We Are…because You Were. Thanks, Coach. (Photo Credit: The School Philly)
My life at Penn State.
Ask a Penn Stater
January 27, 2012
January 22, 2012
January 22, 2012
January 22, 2012
January 22, 2012
"Its the name on the front of the jersey that matters most, not the one on the back."
— Joe Paterno (via lax4ever)
(Source: behind-the-net, via r3bels)
January 22, 2012
Joe Paterno built Penn State up to what it is today. We love you Joe and will miss you.
January 22, 2012
"Believe deep down in your heart that you’re destined to do great things."
— Joseph Vincent Paterno (December 21, 1926 - January 22, 2012) RIP <3
January 20, 2012
Video Highlight of November (Saddest Week for Penn State - Remember the Kids)
January 20, 2012
My Take on the Sandusky Scandal and the Events of that Week
First off, Sandusky is the main criminal of the scandal. He abused his charity to take the innocence away from many vulnerable boys. In no world is that okay. That’s why it always bugs me when I see trolls on the internet saying Penn Staters support pedophiles. We do not. If you say that “oh all those fucks at Pedd State are pedo enablers and supporters” then you just failed all levels of critical thinking and you are better off getting off that damn computer and going back to your job at McDonalds. While you all sit there and bash the Penn State community, WE ARE the ones that are doing all we can to SUPPORT and CONSOLE the child abuse victims.
Did you see any shots of the candlelight vigil on the news? Probably not. That doesn’t make a good story. What does make a good story is crazy drunken students flipping over media vans. 30 students flipping over a van makes up about .06% of the Penn State student body. Oh here is something you probably are unaware of. Media members were seen provoking students to flip the van. They had cameras handy and were provoking us to flip the van. “You call this a riot?” Was one thing I heard a news reporter say. I did not flip the van but I was close enough to hear all this. Another thing, the images of the police spraying people attacking them is not the majority of what actually happened. What ACTUALLY happened was police macing hundreds of students that were simply standing idly by on the sidewalks doing nothing to provoke them. The media is something you have to be aware of folks. They can make you believe anything they want you to.
Now on to Joe Paterno. This man single handedly defined Penn State. Donating tens of millions of dollars to the university, living in a modest middle class house blocks from campus, it was never about the money for Joe. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to talk to him or hear him speak to a group in person, you can hear that he is the most modest and kind-hearted man ever. Now I know what your thinking, “not another pedo enabler supporter.” Well hold on there. Joe Pa, in my opinion, should have been fired. Period. With the way the media manipulates things, keeping him on staff would have continued to keep the focus off the true victims: the children. HOWEVER, the legal system in our nation is NOT based on morals. And America, a lot of you are the most immoral people on this planet. You have NO RIGHT to judge the morals of another unless you are 100% perfect. It is so easy in hindsight to say “Joe Pa should have done more” (I know because I think he should have done more too). But, you have no idea how you would have handled the situation having no prior experience to this kind of issue like Paterno did. Paterno sees the best in everyone, which is why he couldn’t believe McQueary when he heard VAGUE reports of these acts. However, Paterno fulfilled his LEGAL obligation by notifying his superiors, one of whom was the CHIEF OF UNIVERSITY POLICE. He fulfilled his legal obligation. Stop trying to be all moral America. Seriously. By bashing Paterno and the students of Penn State, you are taking the focus off of the children. PSU Students and Alumni have always kept the children in our prayers, but you all cynically use the children in your own hateful comments DIRECTED TOWARDS Penn State. It’s sickening.
I will close with this. Talk to a Penn Stater. Face to face. Calmly. We are intelligent students. You’d be surprised. And think twice before you post that “Pedophile State University comment.” It just makes you look like an uneducated troll.
For the glory of Old State
For her founders strong and great
For the future that we wait
Raise the Song, raise the Song
Sing our love and loyalty
Sing our hopes that bright and free
Rest O Mother dear with thee
All with thee, all with thee
When we stood at childhood’s gate
Shapeless in the hands of fate
Thou didst mold us Dear Old State
Dear Old State, Dear Old State
May no act of ours bring shame
To one heart that loves thy name
May our lives but swell thy fame
Dear Old State, Dear Old State
For the Victims. For the Children. For the Glory.
We Are…Penn State.
January 20, 2012
Freshman Year: Fall 2011 - November
DISCLAIMER: My view on the Penn State scandal is in the post above. This post is simply to recap the events of November 2011. Please keep in mind that the actions of a few do not reflect the actions of the many. We are still Penn State.
