Penn State Scandal

<p>

</p>

<p>You want to talk fairness? Let’s talk about 10-year-old boys being sodomized on college property while powerful men – who could have stopped it – looked the other way. Most people would say that, on the fairness scale … well, actually, those two things don’t even BELONG on the same fairness scale. </p>

<p>And why didn’t those powerful men stop it? Because of the football culture at Penn State. That culture permeates the entire program, every employee, every player. No, the players didn’t do anything wrong, but they and many students support the man who turned a blind eye to suffering children. When students chant “Bring Joe back!” they might as well add “Who cares about victimized children!” Football, even after this horrific week, is STILL more important.</p>

<p>“While I am not a football fan, I am mindful of the fact that football revenue supports the majority of the other sports programs at PSU.”</p>

<p>You know, as the father of a special needs student, I’m VERY SICK AND TIRED of so much $$ being spent on athletics and programs after programs for special needs students being cut.</p>

<p>Karen A. Mason
Former president, Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling, and director of college counseling at Germantown Academy, Germantown, Penn.</p>

<p>I am a Penn State graduate (I earned my Masters in English in 1989.) I confess to being so disheartened by Joe Paterno’s actions — as well as those of the president, other university officials and those students who protested the firing of Coach Paterno — that it is very difficult for me to separate my outrage at their actions from my view of the university.</p>

<p>I am not confident I can be the objective college counselor I strive to be. On one hand, this scandal will not affect the quality of the education the students will receive,</p>

<p>but it certainly could affect individual employer’s views of the education P.S.U. provides.</p>

<p>Incidents like this trigger concern that other problematic issues at the university may have been overlooked – if so many “leaders” can ignore the rape of a 10-year-old boy by an employee, what else might be swept under the rug?</p>

<p>Ultimately, I would strive to talk through the concerns expressed by the student. Since students have until May 1 to make a college decision, they will have ample time to see how the university, its students and its alumni respond to the incident, and I would advise watching these responses carefully. Each student will need to determine for him or herself if the egregious actions of a few tarnish the university as an educational institution. Right now, I am not a proud Penn State graduate.</p>

<p>Employers will remember - for a long time</p>

<p>Hey counselors, you might think to ask the perspective student if they’ve ever been a victim of abuse. What about the disgraceful student body they would be joining? Maybe ask them to think about what it would be like to spend the next 4 years surrounded by students who think football is more important than protecting children from sexual abuse. So much more important that they were driven to riot, damage public property, and assault police officers. As an employer, I’m not going to be in any hurry to hire somebody who was at Penn State this year. Maybe they should consider that.
— R.Biggs
4. November 10, 2011 1:58 pm Link</p>

<p>I would advise my children applying for college to scratch this school off their lists. Ms. Mason’s question about what else has been swept under the rug is right. What goes on at those frat parties and keggers? How are women, gays, and minorities treated in the name of keeping Happy Valley happy for the footballers? It’s bad enough that the football folk sacrificed a ten year old boy to shield its own. The administration also fell down on the job. Now the students blew their chances to take the moral high ground. The whole community majestically showed they were meatheads.</p>

<p>This will smear the reputations of any graduates for the next few years. For their whole lives, they will have to answer: Where were you the night of the Paterno riot, meathead?</p>

<p>I stand by my original view that a degree from Penn State will be tarnished in the eyes of employers and the public for a long time!!</p>

<p>Employers will not forget - more comments</p>

<p>I’m an employer offering gold collar jobs. Will I try to divorce the reality of the student riots from my hiring decisions? Yes. Will I succeed? I don’t know.</p>

<p>Look, a Penn State degree has never been a door-opener in my firm. Penn State’s undergrads are a pretty average lot, by and large. Degrees from public schools that do sometimes open doors come from places like Berkeley, Michigan, Virginia, William and Mary, and North Carolina. Not Penn State. But, I never turned anyone away because of a PSU degree. It might not be particularly prestigious outside, perhaps, Pennsylvania, but every large university has some very talented students, regardless of the mean.</p>

<p>What gives me pause, now, is the degree to which football seems to override all other considerations, there, judging by the reaction to Paterno’s firing. That sort of culture can be corrupting. I’ll try to forget that when hiring, but I probably won’t succeed. Given two equal applicants, I’m probably more likely to look favorably on the one without the Penn State degree.
— JSOBrien</p>

<p>The negative impact of the scandal extends far beyond just football…</p>

<p>[Moody’s</a> reviews Penn State for downgrade - Nov. 11, 2011](<a href=“http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/11/news/economy/penn_state_downgrade/]Moody’s”>Moody's reviews Penn State for downgrade - Nov. 11, 2011)</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Or, for the rest of their lives, they will have to say “Yes, THAT Penn State.” And make no mistake, people are not going to forget this; it will be remembered as the worst scandal in the history of college sports – or maybe in the history of college, period. I just wouldn’t want my child to have to carry that stigma around for the rest of her life, not when there are so many other good schools.</p>

<p>After the large amount of stupid in this thread, I’ve decided to stop following it. Certain people are just too stubborn to change their opinions, so I don’t really see the point in trying anymore.</p>

<p>Before I go, a few things:</p>

<p>-Current and former Penn State students have already raised over $200,000 for RAINN in only a couple days. People berating Penn State should put their money where their (obnoxiously loud) mouths are.
[Proud</a> to Be a Penn Stater](<a href=“NameBright - Coming Soon”>http://www.proudtobeapennstater.com/)</p>

