To Whom it May Concern:
I am a once proud alumnus of Cabrini College, but as of January 12, 2005 I became ashamed to call Cabrini my alma mater because of what the administration did to John Dzik.
I was fortunate enough to play for him on his last two NAIA District 19 Championship teams in 1885-1986 and 1986-1987, and I was lucky enough to come back and be his graduate assistant working with the men’s basketball team and in the athletic department in 1987-1988. I may be a little biased, but I can not think of a one coach who I learned more about basketball and how to conduct myself as a person than Coach Dzik.
The administration of Cabrini College has made a major mistake in making this unfortunate decision, and whether or not they rescind it or not they will have more egg on their face than they can ever imagine.
The administration was not even smart in how they went about getting rid of him. First, they have no reason. There have been no NCAA violations, he has a winning overall record, and he graduates his players. Strike one! Secondly, one would think that they would have the good sense to fire him during the summer when the students were out and the alumni was not paying attention. Strike two! Finally, they didn’t even have the athletic director do it. Why? Probably because she knew that her bosses were not acting in the best interest of the college. Strike three! The bottom line is they can’t even fire someone correctly.
There are two interesting facts that I have learned in this horrible situation. First, John Dzik was the main force behind the Dixon Center being built. However, the President takes credit for it in her bio on the college’s website, and she rarely if ever sets foot in the building. If I was the reason for the Dixon Center I would be in there all the time, not just every once in a while. The second fact I came up with was the goals of Cabrini College which can be found on page 8 in the student handbook. In the handbook one of the goals stated is, “To provide a
Cabrinian ‘education of the heart’ that teaches that intellectual competence cannot be divorced from values or a moral responsibility to the community.” Well, the administration messed that on up because firing Coach Dzik shows incompetence and a lack of moral responsibility to the students and alumni.
I feel very sorry for the students who are attedning this once caring institution, beause they may not have the chance to have John Dzik at Cabrini much longer. What all the students should learn from this is that loyalty means nothing anymore. Even at a catholic college like Cabrini.
Sincerely,
Lee Clowers
Class of 1987