Thoughts on the Penn State Scandal

           Overwhelmed. I cannot say it any other way right now. On Saturday in November I was sitting on my couch at home, away from school for the weekend, and my good family friend sitting in the chair next to me says, ”Did you hear about the allegations against one of the Penn State football coaches?” Confused and surprised, I responded that I hadn’t heard anything. At the time I did not realize that I would be returning to a whirlwind of chaos and the national limelight when I arrived back at Penn Sate. From Monday to Thursday I saw the headlines of national television become littered with my school’s name and the news vans seemed to multiply by the tens.

            Tuesday night of that week, thousands of kids ran to Old Main to rally. Rally for what? I could not tell you. Tuesday night turned into Wednesday, a major climax of the situation, because at 10 pm, idol and football coach Joe Paterno was fired. This time there wasn’t a rally, but a riot. As destruction, anger, and pain swirled like a tornado around campus, our reputation began to spiral downward. Text messages and emails began to pour in from friends and family asking about the not so Happy Valley. They kept asking me, “How are you? Are you safe? What’s going on up there?”. As I tried to respond to these questions, it hit me – How the hell was I supposed to know how I felt or what was truly going on up here?!

            So I played a zombie that week, following my normal routine but nowhere near conscious of what I was doing. I though Dave Housely said it perfectly. “We are emotional, angry, sad, confused. Not necessarily in that order. Or, the order is changing on a day to day basis, as new facts come to light and tough decisions finally get made…” I couldn’t talk to people about the issue because all of my thoughts and opinions would get jumbled together and even sometimes contradict them. I know that may not make sense, but the whole thing didn’t make sense to me! How could Penn Sate, with a shining reputation, be completely tarnished within days? I hated hearing the remarks from people on Facebook like “it’s a great day not to be a Penn Sate student” and others. “How dare they?” I thought. I loved my school and I was proud of it…at least I had been. The actions of the students at the riot embarrassed me. I think a lot of people lost sight of what was important in this situation. It wasn’t about football (don’t get me wrong, I love Penn State football). This whole thing was about the innocence of children harmed and destroyed -- One of the sickest crimes committed.

            Now as I think about it, I have so many feelings and opinions on the whole situations. I’m mad at all of the authority figures involved in the situation. They brought a great institution down because of their own selfish actions. On the other hand I’m angry and embarrassed of the students who made this about JoePa rather than the victims and the cruel actions of Sandusky. However, I’m proud of the other students who tried to turn Penn State around quickly by organizing the Blue Out and raise money for victims of child abuse and the candlelight vigil. Those things are the reason I love Penn State and they are the reasons I still have pride for my school.

            Now that I have had time to digest the situation it is clear that Penn State will have to slowly rebuild its trust and reputation again. I agree with Dave Housely’s view that for now things will remain unknown, which can be very terrifying as a student, faculty, or resident. My heart goes out to every victim of child abuse, and I hope that Penn State continues to stand together to support victims and rebuild the reputation.  

Kiss Me Kate!

             From the time I was in grade school through today, I have attended several live theatre performances.  My family and I used to make it a special night out, where we would go out to dinner and then go see a show at the small theater company called The People’s Light and Theater Company. These shows included The Jungle Book and Around the World in 80 Days. When I entered high school, I fell in love with our fall musical because of the superb performances that the Arts Program put on. Unfortunately, I could not attend the show Kiss Me Kate with the rest of the class, so I watched the film version instead.

            The musical-theater genre first caught my attention when I was in 6^th grade. We watched the movie of West Side Story and I was completely enchanted by the show. The various musical numbers like “I Feel Pretty” and “Tonight” stuck in my head for months and I loved how the story of the Jets and the Sharks was narrated by song. In addition, the dancing was like no performance I had ever seen. I would always become so easily mesmerized by the combination of song and dance that I would leave reality and enter into the story. As I got older I continued to find more musicals that caught my interest. I loved Rent for its soundtrack including “Seasons of Love” and “Light My Candle”. When I got to high school, the fall musical was always a very big deal, so I went to see it every year. My favorite performance of theirs was Jesus Christ Superstar because of its mix of 70’s rock with the Christian theme.

            Kiss Me, Kate did not measure up to my other favorites as well as I had hoped for. As each musical number came on I found myself waiting for it to be over and wanting to fast forward through the movie.  While the musicals I liked had more dramatic plots, Kiss Me Kate was more frivolous and comedic. Unfortunately, I found the humor hard to follow. I think my love for musicals has always been because of the music. Using catchy tunes and lyrics that narrate the story, I am pulled into the performance. In Kiss Me, Kate, I found it difficult to immerse myself into the story.

