There have been a number of diaries about the sexual abuse scandal at Penn State as well as a great number diaries about the riot at Penn State after the firing of Joe Paterno. What I haven't seen any diaries about is the response from the student body that actually represents what Penn State is really all about.
In response to the scandal, the student body at Penn State held a massive candlelight vigil in front of Old Main, the oldest building on campus that holds the administration offices at Penn State. You can read more about it here. The lawn in front of the building was filled with thousands of students holding candles in support of the victims of this horrible abuse; victims that seem to have been all but forgotten amongst the stories about Joe Paterno, the opinion articles calling for an end to the football program, and the comments claiming that our future is in peril because some drunken idiots rioted in Beaver Canyon. (Side note: I just got a tweet noting that 1/44 of the student body was involved in the riot and that 1/4 of the student body was involved in the candlelight vigil.)
And the true meaning of "We Are" is also on display online. A grassroots alumni organization sprang up after the scandal broke. In less than forty-eight hours, over $230,000 has been raised for The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. And that number is still going up. The goal is to raise at least one dollar for every single living Penn State alum (about $577,000).
I bring all of this up because I feel like the media, as usual, is focusing on the big names, the violence and the ignorant actions because it sells ad space. People are focusing on individual parts in order to support their viewpoints and ignoring the fact that the Penn State community, like any other community, has people who don't represent what the community's values are. I just want people to know the Penn State I know; the Penn State that made me who I am today. We are heartbroken. We are disappointed. We will strive to make this right. And we (still) are Penn State.
7:19 AM PT: Update 1: It's now gone to over $240,000 for RAINN.
9:13 AM PT: Over $250,000 now. Keep up the good work!