When it falls down, who you gonna call now?

            I first heard about the Penn State scandal one Saturday as I sat on my computer browsing AOL, looking for a way to pass the time. As I scrolled through the tabs I saw a headline that read “Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal” or something to that effect. So naturally because I’m Penn State student, I found the link simply irresistible. The story that I read was quite vague and needed to be read over a few times before I actually understood what was going on but once I had, I didn’t really think twice about it. I had absolutely no idea of the drama and mayhem that was about to ensue. After this story broke nationwide it was obvious that all hell was about to break loose in State College and it did; twice. People were rioting in the streets, screaming, chanting, cursing, and destroying damn near everything in sight. It was complete pandemonium. But what many people on the outside don’t understand is how invested and enormous the sense of pride that goes along with Penn State.

            Author and editor Dave Housely may have shown the best examples of what it is truly like to like in State College and become absorbed in the Penn State tradition. Housely recalls two different stories about how his young son would reply “Penn State!” anytime he heard someone say “we are.” What is most amazing about this is that Housely and his wife never taught their son the traditional Penn State call and response, simply being around the university and people that care so much about it he picked up on it. This is the true Penn State. Though what happened will never be forgotten, people around the nation need to realize that Penn State is much bigger than Sandusky and all the others that neglected to report this.

            As the more and more details of Sandusky’s atrocious escapades became available, it was obvious that the Penn State community had been forever changed. We are…no longer Penn State. We are…the joke of a nation. We are…dealing with the consequences of the actions of a few very irresponsible ADULTS. We are…in ruins.

            It is blatantly obvious that what went on with this entire ordeal/cover up was no mistake. A few very immature and careless men held the name of the school and its football program above the safety and well being of numerous innocent children. And for what reason? It’s likely that no one will ever truly know. Besides the fact that so many young boys had their childhoods ruined by Sandusky and are scarred for life, the next biggest issue is that of the students. It’s true that many of Penn State’s students went and acted out after the firing of Joe Paterno, but it was only because they cared and felt hurt as well. Though this was not the correct way to react, it is understandable because almost 40,000 students will be affected by this entire scandal. This could turn out to be very detrimental to our futures! What everyone needs to understand is that we the students should not be punished for Sandusky. We had absolutely nothing to do with anything that went on. We did not commit a crime, we did not inappropriately deal with the situation, and we should not be punished.

            Unfortunately in the society that we live in, we will be judged for being Penn Staters and loving our school to what could be considered a fault. The students and faculty here have always been Penn State proud and will probably always be Penn State proud, and that kind of dedication will be what gets this university through this time of uncertainty. Again, Dave Housely says it best, “This is how it goes around here. These kids puke in our streets and urinate in the bushes. They are terrible pedestrians and can be worse neighbors. Then they go and do something like raise 10 million dollars (last year alone) to support pediatric cancer patients.” This is the Penn State that people need to see, we’re not perfect but we damn sure try.

Dave Housely Article http://www.barrelhousemag.com/?p=1692

Kiss Me, Kate!

Watching a musical is not how I usually spend my Saturday afternoons, especially when it means getting up before noon to get ready. But this turned out to be a worthwhile experience. I’ve been to quite a few plays and even a musical on Broadway and I tend to enjoy them as long as they aren’t Shakespeare. Before we arrived at the theater I was unaware that this musical was actually a remake of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew or that it was even a musical! I was a little confused at first when everyone started singing, so it was very different from what I expected. Typically I don’t enjoy theater performances because they usually don’t keep my attention and I feel like I’m on the verge of a deep sleep, but the musical-theater genre was very different.

Aside from the small seats and a little leg room, I really have no complaints about this musical/play. The music was very lively, the actors all had amazing voices, and the story was actually pretty funny. I was pleasantly surprised by this genre because it wasn’t at all what I expected to be. I honestly wouldn’t mind going to see a few more productions that are in the musical-theater genre. To go along with this musical theme, two of my favorite musicals are Hairspray and Chicago. I was actually fortunate enough to see the actual Hairspray musical on Broadway! It was a remarkable experience simply because it’s Broadway! But other than Hairspray and Chicago I have not seen many musicals but I am definitely open to seeing more. Compared to these two classic musicals, I thought that Kiss Me, Kate did a decent job compared to these two “mega musicals.”

I have never actually read Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, but I have heard about. Other than actually hearing of the title, I have no idea what the play itself is about but I think that Kiss Me, Kate did a great job of blending together Shakespeare’s play and its own interpretation of it. It was obvious when the scenes from Taming of the Shrew were being portrayed because the actors donned medieval clothing and used some of the actual language. Still this play, unlike actual Shakespeare plays, was very easy to understand and follow. It was entertaining and even had an adorable (but predictable) love story, so there was something for everyone.

My favorite part of this experience was definitely the adult humor that they threw into the play every once in awhile. If you weren’t listening closely then you were most likely going to miss it. I also thought the two “thugs” that showed up during the middle of the play were hilarious. They added a different kind of humor to the play because they were so clueless and simple minded, whereas all the other characters were clearly more intelligent. I also liked the fact that it was a play within a play within a play! I have honestly never heard of anything like that! Overall, this musical/play was very interesting, funny. I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it but I’m that I went into it open minded because I ended up finding an aspect of theater that I didn’t know existed!

Hopping Fences & Warped Trees

Starting my day walking across campus, in the cold, only to stand around in the cold for a hour is definitely not my idea of a “good morning.” I don’t even like nature, let alone nature in the cold! So needless to say I was a little skeptical about this whole trip we had to take.

As I was wandering around the arboretum with Anthony, it seemed as though I was going to freeze before I saw anything of interest. But, as usual I was wrong and just being a crybaby. The fun didn’t start until we hopped a few fences in order to get a little closer to the open field that can be seen at the pavilion in the arboretum. Of course we probably shouldn’t have done that but still, who cares? As we approached the field I saw absolutely nothing of interest, just a big field full of dying grass. There were some trees in the distance but they were too far for me to really appreciate. It looked as though the most interesting thing we got to see was the garden area directly behind the fountain, and that wasn’t that great if you ask me! As we walked back towards the pavilion I noticed a tree on the side of the pathway. It wasn’t anything special because it didn’t have any leaves; in fact it was actually quite bare. The tree’s branches were very warped and twisted at odd angles; one branch was so misshapen that it was actually touching the ground. I immediately loved this tree, and it had nothing to do with the fact that it looked like the Whomping Willow from Harry Potter!

It became obvious that art doesn’t have to be pleasing to the eye like a grove of trees whose leaves are changing, or a garden filled with flowers. This twisted, gnarled tree could be considered an eye sore to some but I really enjoyed it. It broke away from the “norm” of natural beauty such as the leaves changing colors, flowers, and even different rocks that were scattered around the arboretum. Art doesn’t have to be beautiful, creative, or colorful. It can be something as simple as a tree with no leaves, which I would bet; many people didn’t give a second glance to! This showed that art is rather subjective because I was highly unamused by the changing leaves and the dying flowers, it was simply too generic for me.

In hindsight, this trip to the arboretum was definitely one worth making. Even though I complained about it being cold the entire time, I definitely enjoyed it. How many times do you get to walk around and experience the beauty of your campus during class time? Not often if you ask me, so I am very thankful for the opportunity, because sitting in a class get very old very fast. I am also thankful that Penn State has such an awesome campus! I probably never would have made a trip over here had it not been for this class, but I think that I might actually go back! (Once it gets a little warmer) It was a great trip to make for such a great class!