<p>-Thousands of students and community members attended the candle-light vigil (FOR THE VICTIMS) tonight. You should see the Facebook event for pictures and comments (<a href=“Redirecting...”>Redirecting...). These are some good pictures too: [Twitter[/url</a>], [url=&lt;a href=“Twitpic”&gt;Rarely more proud to be a Penn Stater. #WeAre.]Rarely</a> more proud to be a Penn Stater. #WeAre. on Twitpic](<a href=“http://twitter.com/?photo_id=1#!/roryspangler/status/135215917457084416/photo/1]Twitter[/url”>http://twitter.com/?photo_id=1#!/roryspangler/status/135215917457084416/photo/1).</p>

<p>-With over a half million PSU graduates, there are bound to be diverse opinions. I firmly believe, however, that for every idiot burning his diploma and for every woman not Penn State proud, there are many more who feel the exact opposite. Also, enforcing your opinion by combing comments sections of online articles isn’t exactly the best way to be considered legitimate. Calling me a “meathead” doesn’t help either. But hey, free speech is free speech, so I can call you an idiot by the same token.</p>

<p>-(shameless self-promotion) Don’t forget about my thread if you have any questions at all about Penn State: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/penn-state-university-park/1083915-ask-me-anything-23.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/penn-state-university-park/1083915-ask-me-anything-23.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Duke, before you go – what do you think will go down at the game tomorrow? Will there be a large and vocal pro-Joe contingent?</p>

<p>Wow I am shocked you would not hire a Penn State Grad after this scandal. It has nothing to do with the students what so ever. You would be so close minded as to turn away a student who has a degree from Penn State? That is one of the saddest things I have ever heard. This scandal does not have anything to do with the students. I would hope to god I never came across an employer who was so close minded. You will miss out on many talented, experienced, amazing graduates. I hope that the students at Penn State stay clear of whatever workforce you oversee. It is certainly not an atmosphere I would wish any person to work in. It is easy to look upon the lives a few and judge many. A person who see only this, should not be a person of power. Take it upon yourself, as an employer to do what is right. To hire the ones who are QUALIFIED.</p>

<p>PS. I am a current Penn State Student. 2340 on my SATS, 4.78 Weighted GPA, Accepted into Schreyers Honors College, turned down Harvard University for this school. You are telling me you wont hire me? Seems like some employers need to get their priorities straight. If they are unable to do that, I am sure many of us will do just fine overcoming all of you who fail to see past the failures of a few men, by becoming employers ourselves. And you better believe I will never turn an eye to a student who comes to me with the right grades, experience, and work ethics. To all you who are considering Penn State, don’t let the acts of a few men ruin your decision to go to school here, and don’t let the future scare you. Trust me, employers who know what they are doing will hire you. If you come across someone who does not hire you due to your school, sue them. Its called discrimination. Perhaps they should have thought about this before posting it all over the internet…perfect evidence in court!</p>

<p>You cannot sue for discrimination based on the school one attended. There is no protected class in that regard.</p>

<p>A team at Penn State Hershey Medical Center found a certain virus that kills 100 percent of breast cancer cells – all kinds of breast cancer cells. It’s very preliminary research but looks very promising.</p>

<p>Hopefully this research will lead to great advances in treatment and cure.</p>

<p>I suppose all of the people who won’t hire Penn State graduates just because they’re associated with the University will refuse to use the treatment if it becomes available (or let their family use it). I know they certainly wouldn’t want to be involved with something developed at a Penn State facility. </p>

<p>They wouldn’t want to be hypocrites now would they?</p>

<p>I guess these employers don’t hire any Catholics either.</p>

<p>Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse…</p>

<p>[Allegation:</a> Sandusky “Pimped Out” Kids](<a href=“http://phillysportsdaily.com/college/2011/11/10/allegation-sandusky-pimped-out-kids/]Allegation:”>http://phillysportsdaily.com/college/2011/11/10/allegation-sandusky-pimped-out-kids/)</p>

<p><<just when="" you="" thought="" it="" couldn’t="" get="" worse…="">></just></p>

<p>That “news” has been out for a couple of days.</p>

<p>Did anyone else see Penn State’s latest status update about a bomb threat?</p>

<p>Purplekiwis - so you have a link?</p>

<p>Here is the article:
Stadium bomb threat received; nothing found
Saturday, November 12, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. –Penn State received an anonymous bomb threat Friday night (Nov. 11) for Beaver Stadium. Police and FBI are investigating. Police, who have had the stadium secured since Tuesday, used bomb-sniffing dogs as well as additional personnel to check the stadium and nothing was found. They searched the area again this morning, and again found nothing.</p>

<p>Anyone who sees anything out of the ordinary is urged to contact police immediately by calling 814-863-1111 or 9-1-1 or approaching any of the officers on duty in and around the stadium today. </p>

<p>There are increased security measures in place for today’s game. Fans are encouraged to arrive at gates earlier than usual as the extra safety measures may delay fans’ entrance into the stadium. Inspections will be more deliberate and thorough, and the University’s regulation on bags will be strictly enforced.</p>

<p>Thanks Purplekiwis. DS is part of the Blue Band - so this obviously worries me.</p>

<p>I just hope Penn State stays strong and safe! I know a few people that attend the school!</p>