            I have never read Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, so I did not have a background on the story before. However, I did understand how they integrated the character, Kate, as the parallel to the Shrew when they call her a “shrewd” woman. While I cannot compare the Shakespeare literature and Kiss Me Kate, I can infer that the plot was well intertwined as Kate transforms from despising men to finally falling in love with her suitor, Bertuccio, which I would inquire as “the taming” part of the story.

            Although I was unable to attend the performance, I hope that I have another chance to experience the theater at Penn State. Live performances are always a completely different experience than watching a movie. While movies allow you to rewind and fast-forward, theater performances force the viewer to pay close attention to the plot while also using their own imagination to create the scene around them. My hope is that the theater performs one of my favorite musicals like West Side Story or Jesus Christ Superstar so I can hopefully enjoy the experience and be engaged. 

A Visit From Dave Housely

            “Am I in the right place?” I thought to myself as I opened the classroom door. I walked in Room 108 Chambers and sat down in one of the many empty seats. I had arrived early to make sure I had a seat but there was really no use because the room was empty. Silently, I sat and hoped that other people would show up. I didn’t want to be the only one there!

            This was my first time ever attending a “reading” before. Dave Housely was coming to Penn State to read some of his short stories and since Shelia said he was funny I thought this would be an enjoyable reading to attend outside of class.

            As I sat in the room people slowly stated to trickle in. I guess I was expecting a small stage or dark coffee house looking room where poets in berets get up and speak emotionally and everyone snaps their fingers when finished. This, however, was not the case at all. 

            First, Dave came in the room with his parents and friends and looked like any other guy. He was talking and laughing with them while trying to set up for his reading. I actually wasn’t even sure if he was the reader until he finally stood up in front of the room. Then he offered everyone a free copy of Barrelhouse, a literary book that he edits, which I thought was so. After about twenty to twenty-five people took seats in the classroom, Dave got ready to read.

            Unexpectedly, he was very engaging and talked to the audience very casually. For example, he asked us how we liked the lighting in the room and even asked us to name the “doucheiest male star” at the time so he could add him as a character in one of his stories. When he started reading I was surprised at how freely he spoke about sex, drugs, and cursing without awkward and cringing faces. I guess attending a Catholic school all my life really sheltered me from real life literary works. Although I did not understand the entire story, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Dave read. I felt that he had a dry sense of humor, which I always enjoy. He reminded me of a person who doesn’t realize how funny he or she actually is.

            After experiencing a literary reading, I cannot say I would go to listen to an author just for fun. Although now as I think about it, I might enjoy a reading by one of my favorite authors or someone I’m familiar with. I believe that being familiar with an author and his or her work helps one to be able to enjoy a reading experience more than with an unknown author. 

The Arboretum

            A beautiful haven for the natural world, The Arboretum at Penn State opened my eyes to all the good that nature gives to us. Although it was a chilly day, the place was full of life: plants, flowers, trees, bushes, and pumpkins filled the grounds giving off various aromas and great sights for the onlooker. As I walked along the pathways, made me feel calm and appreciative and awe-struck at nature and its beauty even at the end of a year of life (It is autumn time). It was the perfect place to immerse myself, to help trigger some ideas about what the definition of “art” is.

            One of the first things that came to my mind at the Arboretum was the use of all five senses. To look at the beautiful view I used my eyes, autumn smells filled the air, the touch of the pumpkins made my skin tingle, and the sound of the wind and birds was a soft hum in my ears. I realized that any type of art I could think of made use of at least one of the five senses.

            The overwhelming awe that washed over me at this natural haven was the basis for my next criteria. Art evoked emotion in a person. Whether it is joy, peace, or even sadness and anger, it caused a person to use their mind and feel something. Just like a beautiful song gives you chills or the taste of a delicious food makes you smile, the Arboretum made me feel at peace.

            As I struggled for a third piece of criteria for art, I realized that anything that was art started as a pure and simple idea. From that idea, it was made into something that could be observed with the senses, for humans everywhere to appreciate. Whether it is the beginning of creation, when God made the earth, or da Vinci’s “The Mona Lisa”, or the Arboretum at Penn State, someone took those ideas from their minds and made them real.

            As I have grown older, my appreciation for Art has grown fonder. I love listening to music that makes me feel deeply, and I could stroll in a park for hours and think about the beauty of view around me. Creating criteria for art has helped to realize why I find certain things so interesting and thought provoking. I like the emotions that artful things evoke in me and the different senses I use. Thankfully, art will never die, as long as they continue to fit the criteria.