They don't realize that the real world is not that cut and dried, that there are compromises and that some people are not always pure in heart. As each of us has learned, we live in a world that is not as antiseptic as we would like it to be, and we must help our students learn how to deal with it. To do otherwise is to leave them more vulnerable in today's uncertain world.

Our responsibility, as adults, is to encourage our students to make decisions and choices while under the nurturing environment of our communities. Each time we make decisions for others, we send the message that they are not adequate to manage their lives.

I happen to believe that if we let the students conduct their student lives, without any outside interference, the experience will more than justify the cost of tuition.

We could take a lesson from the mother eagle in David McNally's poem:

"The Eagle gently coaxed her offspring toward the edge of the nest. Her heart quivered with conflicting emotions as she felt their resistance to her persistent nudging.

" 'Why does the thrill of soaring have to begin with the fear of falling?' She thought. This ageless question was still unanswered for her. . . . The Eagle drew courage from an innate wisdom. Until her children discovered their wings, there was no purpose in their lives. . . . Until they learned how to SOAR they would fail to understand the privilege it was to have been born an EAGLE . . . .

"The PUSH was the greatest gift she had to offer. IT WAS HER SUPREME ACT OF LOVE. So one by one she pushed them, and THEY FLEW!"

All students at UVSC are eagles. Let them soar.

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Utah native John Florez has founded several Hispanic civil rights organizations, served on the staff of Sen. Orrin Hatch and on more than 45 state, local and volunteer boards. He also has been deputy assistant secretary of labor. E-mail: jdflorez@comcast.net