Thursday, November 10, 2011

My Heart is Breaking



We are… sad.
We are… grieving with the families and the victims.
We are… brokenhearted.
We are… trying to make sense of things.
We are… confused.
We are… over 94,000 students strong.
We are… ranked among the top 15 public universities.
We are… the largest student-run philanthropy in the world.
We are... over 8,500 top-ranked faculty.
We are… hard working student athletes in many sporting events with NO connection to former events.
We are… more than 2 university officials and 2 athletic department members.
We are… more than this scandal.

WE ARE PENN STATE. We have always been more than just a football team.

As a graduate of Penn State University, I can't even begin to express my heartache at what has occurred. I feel sadness, disgust, betrayal, outrage, and so much more. However, despite everything, I am still a Penn Stater. With so much attention being paid to the horrific things that have happened (and rightly so!), I worry that people will forget that Penn State is more -- much more -- than these incidents. There are so many good people out there who are affiliated with this university who "do the right thing" every single day of their lives.

My heart goes out to all of the victims and their families, and I can't even begin to understand the pain that they are feeling. I hope that they find some sense of comfort in knowing that so many people are praying for them.
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9 comments:

  1. bermudaonionNovember 10, 2011 at 9:22 AM

    My heart goes out to everyone at Penn State - this is such a tragic situation. Once the media leaves town, things will die down and you'll find a new "normal". I know this from experience. People won't forget these events, but they won't be the first thing they think of when they hear Penn State after things settle down.

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  2. StacieNovember 10, 2011 at 9:55 AM

    Well said, Julie!

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  3. Sandy NawrotNovember 10, 2011 at 1:08 PM

    One of my best friends, who is an alum, and I had a long conversation about this very thing this morning. I hurt for everyone involved. People have short memories though, after awhile they will be focused on the next scandal.

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  4. UnknownNovember 10, 2011 at 1:17 PM

    It's awful. These coaches and administration have failed their students, alumni, athletes, and fans. But these individuals do NOT define Penn State. Hold your head high.

    A good friend, and PSU alum sent me this link, I thought you might like to read it, especially going into the weekend:

    http://www.offtackleempire.com/2011/11/8/2547485/an-open-letter-from-a-buckeye-fan-to-penn-state-fans

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  5. Julie P.November 10, 2011 at 1:20 PM

    Alison,

    Thanks for the link. It definitely brought some tears to my eyes.

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  6. Beth FNovember 11, 2011 at 5:47 AM

    Just a sad, sad situation.

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  7. SuziQoregonNovember 12, 2011 at 2:46 PM

    Such a tragic situation that is hurting so many beyond the obvious victims. The actions of a few do not define the Penn State family as a whole. There are plenty of us out here who know that.

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  8. Julie P.November 12, 2011 at 3:01 PM

    Thanks so much SuziQoregon. It has been a very sad week.

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  9. AnonymousNovember 16, 2011 at 9:32 PM

    It's too bad that so many people at the university failed the victims, but from what we're hearing now the police also failed. It's terrible thing, but Penn State is a great school and they'll do what they need to to make things right.

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