<p>Which is exactly what the victims would want as well. I’m sure even they would like to get this whole ordeal behind them.</p>
<p>Apparently “the rush is on” for other colleges to start recruiting away the best Penn State players as well as high school students who have verbally committed to Penn State. <a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/25/sports/ncaafootball/for-penn-state-players-and-recruits-rush-is-on.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/25/sports/ncaafootball/for-penn-state-players-and-recruits-rush-is-on.html</a></p>
<p>Analysts are saying that the damage to Penn State football will be deep and long lasting due to the multi-year ban on bowl games, reduction of scholarships, and ability of current players to transfer. As a school whose identity has been very closely associated with success on the football field, it seems that Penn State must forge a new less football focused identity.</p>
<p>Penn Staters have a great school spirit that hopefully will help them to keep strong during this time. A new identity and message that focuses on Penn State’s academic quality will hopefully attract students who are more interested in their education than in sports. Good luck to Penn Staters during this difficult time.</p>
<p>Some people fear that other sports will see cutbacks in their funding, including women’s sports. Football made huge profits that paid for all the other sports.</p>
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The agreement with the NCAA does not allow a cutback of other sports … I have no idea how that would be enforced or if Penn State can appeal to the NCAA if PSU is in serious financial trouble.</p>
<p>[Penn</a> State trustees to talk with Rodney Erickson about his OK to NCAA sanctions | PennLive.com](<a href=“http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/07/penn_state_trustees_to_talk_wi.html]Penn”>Penn State trustees to talk with Rodney Erickson about his OK to NCAA sanctions - pennlive.com)</p>
<p>Comments?</p>
<p>Penn State has always had a focus on academic quality. I’m sick of people saying it’s just a football school. It never was and never will be. I just watched the video of the players reaffirming their commitment to the team. I understand that some will leave. But I’m so proud of how the guys who are staying are sticking together during very tough times. </p>
<p>I think the players are going to stand by their team and the students are going to stand by their school. It’s going to be a tough time financially for the whole university, but I’m glad to see the actions of a few people haven’t hurt their spirit and determination.</p>
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<p>It’s like to be most players rather than some - two more announced today. Like the old expression about rats leaving sinking ships.</p>
<p>[Two</a> more key players leaving Penn State | Detroit Free Press | freep.com](<a href=“http://www.freep.com/usatoday/article/816105&usatref=sportsmod?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Sports|p]Two”>http://www.freep.com/usatoday/article/816105&usatref=sportsmod?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Sports|p)</p>
<p>LakeClouds, it feels like you’re enjoying this. I definitely get a “rubbing your hands in glee” feeling from your posts and from some others in the main Sandusky thread.</p>
<p>Kids were raped. An evil man was not stopped when he should have been. Prominent members of a great university betrayed their reponsibilities and the trust placed in them. Innocent students are affected by something that happened when they were kids. Innocent football players are having to make tough decisions they never thought they would have to make. </p>
<p>There’s nothing to enjoy here. Besides the fact that three players doesn’t add up to “most”, I hope you won’t be too dissapointed if PSU students, including the football players stick together through this and continue to care about their university. I know you’d prefer they go around in sackclothes and ashes. I know you prefer to think of them as rats on a sinking ship, as opposed to normal college students dealing with a difficult situation.</p>
<p>Think whatever you want. Doesn’t make it true.</p>
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<p>First of all, six players are leaving already not three (Fortt, Redd, Bolden, Buckley, Haplea and Pollard). More are likely to follow in the weeks ahead given all the aggressive recruiting going on.</p>
<p>The OPs question was whether it’s a bad idea to go to PSU now and much of the football team seems to think so. With all the pending civil suits and budget problems, it’s reasonable for others (students, faculty) to reach the same conclusion.</p>
<p>@SanSerif - I don’t understand why you have to resort to ad hominem attacks rather than sticking to the point of this thread. Holding hands and singing KumBaYah is not the answer for everyone, especially incoming students with options to go elsewhere.</p>
<p>Never said we should all sing kumbyah. Of course there are problems and of course some players are going to leave. But your “rats leaving a sinking ship” comment added nothing but nastiness to the discussion.</p>
<p>LakeClouds - for someone with (presumably) no ties to Penn State, you sure do spend a lot of time following PSU news. I have to agree with Sanserif - you are enjoying this way too much.</p>
<p>As this fiasco is being played out, I am getting more and more comfortable that my son might choose PSU next year. I keep thinking what if I were part of the PSU community - students, faculty, staff, alum, local residents, etc. First, they were betrayed by their leaders. Then, they were punished and discriminated for a despicable crime that they had nothing to do with. How would I feel? How would I behave? I am very impressed with what I have seen so far. I don’t think I can do any better. This is a community with characters, and this is a situation where young people can build characters.</p>