The Week Penn State was Turned Upside Down: I remember it clearly. There I was studying for my 3rd Organic Chem exam watching LSU - Alabama when ESPN cut at halftime to breaking news. “Sexual Allegations involving former PSU Defensive Coordinator.” I was not raised a Penn State fan. Before this, I had never heard the name Jerry Sandusky. Now, it’s a name I wish no one ever had to hear. Over the next few days, kids on campus were disgusted. They sympathized for the victims. We seriously did. People posted blue ribbons everywhere and the mural of the PSU football staff was repainted replacing Sandusky with an empty chair with a blue ribbon resting in it. The mood on campus was one of disgust. Why was this man allowed to carry out these heinous acts for so many years?
Then, the image of our university, Joe Paterno, came under scrutiny. People said he didn’t do enough to protect these boys (read my post above for what I think about this). On Tuesday of that week, he announced he would retire. Media swarmed him as he left for practice. To protect him from the media, myself along with hundreds of other students went to his house and carried out a peaceful rally to support Joe Paterno. The idea was “support the man who has supported so many.” The facts were not all out yet and investigations were still underway. We had hope that he was not involved. That’s why we supported him.
Wednesday night. Shortly after 10PM, we got word that Joe Paterno was fired. We took to the steps of Old Main chanting things like “Fuck the Trustees,” “Fuck Sandusky,” “We hate Spanier.” Unfortunately the rally got out of hand when we took to the streets of downtown State College and overturned a media van (details in the post above for what happened OFF CAMERA).
Thursday. I saw people crying on campus. Our university was broken. These children were overshadowed for a brief instant last night, so the student body continued to promote the candle light vigil to be held on 11/11/11 that had been scheduled BEFORE JoePa was fired. In class, some professors taught class normally as if nothing had happened. Others cancelled their normal lesson plans and simply had open discussions. The whole university was shaken to its core. Our icon was gone and many were in denial.
Friday. I witnessed the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Tens of thousands gathered on the Old Main lawn. Each holding a single candle and commemorating the TRUE victims of this scandal. Those poor children whose innocence was stolen from them. There was prayer, reflection, moments of silence. The singing of our glorious alma mater in which all students were reminded “May no act of ours bring shame to one heart that loves thy name.”
Saturday. Nebraska. Trying to return to football with a new head coach. Tom Bradley.
Football: Penn State went 1-2 in the month of November to close out the season 2nd in the Big 10 Division they were in with a new head coach for the first time since 1966 (the first year Joe Pa was the head coach).
Nebraska (11/12/11) - Blue Out. The message was to raise money for child abuse awareness. The local student store made and sold Blue Out shirts with all profits going to support child abuse awareness and prevention funds. A prayer at midfield before the game had the entire stadium of 110,000 so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Penn State showed it had been shaken by the events of the past week when they were flat footed during the first half. However, it looked like a last minute comeback would be possible but they fell short and Tom Bradley started off his coaching career with a record of 0-1. It was a sad end to a very somber week in Happy Valley. (Final Score PSU-14 Nebraska-17)
Ohio State (11/19/11) - Back home for Thanksgiving break, I watched this with one of the few friends I had left back home that did not judge me for going to Penn State. Bradley started using the Wildcat formation and it had tremendous success against an Ohio State team that kind of understood the damage a scandal can have on your program (although PSU’s was way more serious). Nevertheless, those boys on the field did not give up throughout the game and the stout defense held to give Penn State it’s first win in the Shoe since the 2008 Rose Bowl bound Penn State team. (Final Score PSU-20 OSU-14)
Wisconsin (11/26/11) - I don’t like thinking about this game. We got spanked. End of story. No one showed up to play. The offense gave up careless turnovers and the Badgers rightfully earned the right to play Michigan State in the first ever Big 10 Championship Game. (Final Score PSU-7 Wisconsin-45)
Roommate Issues: I had it with my roommate by the time I got back from Thanksgiving Break. It was obvious that he was not okay with my social life. He felt I infringed on him and his girlfriends private reading time (yeah seriously reading time). After Thanksgiving Break, I put in a request to move to a new room with a new roommate for the spring semester. Now, I can say that I made the right choice. My new roommate and I get along great. But hey, what’s college without roommate issues?
Getting In the Swing of It: In the midst of the craziness, we still found time to have fun. The weekends of November were some of the greatest memories of mine for the fall semester. Whether it was hanging out in supplemental playing video games or hitting up frat row in the freezing cold, my friends and I always had a great time.
December. The last month of the semester was next. Full of finals, stress, and even more bullshit from the Sandusky scandal.
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You know you did something good in your life when The Westboro Baptist Church protests your funeral.
