America, but they like Americans,” Werner said.
Alvarez’ also addressed how all the different countries within the sports village got along and were gracious to one another.
Alvarez said it was a great experience to travel and meet people from so many different backgrounds.
“Anytime you remove the geopolitical conditions from our international relationships and replace it with people to people contact like at a sporting event, you have the potential for more positive human relationships,” Hofer said.
Alvarez concluded his lecture by talking about how athletic trainers are always the first and last to leave the field and how he was one of the last people to leave. He said he departed with fewer supplies than he came with after leaving plenty of pre-wrap and reusable heat packs for athletes who were not as privileged.
Marilyn Mejia can be reached at marilyn.mejia@laverne.edu.
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Well we may have hit a new low. We let the athletic trainer speak on the world perception of the U.S. based on his trip to Europe. Was the janitor not available?
While I am sure Mr. Alvarez does a great job of taping ankles and treating a nasty rash, I would find his opionion of how the world views our country skewed at best. His quote that the U.S. as a country is oblivous to the rest of the world could not be farther from the truth. He is aided in his fable by the wordly Profs. Werner and Hofer. Two men who have not world a hard day in the last 25 years and have isolated themselves in the bubble called ULV. Maybe these three men are oblivous to the country they live in. Can they idenify with a farmer from Kansas?
Or a miner from West Virginia? Or a salesman from Mobile Alabama. I think they are out of touch with there own counrty.
The NATO bombings of the 1990′s, under president Bill Clinton were acted in an effort to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Serbs. To make this easy to understand, there was a genocide taking place. Mass killing of civilians. Yes people are upset because our bombs destroyed buildings they would like to use now. The Germans too were angry for our bombing destroying their country. But there was a greater good to be had. The bombing in Yugolsavia was a good thing. It is not pretty to stop a genocide.
Again, we have two ULV profession and a trainer, on a diatribe about how stupid Americans are and how much smarter the rest of the world is. I would encourage these speakers of truth to visit the rest of the world. Starting in China, with a population of a billion. Spend a week and learn about real pollution and repression from a government. Then visit North Korea, a real vacation spot, how about a weekend in India, or Pakaistan, or the Middle East, ever seen the poverty in Central America? Or Central Asia. Anyone want to discuss womens rights, or the never ending starvation and malaria of Africa?
Professors Werner and Hofer, when was the last time you worried about losing your job? Or making payroll? Or firing someone. You are out of touch.
So again, tell me why Americans are so stupid?
dave dowling ULV 1983……please post in letters to the editor
Apparently, Mr. Dowling has taken it upon himself to criticize the faculty such as myself and Dr. Delgado who have taken the time to present their work and research without actually attending the events himself. If he had, he would have known that in my case, the writer completely misrepresented what my talk was about. My presentation was on how my work as an athletic trainer led to a fantastic opportunity to represent the United States and the University of La Verne at a prestigious international sporting event.
I made no such claims about Americans, our perceptions of the world, or the political correctness of the bombing of Serbia. The CT writer took considerable license with what I actually said, and turned it into a commentary about international relations that was not at all the theme of my presentation.
However, Mr. Dowling is apparently an expert on what University of La Verne professors do, know, and where they have traveled, what they have experienced, and what social injustices they have addressed. These must not measure up to Mr. Dowling’s efforts, which must be considerable. What other way to explain his contemptuous attitude towards me and my colleagues?
Mr. Alvarez,
It sounds like your problem is with the writer and not me. The Campus Times directly qoutes you as saying ” The U.S. as a country is oblivious to what happens globally”. Either you said this ( a very elitist viewpoint) or the Campus Times is using you as the mouthpiece for the same trash they spew every week.
As for my attitude towards the professors at ULV. Mine were shaped by Dr Nehr, Dr. Hogan,Dr Grigrich, and Dr Hanawalt. You never knew their poltitics, they were there to teach, instruct and let students grow. The Werners,Delgados, and Cooks clearly have an agenda beyound education. They see the United States as a bad place, a racist country, an unfair country. They see our citizens who disagree with them as stupid.
Could we consider the what it must be like to be a conservative student at ULV. What you write to get a good grade from Dr. Werner? What if Ronald Reagan was you hero? Would you state that openly in his class? What if you were a Jew, taking a class from Dr. Cook. How would that feel?
dave dowling 1983 ULV