The Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal that rocked Penn State University and football fans across the nation culminated this week in an unprecedented fine of $60 million against the school and severe sanctions for the Division I football program. The Nittany Lions are banned from the postseason for four years, will lose 20 football scholarships a year for four seasons and had 14 seasons of football victories from the late coach Joe Paterno vacated.
There's been no shortage of commentary on the issue: Was the NCAA too quick to make the decision? What will it mean for football? What does it mean for the legacy of Paterno?
But there's also the issue of how the Penn State community will now come together. Alums have responded in force, tweeting, posting photos and defending their school – not for the actions that occurred – but to show the rest of the world they won't let this scandal be their school's best known chapter.
Some have posted photos with the "WE ARE" Penn State chant but somewhat altered. One said: "Don't let people who don't know who 'we are' ... tell us who WE ARE." It has been a rallying cry of sorts, joining together alums from long ago with recent graduates. Many have been tweeting with the hashtag #WeAreAndAlwaysWillBe. Groups on Facebook have been created so alums and current students can share their views, including one called "We Are (still) Penn State."
"This is a group dedicated to healing the scars of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, recognizing and honor the victims and rebuilding the reputation of Penn State University and its football team as one of the premier institutions of higher learning and athletic tradition not only in the country but in the entire world," the group's page said. "We still believe that 'Success With Honor' is who we are, and that Coach Bill O'Brien is the best man to carry on that tradition on and off the field. The actions of an evil man and those that enabled and apologized for him do not define us, and it is our responsibility to write the next chapter in the history of Penn State."
Patterson Weaver, a lawyer who graduated from Penn State in 2001, posted a lengthy note on Facebook describing how he cannot reconcile what happened with the school he knows. Weaver said the world should know the actions of the few responsible should not define the culture of the university as a whole.
Weaver has given CNN permission to post his note in entirety below:
"Apparently, Sports Illustrated will run a cover this week that reads 'We Were Penn State.' Sports Illustrated and so many others clearly have no understanding of who We are. As a second-generation Penn State grad, I have grown up idolizing Penn State, Joe Paterno, and the excellent institution of higher learning that Penn State was, is, and will always be. I am one of hundreds of thousands that consider the Penn State community something unique and special. This goes beyond a football field. This goes beyond school pride. The culture at Penn State, in no small part because of Joe Paterno, taught all of us how to be better people, better friends, and better members of our families and our community.
"So how do I reconcile that with the allegations that a few individuals, including Joe Paterno, remained silent about the terrible actions of Sandusky? Honest answer is I can’t. The allegations do not gel with what each of us learned from our university, and yes, from Joe Paterno. Penn State has always been a beacon of how to do things the right way. Of putting academics and building quality young men and women ahead of fame and wins. I cannot reconcile these allegations with the culture that helped mold who I am. The culture that helped teach me that success is only sweet when done right. That a loss with integrity is better than a win without it. That who we are as men and women is more important than fleeting glory. I cannot reconcile what people are saying of my school with the school I lived and experienced.
"But then, that’s how I know that Penn State is what we all know it to be. The apparent actions of a few individuals were tragically void of ethical wisdom or compass. But they are not Penn State. I am Penn State. We are Penn State. All of us. The hundreds of thousands that have become better people because of our school and the unique community it fosters. I find it sadly amusing that the NCAA handed down such unprecedented sanctions partly to, apparently, try to change the culture at Penn State. Clearly they know nothing about the culture at Penn State.
"But they are not alone. The media and social media frenzy that has arisen around this tragedy contains a shocking amount of glee and venom. For years many from rival schools and society generally despised Penn State and Joe Paterno for building our reputation on the motto Success With Honor. For being so squeaky clean and selfless that the football team did not even put individual names on its jerseys. They looked at Penn State with disdain, as self-righteous and egotistical. This tragedy is exactly what they have hoped for. With glee they can point at the tragic moral misjudgments of a few individuals as supposed proof of a fundamental character flaw of the community as a whole. With delight they can scream from the rooftops, tearing their robes, that the whole university must be punished, that they must be made an example. And with their own self-righteousness, the NCAA demonstrated their moral superiority by acting as judge, jury, and executioner in handing down sanctions so unprecedented that, some say, they will not only spell the end to the football program as we know it but to the prestige and pride of the whole school.
