Thomas J. West Music

I was an undergraduate at The Pennsylvania State University from 1991 to 1998 (yes, that's seven years - I switched majors). I was a member of the Penn State Marching Blue Band from 1991 to 1995 and was along for the thrilling ride of the 1994 Rose Bowl season with the likes of Kerry Collins, KiJana Carter, and Lavar Arrington on the field. At Penn State, I had many opportunities to be a part of something larger than myself - something that was a positive force in the world. From the microcosm of the Alpha Zeta Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity to the 275-member Blue Band, I had a chance to contribute as an individual and an undergraduate to the indescribable legacy of Penn State.

On Monday of this week, the news broke in the early morning that former Penn State Varsity Football Defensive Coordinator Jerry Sandusky had allegedly molested young boys on campus property as many as ten years ago, and that reports of at least one of those incidents were passed from a fellow staff member to legendary Head Coach Joe Paterno, who followed protocol and turned the matter over to his superiors Athletic Director Tim Curly and University Vice President Gary Schultz. Those two officials allegedly covered up the situation. Sandusky has apparently been under investigation for three years.

This was weighty news for me and everyone associated with Penn State. The biggest news came last night at 11:00 PM when the Penn State Board of Trustees announced that University President Graham Spanier and Coach Paterno were no longer employed in their positions effective immediately. This set off a support rally at Old Main Administrative Building, the Nittany Lion Shrine, and set off a riot on Beaver and College Avenues in State College, resulting in the overturning of at least one TV news van and State College police calling in SWAT teams for dispersal.

Mainstream Media's Witch Hunt

American Mass Media collectively has, as usual, handled this story poorly on many fronts. They have made Joe Paterno's "fall from grace" the lead story rather than focusing on Jerry Sandusky's alleged crimes. The public outcry from the Penn State alumni is centering around the Penn State Administration's mismanagement of these events. The public outcry among current undergraduates is centering around a perceived injustice in the dismissal of Coach Paterno.

The pastor of my Catholic church is currently on trial for allegedly covering up child abuse cases when he was a clerk for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The case has gotten modest media attention. The pain this causes my parish is also moderate but already passing. Unlike the Penn State story, there are not 17 satellite trucks parked outside our rectory. Are those allegations any less severe? Is my pastor any less responsible? Again, the only person who knows for sure what transpired is he, and he's got his maker to face no matter what.

It's up to our judicial system to prove what these men did or didn't do. They represent us Penn Staters in parts of our lives we value, and we're all interconnected, whether you are a Penn Stater or not. Imagine if there was public outcry for every abused child. None of us will ever know what Joe Paterno did or didn't do about this situation - we weren't there. He has already made statements of regret about not doing more.

The students displaying their unwavering support of JoePa in destructive ways are most likely going to find themselves with a misdemeanor charge or two and be slapping themselves later for their naivete. As young adults in our American college culture, they are prone to rash, emotional actions. I have first-hand seen a student riot at a football game and fled the field hurtling a team bench in my band uniform as the student section rushed the field to try to rip down a goal post. Mob rule is ugly and more than dangerous.

The only reason that this child abuse case is getting so much coverage is because it is linked to our national heritage of football and to one of the oldest and most respected sports programs in the country. People love a good scandal, and the media likes to earn their living covering and exacerbating them.

Jerry Sandusky should be the center of this coverage. Period. Support for his alleged victims should be the order of the day, not the fact that Joe Paterno was fired.

(Humble) Penn State Pride

As an alumnus of such a great institution, it is difficult to stay centered emotionally on these events. Friends of mine are being called out by acquaintences for wearing Penn State sweatshirts or displaying the school athletic logo on their Facebook profiles, saying it's in "bad taste". There is no question that, for the near future at least, the name of the University has been sullied.

A friend of mine stated "I am wearing my Penn State sweatshirt for pride in the school and my fellow alumni, but not the administration or former athletic coaches. I want to hold my head high and say I am a Penn Stater. Is there such a thing as 'humble pride'?"

My reply:

Yes, there is humble pride. In my opinion, it's the only kind of pride worth having. Humble pride celebrates your successes without ignoring your failures. Egoic pride claims superiority where there is none.

I changed my Facebook profile picture to the Blue Band monogram because it is the largest, most publically visible way that my experience at PSU contributed to the collective ideals of the university.

Time will go by, and "JoePa's fall from grace" will be about as much of a taint on his legacy as Bill Clinton's indiscretion has been on his. Some questionable choices do not undo the fact that Clinton is a brilliant mind with decades of significant public service. Paterno's alleged lack of action is nowere near as personal or irresponsible as Clinton's choices, and Paterno's contributions to the public and his university are standing on campus in brick and mortar and in the hearts and minds of countless former players and students.

Humble pride is the way to go. As alumni, our current connection to the university is limited. We can only affect the current incarnation of the university by opening or closing our wallets and voting for our elected officials. What we are all feeling has something to do with the collective emotional idea of what Penn State is. It is something that is easy to take personally, because the university played an important role in getting us as alumni to where we are currently.

Joe Paterno represents so much to so many - longevity, success, integrity, work ethic, and philanthropy. No single human being is capable of living up to the expectations the public has placed on individuals like Paterno. The same can be said for positions like President of the United States - they are the public face of a very large body of people sharing a common heritage, pride, and sense of being. To see our leaders falter is difficult to reconcile.

Humans make selfish choices. They make assumptions based on their limited perspective. They allow complacency to create stress. That's every human being - including Univesity President Graham Spanier and Joe Paterno. I have interacted with Spanier in person, and know him to be a thoughtful and lighthearted individual. I was there when he began his tenure and when my fraternity made him an honorary member. It saddens me to see both he and Paterno end their association with Penn State in this way.

Dr. O. Richard Bundy, Director of the Penn State Blue Band, was quoted as saying "Now, more than ever, WE must be the representatives of Penn State. I have seen how bad this situation is, but I have also seen the many great things about this university. Do not let what's going on now tarnish the time and effort that you put into Penn State." My respect for Dr. Bundy surpasses my respect for both Spanier and Paterno by a magnitude, and as usual he has the right thing to say to Penn Staters at the right time.

Here is part of my legacy to the Penn State collective persona - the Penn State Marching Blue Band playing the Alma Mater:

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For the glory of old State,

For her founders strong and great,

For the future that we wait,

Raise the song, raise the song.

Sing our love and loyalty,

Sing our hopes that, bright and free,

Rest, O Mother dear, with thee,

All with thee, all with thee.

When we stood at childhood's gate,

Shapeless in the hands of fate,

Thou didst mold us, dear old State,

Dear old State, dear old State.

May no act of ours bring shame

To one heart that loves thy name,

May our lives but swell thy fame,

Dear old State, dear old State.

This article (c) 2011 Thomas J. West. All content on ThomasJWestMusic dot com is licensed under a Creative Contributions Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Please contact the author before publishing on or off-line.

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