Coming to Penn State, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I’ve never been big on sports and even though I was aware that Penn State was a huge football school, I decided to come here to get away from my hometown, to gain many new experiences, and to meet a lot of new people so it really had nothing to do with football. I heard the name Joe Paterno for the first time on my FTCAP advising day when they showed us videos about Penn State pride. That probably sounds pathetic, but like Sheila I don’t consider myself to bleed blue and white.
I went to one football game and one pep-rally this semester. Even though I knew I would have no idea what was going on since I don’t even know the rules of football, I thought I might as well go to one game. I got the ticket for twenty bucks and wanted to see what the hype of Beaver Stadium was. People were right, it was crazy to be in the middle of everything like that and it was exhilarating being a part of all the chants and cheers. It was great to see JoePa in person at the pep rally the night before as well, see it on TV the next day and think to myself, “I was there!” This was all very thrilling and I could see why some people are able to do it every weekend. I didn’t know much about our head coach but I knew that Penn State had a great football record and that Joe Paterno had been coaching here for almost fifty years. “No wonder he’s such an icon at Penn State,” I thought to myself. I grew to respect him and dreamed of a day that I would be able to talk to him in person or even just see him randomly at the Berkey Creamery or walking down College Ave.
The first I heard of the Penn State scandal was on Monday morning, the 7th of November, in my 8am Intro to Psychology class. My professor brought it up briefly but went on to talk about that day’s lesson. I couldn’t get it out of my head though and went on to read three different online articles instead of paying attention in class. I could not believe it. This was absolutely disgusting to me and it had happened in my vicinity for who knew how many years. Since Sandusky still had access to our campus, he could have assaulted a child at Penn State just last week! I did read about the graduate student who is now an assistant coach here and how he did not inform the police but informed Paterno. I was shocked that nobody called the police but didn’t think too much of it. I didn’t think anybody would be fired over it because I thought it would all be overshadowed by Sandusky’s behavior. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
When there was news that Paterno would be asked to step down on Tuesday, people rallied at Old Main. I heard the rally on Tuesday night from my dorm and thought that these people were representing the student body in a way that could potentially backfire and make us look bad. Even if people expressed their anger by coming together and protesting, that would change nothing. I had no idea what was in store for me the night. Wednesday, I was in my friends’ dorm that just so happens to be a huge football fan. There were a few other people there with us and we were getting ready to watch “American Horror Story”. Just before it came on, his mother called him and told him that JoePa had just gotten fired. He hadn’t even hung up and was already putting his shoes and jacket on and told us all we should go to Beaver. Everybody knows how the riots went so it’s pointless to describe it but I remember being horrified and wanting to leave the entire time. As soon as I saw a lamppost go down I knew that this riot was getting out of hand and would be frowned upon so my friend Emma and I left, leaving our student body behind.
What I have learned from all that has been going on at Penn State recently is that people must keep their composure when a scandal occurs near them. We were nationally laughed at, something that would not have happened if we had dealt with this issue in a different way. Nobody talks about the vigil or the “blue-out” at the Nebraska game. All I hear is people talking about the riots and how pointless they were. They also talk about how bad of a guy Paterno is and sometimes it’s almost as if people have forgotten why all of this started. People are focusing on Paterno who only did one thing wrong and it wasn’t even legally wrong. What about Sandusky? Yes, actions have been taken to bring him to justice so why is that not enough? Why must people around the country suddenly hate Joe Paterno? I do not have an extreme devotion for this man like many at the riot that night and I do not have a passion for football but I still respect him. He has done amazing things for our school and has made it what it is today. Hearing Jon Stewart making fun of Penn State and so many other people or shows appearing on television makes my blood boil and reading Michael Weinreb’s thoughts on the scandal brought tears to my eyes. I think this is proof enough that one does not need to be a football fanatic to feel that they are a part of Penn State. I will never forget these past few weeks and above all, I will always have respect for my school and Joe Paterno.
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