"These individuals seem to want us alumni to stand on the highest hills, screaming in anguish as we rip and tear our degrees into a thousand pieces, burning our Penn State belongings, and then burying ourselves in the mud in shame as we screech, weep, and wail about how we must repent for attending such an institution, how we were once Penn State, once unique and admired, but no longer.
"But we won’t. The actions of a few do not define us. The knee-jerk reactions of others will not end us. Our school taught us more than organic chemistry and music theory. It taught us to persevere. To overcome. To succeed – with honor. That is who WE are. That is what WE are.
"On September 1, Penn State will play its first game of the season against Ohio University. I wish I could be there. I wish I could hear what the world will hear. The earth-shattering cries of more than a 100,000 people, echoing from Erie to Scranton, from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, of WE ARE PENN STATE. The cheer will not be merely for football. It will be for all of us. It will be a declaration that we are more than this tragedy. That we will not go quietly into the night in despair and shame. That we will improve, overcome, persevere, and excel – with honor.
"So to those so gleeful over the tragedy and the repercussions that have befallen Penn State, to those that so happily write us off as defeated and finished, to those that want to discount and disparage our pride, tradition, and principle of Success With Honor, I have bad news.
"WE ARE, AND ALWAYS WILL BE, PENN STATE."
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After all this, they still do not get it!! Why don't they think about the victims instead of themselves. DISGUSTING!!
Hey @Carlo, why don't you go whine to those poor boys who were molested and can never ever get their lives back!
It must feel great circle jerking with so many like minded people about those victims. There aren't nearly enough people voicing their concern for me already, thank you for filling in the gap!
They still don't get it. EVERYONE is responsible because of the atmosphere created at the university. The atmosphere was not created by a few individuals, it was created by the "We Are" mentality.
Are you a student or alumni of a major college powerhouse in any sport? It's not like that only happens in State College... you're just proving that you are completely clueless to how ALL powerhouse programs are.
Balderdash.
How stupid you sound. Poor ethics of a few caused this crime, not the pride of those who went there.
How do you know? Have you been there or are you simply making a statement based upon what the media has written? It's not our culture - that's the point. These horrible acts were made by one man. One man ruined lives. And, 4 men at PSU (among countless others within the entire state of PA) didn't stop him. But, they don't define the PSU culture and if you knew anything about it, you'd understand it.
As much as im against the we mentality im very much in disagreement with what you've posted here. You cannot attribute the actions of a few to many. He had a choice.
Amen, @beancounterz!
beancounterz,
It's like asking the Catholic hierarchy to repent for their cover up of child abuse. An impossible task. They'll point out to all the good things that the Chuch has done over the years to rationalize things, as doing good, even a lot of good, were incompatible with creating a power structure that protects criminals engaging in abusing the most vulnerable of all. The NCAA has done its job beautifully. However, just as the Catholic Church is still in denial today with respect of the evil caused by the power structure it created, I anticipate that Penn State and its community of alumni will live in denial for a while about the horrors its power players (Joe Pa, etc) facilitated for that long period of time. Rationalization is a very powerful form of self deception.
No, it's like blaming the religion of Catholicism for the immoral acts of those at the top, and saying to every practicing catholic that "you just don't get it", that you are responsible for the actions of a few, and telling every practicing catholic that they are part of a evil cult because they still practice that religion. My g-d people, do you really think that if it came out in 2001 that Jerry Sandusky had molested a child, that the Penn State alumni, teachers, students, parents and fans would have said "It's a shame no one covered this up, because this will really affect the football team..." It's absolutely absurd, but that seems to be what you are saying.
Whether or not these students knew about what was going on or actively participated in it, they still benefitted from the coverup. The football program made PSU famous – it's what brought the students and the scholarship money and the wealthy contributors in, not the academic programs. PSU is, was, and always has been about football first and academics second.
