If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Those who went to Penn State know Penn State. It's time make sure that the world knows the real story about our school. One that respects our past, responds to our failings and restores our cherished reputation.
Accusations that one of the most powerful American Zen Buddhist figures of the past half-century has sexually harassed, groped and bullied hundreds of female students have unleashed outrage in the Buddhist community.
My dad truly loved and respected Paterno. But beyond that he loved Penn State. He still wears his navy blue colors and will forever cheer on his team.
Novak Djokovic, bidding for a record third straight Australian Open title, has reached the semis. He'll face David Ferrer.
The ESPNs of the world have made "character" an attribute of athletic worthiness every bit as important as how fast someone runs the 40, or how far one can hit a baseball. In the process, the sports media complex has appropriated for itself the mantle of moral arbiter.
Not only is there an epidemic of child abuse in the United States, but there's an unabashed push back on those who try to punish the abusers and the accomplices who protect abusers.
Let's make the legacy of the Jerry Sandusky case not merely be listening to one more horrific tale of lives devastated by abuse as we await the next one. Rather, let the tragedy of this case make us ever more committed to ensuring abuse is prevented, and that those who are abused receive the compassionate care.
The NCAA's decision to forbid the school to play post-season games for the next four years is a move in the right direction. Better still would be to deny the team television coverage for a season or more.
Penn State may regain its national prominence and establish itself as the football power it once was and regain the integrity that everyone thought it had in the first place. In the meantime, let's give a little love to Kevin Wilson and the Hoosiers.
I feel for those who have given their lives to making the university a great place only to have the name tarnished in this way and it sucks for the current students and athletes, but what was the alternative?
I have an opinion, as a student at Penn State, that has gone unrepresented in the media coverage of students' reactions to the sanctions.
I agree with the NCAA's disciplinary decisions and would have supported even harsher penalties against Penn State. The NCAA's actions against Penn State send a clear signal and an important one.
For those who lead, teach, and work at colleges and universities, there are some lessons that we can learn from this difficult chapter in American higher education.
If lasting reform is to be implemented, Penn State will have to reign in the football culture itself. A daunting challenge, no doubt, but there are ways to do it.
The demolition of Joe Paterno's premature bronze tableau sadly exemplifies the peril of a certain kind of hubris.
In the old days (the last Olympics) the details of the Opening Ceremony would be a surprise. But with thousands of performers, each with a cellphone and Twitter account, nothing is secret any more.
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