<p>If my son chooses PSU next year, that tells me 1) he is not interested in football, or at least the way big college football had been played for decades; 2) he is mature enough to cut through the media frenzy; 3) he does not shy away from a course against the conventional wisdom.</p>
<p>Think about it, if a student deliberately chooses PSU after all this, he probably knows what he is doing; he probably knows what’s important to him. How do you advise against that? Tell him some small-minded people might discriminate against him in the future?</p>
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<p>No no no no no! <em>slaps head on desk</em> It’s not the scandal itself that makes the students look bad. It’s the student body’s REACTION to the scandal that makes the community look bad. The public is appalled by the images of THOUSANDS (not just “a few”) of students RIOTING in support of Paterno . Were appalled that students and alumni were getting their pictures taken with the infamous statue and crying and wailing as if Jesus himself had just been assassinated or something. It’s also appalling that many people in the community still seem to worship Paterno, even after the incriminating evidence came out. </p>
<p>A lot of Penn Staters seem to have a persecution complex. You seem to believe that were judging the entire community based on the scandal when that is NOT the case at all. Again, it’s the community’s REACTION to the scandal that makes some of use question the sanity and intelligence of Penn Staters. And your persecution complex makes you look even worse. It gives people the impression that you care more about yourselves than the actual VICTIMS. I have not seen ONE article that shows Penn Staters expressing sympathy towards the CHILDREN. Even the people who don’t support Paterno appear to be saying things like, “Poor meeeeeeeee! Poor us! It’s soooo unfair that our reputation had been tainted. It’s such as tragedy for US!!!” Not an ounce of concern for the real victims, not even among the people who don’t support Paterno. It makes PSU look like some kind of cult that prizes football above children and humanity. </p>
<p>You guys keep shouting We are Penn State! as if youve suffered some huge tragedy even though in reality its the children who have suffered a tragedy. Now the Virginia Tech folks do have legit reasons for shouting We are Virginia Tech! because they really did suffer from a horrible tragedy. The Penn State students and alumni have NOT suffered from any kind of tragedy relating to the scandal. Shouting We are Penn State just makes you look even more insensitive and crazy. To be fair though, it could just be biased media coverage. Maybe the media is just choosing to focus on the few crazy people in the Penn State community and the rest of the community feels horrible for the children. But the images were seeing in the media do NOT make you look good.</p>
<p>Clearly you only came on here to try to ruffle feathers - hopefully now that you tried your best, you’ll leave!</p>
<p>There are many threads for us to talk about what happened at Penn State years ago, months ago, weeks ago, etc. This is a unique thread to talk about if a future student should choose Penn State (as opposed to one of its usual competitors such as another state flagship). I hope we can stay focused on that. Will Penn State be a better or worse environment, next year vs. last year, for a young person to learn and grow?</p>
<p>I have always been a bit concerned about the sports craze and the associated drinking and rowdiness at these state flagships. Will there be less of that at Penn State?</p>
<p>“To be fair tough, it could just be biased media coverage…”</p>
<p>Gee - ya think???</p>
<p>Where was the media coverage when THOUSANDS of students held a candle-light vigil for the young victims? </p>
<p>Where was the media coverage when THOUSANDS of alumni donated $500,000 to RAINN (may have those initials wrong)?</p>
<p>Where was the media coverage when THOUSANDS of students wore blue to the game last fall, in honor of child abuse victims and with proceeds going to child abuse education and awareness? </p>
<p>Where was the media when the students announced another blue-out game for this fall? </p>
<p>And where was the media coverage when Penn State students raised over $10 million for pediatric cancer (with THON)? </p>
<p>initials</p>
<p>@ Bananaslugs</p>
<p>Apparently you didn’t know about the candle light vigil that was help the same night at the “riot”, where several thousand students and community members stood in support of the victims.</p>
<p>Consider my feathers ruffled…</p>
<p>It doesn’t take much courage to come on CC and post something negative just to make yourself feel better. What does take some courage to actually stop child abuse when you have knowledge of it. Why is that not the subject of your posts?</p>
<p>Why attack us? It doesn’t solve anything. Why not say something supporting the victims yourself?</p>
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<p>Why are you feeling “attacked”? There will be fall-out from the scandal that affects whether Penn State remains an attractive option for applicants, faculty, athletes, etc. At least 13 football players have decided to leave with Marcincin the latest to vote with his feet (which makes sense since he’s a kicker).</p>
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<p>The OP’s question was whether going to Penn State is still a good idea, not how to prevent or report child abuse.</p>
<p><<the op’s="" question="" was="" whether="" going="" to="" penn="" state="" is="" still="" a="" good="" idea,…="">></the></p>
<p>And I think the general consensus is - YES!</p>
<p>Of those football players that left the football team, 2 are still at Penn State and 2 others that transferred to other colleges are still getting their degree from Penn State.</p>