This is the culture the NCAA is trying to dismantle, not this "WE ARE PENN STATE" garbage. They're trying to end the code of silence, and say that no more will people be allowed to benefit from the silencing of victims, as every PSU graduate since Paterno first found out about Sandusky has done. Whether you knew about it or not, you still reaped a benefit from their pain.
That's what you should be sorry about. The fact that you're more worried about your precious "culture" than about the fact that it was built on those children's pain is disgusting.
I;m sorry i just have to point this out. The NCAA did nothing but build and make the "WE ARE" culture stronger. One of the best ways to create a culture like that is to attack a group of people and blame them for stuff. When a group feels left out in the rain by others they turn inwards and depend on themselves. (Which is what the "WE ARE" culture is.) And if your reading this and thinking bull cr*p, my case and point in North Korea. The world attacked them and then imposed sanctutions on them. There leaders told them that they had just themselves left to depend on and everyone else wanted to kill them. So the country puts up with a god-king ruler because they have no one else to look. Thats all the NCAA did here. They insolated the colledge and forced it to turn inwards for support, which will only grow the "WE ARE" culture.
And you know all of this how genius? What happened is unforgiveable and undisputed in its horor for those kids. But for you to pontificate like you know the reasons it did shows that stupidity knows no limit. Penn State pride started long before this mess happened. That's what he's talking about. You'd know that if you were ever around something like it. Guess you missed out on that.
DC 1973 – You are so far off base. To say the average student benefited from this is crazy. To say the football program is all that attracted students to PSU is a stupid comment at best. There are thousands of students that never attended a football game and did not even like football. My son has two friends that graduated with electrical engineering degrees from the Harrisburg campus. Never attended a game and got good jobs after graduation last year. Was football big to many students, sure. But it was just as unimportant to many others.
the only thing the NCAA is doing is CYA
This is exactly the problem with Penn State. The head football coach should not be setting the tone for an entire university. I get it, Penn State is a mediocre state school in the middle of nowhere. Football teams coached by Joe Paterno is the vast majority of the national attention you got. You put this one guy on a pedestal and created a cult of personality around him and a sports team. And everyone, even the University president, deans, and board of trustees deferred to him so much that they didn't deal with a pedophile because he didn't want them too. Sorry, you lost the respect that football team gained you in the public eye. Now you have to rebuild on actual substance, like becoming good at something academically related. That is the real mission of a University anyway.
Mediocre? Please so some research. It's an exceptional school? From where did you graduate?
MIT. I never hear Penn State mentioned for academic reasons. Not like Michigan, the Univeristy of California system, Umass, UVA, UT, or even Wisconsin. Penn State is just another generic state school as far as academics go. Time to look into that, Alumni and board of Trustees
Shaggydog, Penn State is not a mediocre school. It is highly ranked worldwide. It is in the top 10 in many academic categories. It is one of the most heavily recruited schools for hundreds of employers. Students come from all around the world for advanced degrees in engineering from PSU. I have an engineering degree from PSU. They don't just give them out. You work hard for it. PSU engineering probably has one of the highest weed out rates of any school in the country. I had lots of classmates who thought they were doing fine for the first two years, going through the intro courses and the social sciences stuff, only to get slammed when the real engineering courses got underway. Many engineering instructors had unwritten orders to fail x% of students in certain core classes during junior year. Probably a third or more gave up engineering during junior year and switched to something else. PSU has many nobel laureates and other highly notable faculty. You don't get that by being mediocre. I tried to persuade my daughter to attend PSU, and would continue to do so if she had not decided to stay local. I would still recommend PSU today, to anyone. Shaggydog, you should know the facts before you call PSU academics mediocre.
Haha holy crap Shaggydog, where do you get your information?!
Also, if that were even a remotely logical argument, the state of PA's attorney general would have charged Paterno. I don't know if you noticed, but that didn't happen. He was cleared long ago.
According to US news and world report, not a definitive publication but a good indication of general ranking Penn State is #45 as a general university.
ok, but you insist the engineering school is top notch, it ranks #25. Not much to hang your hat on there.
