It is no surprise that Penn State's perseverance shines through THON. Annually, the Penn State community (including all branches) come together to raise money during both semesters up until about the second week of February. After that, it is time to dedicate fourty-eight hours to our idols: the kids. Penn State is well-known for its triumphs after a downfall. I think that this past weekend (February 17th 2012) was the example of the utmost incident in which we should pride ourselves on after the Penn State community was hit with the Sandusky scandal and the public opinion that followed.
That scandal definitely affected our spirits and organizations' canning experiences. In other words, PSU was not so popular in the public's opinion. The Overall THON Chairs had to keep their spirits high because organizations such as mine looked up to them. We also had to face another set-back: a freshman dying during the second canning trip. This forced all organizations to attend mandatory canning-workshops. If members in that organization did not go, they would be forbidden to go canning. This was to ensure safety canning measures but it had an effect on the overall attendance of people canning each weekend. I know it affected my THON committee. Another set-back was the cancelation of the third canning weekend. Many sponsors pulled out, and so did some applicants. I am THON Chair of the Black Student Union and I know all of these factors put a dent in our total.
As THON weekend approached, I was actually fearful that 2012's overall THON total would decrease. But the very moment I stepped my foot into the BJC I noticed PSU's dedication. I felt our spirit as a school and automatically felt connected. We motivated one another; to not sit, to not feel tired, to not fail one another. It was then that I realized that through PSU's downfall, we were able to triumph. The simple things give Penn State joy I.e a child's smile, their funny dances, a family's story, and so much more. We are a very humble University. There were over a 100,000 spectators, over a dozen performances, a couple dozen families, over a hundred dancers, yet one Bryce Jordan Center. We are in our Daily Collegian, all over the news, on facebook, on twitter and for the first time in months, the world saw "us" as the true Penn Staters we have always been; pioneers through our struggles. Then I think, over $10.6 million big ones, yet only one school that could produce such results. WE ARE...you know the rest.
Unfortunately,I was not able to attend THON this year but I heard of how magical it was and I agree with you, THON put a good image back on our school. I think that once we had fallen to the ground after the Sandusky scandal, we got right back up and worked harder than ever - which is very admirable in my opinion. Now that we have good media headlines, let hope that doesn't change again with State Patty's Day approaching this weekend!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that THON is one of the best ways to project a good image of the school. More events like this one would present to the media the true image of Penn State. At the same time, I worry that the upcoming "State Patty's Day" will be an event that may not put the school in the best light. The circumstances that the school and students are in is unfortunate, but with the Sandusky scandal still in the public's eye, it is important to present the best image of the school that we possibly can. I believe the response by many of the bars in State College to close down or not serve alcohol was a positive step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteTHON was definitely the one thing that showed who Penn State truly is. I know where you're coming from when you say that Penn State's image was hurt because of the Sandusky scandal because while I was out canning I also had to listen to hear some rough comments about that here and there. It is incredible though that even after all the different hardships that our school went through this year, we were still able to pull out strong and raise about $10.6 million.
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