The Penn State Scandal From a Penn State Student: Effect On the University

There is no doubt the Penn State scandal is a black eye on the university's image and reputation, however all black eyes eventually heal. The alleged actions of Jerry Sandusky are despicable,but the University as a whole is not defined by the actions of one man. Penn State is a proud institution made up of many great people and organizations. Penn State is more than football and definitely more than one man. On the other hand, the mass media, in particular ESPN, has portrayed Penn State as an institution made up of rioting child rapist supporters. In the weeks after the scandal ESPN vilified everything that Penn State did was bad, even going as far as Rick Reilly saying the moment of silence and prayer before the Nebraska game was wrong. Despite what the mass media is saying, Penn State is still and always will be a proud institution.

In my previous post I discussed the "grand experiment" and Penn State's long history of having one of the most honorable football programs in the country. However, football is not the only thing that brings Penn State honor and glory:

• In 2011 THON raised $9,563,016.09 for childhood cancer research. THON 2012 looks to top this total from last year and is scheduled for February 17-19, 2012. THON is the largest student philanthropy in the world.
• A lab at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center found a potential cure for cancer.
• Penn State is a top notch academic institution offering more than 160 majors and is commonly referred to as a "Public Ivy".
• The Wall Street Journal ranked Penn State #1 among corporate recruiters.
•  Penn State is one of the top Meteorology schools in the world. (Its my major and this is the primary reason I attend this great university.)
• Penn State has over 800 student organizations all of which achieve excellence in their own way.
• All of our athletic programs, in total Penn State has 29 athletic  programs. Penn State has won a total of 68 National Championships and are defending champions in fencing, wrestling, and women's volleyball.
• The proud origin of the WE ARE... PENN STATE chant.
• The student body of Penn State is truly a thing to behold and the scandal united the student body even more. On football Saturday's, over 100,000 proud Penn State students and alumni gather together in Beaver Stadium to proudly cheer on the football team. Listening to 100,000 people belt out the WE ARE... PENN STATE chant is truly a thing. During the average game a full stadium chant happens once or twice. During the Nebraska game, right after the scandal broke, I lost count of how many there were. The night before the game the student body united 10,000 strong on the lawn of Old Main in a candlelight vigil and sang the Alma Mater proudly during the vigil. 

These are only some of the many things that make Penn State a truly great institution. An institution this great cannot be brought down by the despicable alleged actions of one man. WE ARE PENN STATE and we will recover from this.