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tempts to define the "real" Penn State. Was it the orc-infested Mordor of its critics' imaginations, or the literal Hap- py Valley that its supporters would have the world believe? The latter definition, as you would expect, centers on philanthropic efforts like THON and the recent Pink Zone women's basketball game, whose pre- liminary total of $170,000 (the final tally hadn't been announced as of press time) will go to support breast cancer causes. In addition, the football pro- gram recently announced that it per- formed 1,900 hours of community service in the past year, a program record. There's something a little bit unseemly about using charity work as a shield against bad publicity, and for all its fundraising success, THON is not with- out its critics. Onward State recently did a story on THON nonparticipants, one of whom complained that "THON has become a status symbol. [It] has become so big that participation is competitive." Which may be true, but it's tough to ar- gue with a $13 million fundraising haul, and even tougher to argue with the $128 million that THON has raised for the Four Diamonds Fund since the event's inception in 1973. Still, the bigger problem lies in por- traying a single event or person as some- how representative of a massive institu- tion. Some of the students Olbermann attacked are using 3D printing technolo- gy to design a new generation of wind turbine blades, while others are building a lunar lander – the first-ever universi- ty-led mission to the moon. Meanwhile, some of the students who were packing the Bryce Jordan Center when THON's latest fundraising total was revealed were probably destined to end up face- down in someone's flower bed on State Patty's Day. People are complicated, and Penn State has more than 83,000 people enrolled in undergraduate programs spread across 24 campuses throughout Pennsylvania. It also has 13,591 graduate students, 8,976 faculty members, 34,500 employees and 583,000 living alumni. To claim that all those people speak with one voice on any topic – from the restoration of Joe Paterno's victories to the Berkey Creamery's tasti- est flavor – is unrealistic and unfair. Olbermann admitted as much when he tweeted an apology the day after his rant. It read: "I was stupid and childish and way less mature than the students there who did such a great fundraising job." That same day, ESPN took him off the air for the rest of the week. His suspension ended the confronta- tion between Olbermann and Penn State on an oddly familiar note. It had begun in January when he blasted the university and the NCAA in a "worst persons" segment on ESPN, disparaging the former for "the guilt that [it] and Paterno share" and the latter for dis- continuing its remaining sanctions against the program. If he'd left it at that, the heat would inevitably have died down and everyone would have gotten on with their lives. But instead, he extended his dragnet to include Penn State students and graduates, and in so doing, he made the same mistake the NCAA did, attacking the entire institu- tion rather than focusing on the specific failures that led to a tragic outcome. And like the NCAA, he ended up having to backtrack. Nittany Lion fans jumped all over Ol- bermann following his initial comments, but the Sandusky scandal remains a flashpoint nearly four years later. It's unreasonable to expect the national sports media to withhold comment when Penn State is back in the news, as it will be again if and when Graham Spanier, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz face trial. It's not unreasonable to expect those commentators to stay on point. Penn State's students didn't cause the scan- dal. Nor did its graduates or its season- ticket holders or its subway alumni. They shouldn't be attacked for cheer- ing on their school, just as the stu- dents, graduates and fans of every oth- er school do. They shouldn't be used to score points in a nonexistant competi- tion to see who can express the most outrage. ■ 111 E. Beaver Ave s State College, PA 16801 www.The-Phyrst.com 814.234.4406 137 Elmwood St. s State College, PA 16801 www.HappyValleyBeer.com Wood-fire Grill 12 Beers on Tap 200 Year Old Barn 821 Cricklewood Dr. s Toftrees, State College www.AmericanAleHouse.net 814.237.9701 s Piano Bar s Sommelier 814.238.1406 814.234.7700 s 1611 Atherton St. s State College 814.941.7788 s Plank Rd. Exit s Altoona www.ChampsSportsGrill.net s Best Game Bar s Large Groups Welcome c lc e W e s p u o r G e g r a L s a e B m a st G e B s S n S h 1 A 1 6 1 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 me co r a l l C S r G s rt o p S s p m a h C . www s t i x . E d k R n a l P s 8 8 7 7 1. 4 9 . 4 1 8 S s . t n S o t r e h t 1 A 1 6 1 s 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 t e n . l l i r na o o t l A e g e l l o C e at t S

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