This is not about Jerry Sandusky or about a torrid sex scandal. This is about a community coming together to heal and reestablishing it's priorities over scholarship, loyalty, and football.
I have come to State College for a family reunion; to enjoy barbecued meats and fine scotch with my brothers, aunts and uncles, and mother. While here, I wanted to get a true sense of the Penn State community; how they are coping with the changes in leadership at the beginning of a protracted period of football futility.
The Nittany Lions began play last week with the first new head coach since 1966. Is there a cult of personality at Penn State? Apparently not; I'm told it was not about Joe Paterno the person. It was about a football coach was loyal to the school. Win or lose, he kept showing up to work for a school he loved. Russ Rose, their venerable volleyball coach, has paced the hardwood since 1979. Mike the Mailman has operated the campus post office since 1978 and writes a regular column on state college.com. The students love him so much they made him grand marshall last year.
Penn State is about loyalty. Loyalty and longevity at the institution. They prefer persistence to turnover. Can these principles lead to unfortunate tolerance of inappropriate behavior? Sure; witness the tale of Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland. She was the coach since 1980, published documented homophobic views since 1986, and was finally forced to resign in 2007. (no, that's not a typo)
The current narrative in the press is that the football program was all powerful at Penn State and dictated the decisions of the administration. Whereas no one is debating the football traditions and football income was important to the school, the NCAA perception that institutional priorities have become dominated by the athletic department may be a tad exaggerated (and rather hypocritical).
Penn State got hammered by the trustees of the school, firing the head coach, AD, and president. Then they got hammered by the NCAA with unprecedented sanctions. Now they face the real possibility of federal government action due to violation of the Clery Act. The school's published policy on this was only developed in 2011 and the Clery Act has been law since 1990 (http://www.police.psu.edu/cleryact/). As a result, there is a sense of increased scrutiny and a renewed emphasis on compliance on campus. I don't know if it's a coincidence, but we have seen a significant drop in underdog players from Penn State this year.
But overriding this reaction to punishment and scandal is a dominating unity within the community. Many homes in the area boast signs such as this one, proudly proclaiming their support of the players. Not the coach, not the program, but the young men who have chosen to stay at the school and earn their degrees. After all, regardless of happens on the field, Penn State remains a world class institution of higher learning. Penn State, along with Notre Dame, lead the NCAA in graduation rate. Ironically, by allowing current players to transfer without penalty, the NCAA sent a message that football players are here for NFL preparation and are not student-athletes. Pre- professional Silas Redd was happy to leave for Tailback U, eyeing a boost in draft position. Most other players remained so they can continue to proclaim "We are Penn State". Loyalty to the school above all.
It has been a wonderful weekend and I hope the best for my friends and family in Happy Valley. The Nitany Lion animal may be extinct, but its independent spirit of survival in the face of adversity will live on throughout the campus.
My Trojans start in 4 hours- that's just enough time to drive to Meadowlands to catch kickoff.
And 65 days, 10 hours, 22 minutes to Hawaii.
Fight on,
Hans
PS- as I watched ESPN game day from College Station, I am reminded of the tremendous traditions at Texas A&M, including the 12th man, the midnight yell, and kissing after scores. My favorite is their mascot Reveille. Here's a great article about her:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reveille_(dog)
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