This past weekend students at Penn State completed the annual dance marathon for THON. The fund-raising project, which is completely student-run, raised over $13 million for the Four Diamonds Fund, which focuses on pediatric cancer.
That is not pitiful at all.
The 46-hour dance marathon includes non-stop music and performances, including appearances by members of the various clubs, fraternities and sports teams from around the campus. That includes the Penn State football players, who showed off some of their dance moves at one point over the weekend.
Today there is still a certain stigma about the Penn State community as a whole that is difficult for some critics to let go. The horrendous stain left from the Jerry Sandusky scandal in State College, the findings revealed to the public four years ago now, is understandably shocking even after all this time has passed. The way the university leadership handled the situation was appalling, and the reaction by a portion of the student body following the dismissal of former head coach Joe Paterno was not a flattering picture. The way in which Paterno is held in high regard by another fraction of the Penn State fanbase and community is also something not so comfortable for others to view. At this point in time, it is likely that nothing will change the way some people feel about Penn State, whether positive or negative.
Raising one dollar for a charity that focuses on pediatric cancer is awesome. A community getting together to raise $13 million is simply amazing, and those who say otherwise are the ones who are truly pitiful. If you want to rip on Penn State, its community and its fans, that’s fair. Some in that community make it far too easy to do just that. However, this is certainly a time to praise the positives of a community some want to hold a constant grudge against without giving a moment to consider there might be some good to come out of State College.
