<p>Reporter Michael Rubinkam writes in the Associated Press about the unfortunate fate of underclassman Justin Strine of Penn State U, who pled guity to rioting etc. regarding the student mob fracas that erupted when Coach Paterno was fired.</p>
<p>At first read, I didn't have much sympathy for the kid. He should have known better and the behavior of the rioters was an insult to the victims of Sandusky's crimes. After giving Strine's story a second thought, it does seem like 30 days in jail for laying hands on a tipped van is fairly harsh punishment. As for the ROTC kicking Strine to the curb, seems like the ROTC (and PSU) could have worked out something to satisfy the need for accountability. In my opinion, it would have been great if Strine had been ordered by the court to volunteer for an abused victims organization.</p>
<p>I also think the punishment of losing the ROTC scholarship was harsh. Given the situation, it seems like they could have handled this differently.</p>
<p>The kid was in the middle of the riot, he ran over to tip over a van, he put his hands on the van. He committed crimes, which he admits to, but now he doesn’t want to be accountable for them.</p>
<p>He doesn’t dispute any of this. His claim is, “But I’m a good person.” That’s irrelevant. He’s a person who was convicted of rioting and criminal mischief, for things he doesn’t dispute doing. People who commit crimes get thrown out of ROTC. Boo hoo.</p>
<p>If this had been one of those “black bloc” morons who tainted the Occupy protests with stupid random vandalism of businesses and police cars, would anyone here have sympathy for that person losing a scholarship? No? </p>
<p>Then why should we have sympathy for someone who rioted over a damned football coach?</p>
<p>Just curious, is he the lone person being convicted or are there others? Was there something about his actions that made him more guilty then the others? Regardless of the criminal charges, I actually do understand the ROTC consequences. They are fully aware that they are held to a standard of conduct and can be discharged for infractions far less then this.</p>
<p>He was there and he had his hands on the van when it was tipped over. But he thinks it is unfair that he is being punished just because “he made one mistake and it was caught on tape”. Not really feeling a lot of sympathy for him. Perhaps he should have kept in mind that officers are supposed to lead and help control situations, not get caught up in and encourage riots.</p>
<p>You know if he lived in Syria and was caught up in a situation helping oppressed victims I could sympathize. Caught up in a riot over the firing of a football coach - not so much. Not really the behavior of an officer.</p>
<p>When S1 was in ROTC a midshipman from his unit was dismissed after driving under the influence. I believe he was driving to an early class when a bike rider pulled out in front of him on a busy four lane road. The midshipman hit the bike rider resulting in a fatality. Midshipman had been partying the night before and still had enough alcohol in his system to be considered intoxicated. He was booted out of ROTC immediately.</p>
<p>Anyone who saw the video of the riots (links likely available on youtube etc…) should have no sympathy for those charged. They destroyed property, lit fires and caused mayhem. Now they are 'paying the piper"…</p>
<p>Additionally, the ROTC insists that Strine compensate the organization for the Scholarship funds that he has used thus far. If that’s not a warning for others whom might get caught up in a campus mob, I don’t know what is.</p>
<p>I’m part of a federal civil service student-to-career program that is, in some ways, like ROTC - no scholarship, but I do have a guaranteed job each summer and can move directly into permanent civil service employment after graduation. I am, in fact, officially still a federal employee, on leave.</p>
<p>When I was offered a position in the program last year, it was made crystal clear to me that there were academic and personal expectations I had to abide by to remain a participant. My first semester in graduate school was a serious challenge. I failed a class and put myself in jeopardy of falling below the academic standards and being booted from the program. That was a heart-wrenching sense of personal failure, of potentially squandering a golden opportunity. I was given one further semester to bring my cumulative GPA above 3.0 - which, mathematically, required that I achieve a 4.0 in that semester.</p>
<p>I write all this to express my sympathy for Justin as a person - I understand some of what he must be going through right now, the crushing of a personal dream. But ultimately, the responsibility for those failures lies upon those of us who have accepted that challenge. It is nobody’s fault but my own that I failed a required philosophy class, just as it is nobody’s fault but Justin’s that he left his apartment to take part in a drunken football riot.</p>
<p>Considering the Federal Service Academies dismiss cadets for offenses far less egregious than this…including accumulating too many demerits from an accumulation of offenses considered innocuous or even non-existent at a regular college*…not feeling any sympathy. </p>
<p>What he did is criminal behavior in every sense of the word. He participated in the destruction of someone’s property and to add insult to injury, it was anger that was grossly misplaced considering what was suspected and now disclosed about Paterno and Sandusky. </p>
<p>Moreover, it’s not like his road to an Army Officer career is necessarily over. He can always attempt to pursue it through Army OCS* just a year before graduation or after college as a high school teacher I had did during the height of the Vietnam War.</p>
<p>*I.e. Not keeping an immaculately organized dormroom per academy regulations…including organizing one’s books/items to the most minute detail.</p>
<p>Thankfully he will not be in a foreign country with other people’s lives in his hands the next time his testosterone gets the better of him. And he won’t be representing US.</p>