Recently in Being Penn State Category

As part of our Being Penn State series on Speak Up, we are featuring voices from around the campuses addressing some of the significant ethical challenges we face as a community. We are also featuring stories about people who Stand Up, Speak Up, and demonstrate their willingness to take on leadership roles in actively addressing these ethical challenges. The following thoughts, contributed to us by Penn State student Matt Bodenschatz, provide an example of both. Matt brings a perspective to our current situation that many of us may not have considered at any length as as we have been coping in our own ways with all that has been happening here and how it has affected us. Whether you agree with everything he says or not, I hope you will take this opportunity to listen to Matt and that you will consider joining in the conversation he is inviting us to have.

Clearly, Penn State football is widely regarded here as something needing and deserving our defense, advocacy, and strident, active support. 

That support, in general, is fine, and is in keeping with proud traditions held dear in this community. But the crucial context of this poster campaign goes unremarked. The fuller set of facts it ignores goes unaddressed. This campaign of support is too specifically targeted toward one particular portion of our community, and it carelessly implies that their situation is the one most worthy of lament and sympathy. It's too conveniently neglectful of an entire population of people, of what that population has endured, and of what it was publicly promised (but has yet to get) from those around it. And a great many of us who comprise that population, the recipients up to now of nothing more than lip service, broken promises, and empty, unfulfilled commitments, see, feel and absorb this campaign in a much different way. 

During the first stage of our 'Stand Up, Speak Up' campaign, we worked with others around the university to compile a set of online resources on sexual violence and to identify areas where more resources are needed. These resources are now available on our website at: www.rockethics.psu.edu/StopSexualViolence. We hope that everyone at Penn State will make use of them, let others know that they are available, and point us to any additional resources you think should be included.

Last week, feminist author, blogger, and speaker, Jessica Valenti visited Penn State to give a talk on the importance of feminism for addressing problems of sexual violence. To those of you who aren't familiar with her work, Jessica Valenti is an outspoken advocate for women's health and reproductive rights, she has written several books on issues concerning today's women, she founded Feministing.com, and was named one of the Top 100 Inspiring Women by The Guardian, who also described here as "a pioneering blogger whose online activism dragged feminism into the 21st century".

I first became aware of her work in 2007, when she appeared on the Colbert Report to talk about her book Full Frontal Feminism, so when I found out that I had the opportunity to meet her and to do an interview with her for our Speak Up blog, I was, well, terrified. Fortunately for me and, even more so, for you, it turns out that she doesn't need a polished and professional interviewer in order to provide clear and insightful comments on the problems we face on college campuses and on the ways we can go about addressing them.

(The following contribution to the Being Penn State series on Speak Up is offered by Melissa Doberstein, Director of Penn State's Presidential Leadership Academy.) 



In Dean Brady's blog he discusses the meanings of these words in different aspects. I want to discuss what these words mean from my perspective.   

There are many definitions of honor. One could use it as meaning fairness or as part of a code  one adheres to. It can also mean respect. Also, it can be used as a behavioral description, 'to act with honor'. The word honor can bring about different feelings and shades of meaning for all of us as Dean Brady describes in his blog. For me, honor brings about feelings of respect. As I write this blog on September 11th, I have respect for those who survived the attacks and for how our country came together in the days, weeks, and months afterwards. I have respect for Penn Staters who came together during the vigil held at Old Main for victims of abuse. I have respect for what Penn State stands for: a world-class institution that educates students through teaching, research, and service. I cannot let what has happened over the last several months take away the respect I have for Penn State. I honor how students came together during this time. I can describe this as a feeling I have and what has given me the strength to be a part of the Penn State community.   

The following text was published on the Schreyer Honors College blog by Dean Christian Brady, Dean Brady has agreed to have us cross-post it here due to its relevance to the topics we are discussing on the Speak Up blog in our Being Penn State series. We provide it as an invitation for you to share your thoughts concerning what Penn Staters can and should be proud to be. 

By Dean Christian Brady

These terms have been bandied about with regards to Penn State a lot in the last few months. Penn Staters have always been proud of their school and the bedrock of honor and integrity upon which we often talk about it being founded. Recent events have, of course, caused such claims to be viewed as hollow at best and simply untrue at worst.