I've been working as an electrical engineer now for about 12 years. I've got graduate degrees and work in design. I've worked with U Mich, UC, UT grads and interviewed candidates from all of the top programs. I've never worked with or interviewed anyone from Penn state, or ever heard anyone refer to their engineering program in any way, let alone voice respect for it. Maybe in a talent vacuum area in the midwest they are respected, but not anyplace I've been.
Take off your Penn State blinders. There are many places that are miles better than your college. You had some football success. That is going to be over for a while now. You and the other alums need to find something else to base your self-esteem on.
Eric, did you read the Freeh report. The AD Curley in correspondence with the VP Schultz discusses a decision they had come to with the president Spanier to notify police of the abuse allegations, but then says he has reconsidered after talking with Joe Paterno, who conveniently refused to use e-mail. Obviously the chain of command was backwards at Penn State. They took their orders from the longest tenured, highest profile person amongst them. This is why your University is getting the big hammer. It had it's priorities messed up, and you are either illiterate or have your priorities backwards as well.
It is really hard to believe anyone will actually want to attend PSU in the future. Wearing a Penn State sweater or shirt has become a joke. I don't see how the students still enrolled can walk the halls without hanging their heads in embarissment. Penn State is just a joke.
So by your (and lots of others as well) logic the United States should be shut down (or whatever else is suitable punishment for Penn State) because of the atrocities committed against Native Americans and slaves, etc?
I will. I am in high school and and still plan to go there. It is a great place and the country attacks what they don't know.
Mia – you are a joke for your post. A few people make some bad decisions you condemn the whole school that has over 100,000 students. My son is a PSU grad from a satellite campus. Never attended a class in State College. Is he to hang his head and burn his sweatshirts. Get real and grow up.
Penn State Nittany Liars! JoPa taught his family well. They are also in denial and refuse to admit how WRONG he was!
No way! A reasonable and well thought out comment on cnn, I thought I'd never see the day!
Gay has nothing to do with it, seeing as Sandusky is straight.
He was hardly "straight" since he picked on boys instead of girls. He was either bi or a closeted gay; I am more inclined to think about the latter.
Do some research and you will find out pedophilia has nothing to do with gender. It's power and control. Your statement is very ignorant.
Ummm. Follow the news much? He abused boys.
All universities should be more than their 'football teams' but you would never know it....not only is football glorification bad for the university but it is bad for scholars, alumni, and the players...they are the most cheated...FOOTBALL should be a professional sport....
When some of the victims were asked about their feelings, the first thing they said is we do not want to hurt Penn State......Why?...Unless you live the "WE ARE" you will never understand......!!!! I will be there on the Opener and will be one of the Proud "WE ARE".........
Pathetic!
Football cult member
Until these alums acknowledge the poisonous culture that dominates Happy Valley and that school, and work to change the emphasis on football, the only thing the rest of the world will think of is how that culture enabled a child rapist to operate for 14 years with not only impunity, but with the tacit support of the football program.
Just curious, with regards to this supposed culture you speak of, have you ever actually been to the school or are you just parroting what you've read elsewhere? As someone who has been to the University, this "football culture" is massively overblown. Are we passionate about our team? Sure. Did I pay attention to football on any other day that Saturday while I was attending the University (aside from the rare Friday night pep rally)? Nope, I had far too many other things going on, as did everyone else who attended the school (which, I might gently nudge you towards Life Magazine where Penn State was statistically rated as having the best athlete graduation rate).
In the end, I walked out of the university with a degree and a job at a Fortune 100 company who still very actively recruits from Penn State due to the quality of people the school generates. And aside from having one product line that is utilized in some stadiums, we have no connection with football or any other sport.
All current, past, and future students of PSU should be flayed and beaten for the actions of those 4 men. That will teach the masses that don't know evil is going on to stop said evil! /logic
Dumbest. Cooment. Ever.
Unfortunately, people will have to back down that is the proper thing to do.
Hey Derp the problem here is there were people that knew for years why didn't they do anything to stop this monster years ago,why DERP?
That ought to do it!
UMH! You must have seen "HOSTEL".