Beaver Stadium Fantasies
by Jason Bundy
After reading “Beaver Stadium Nightmare” with my classmates this semester I was stunned and very upset. I felt ashamed knowing that people could come my school and be treated in such a horrific fashion. I felt genuinely defeated. Being married interracially myself I believe that couple could very easily have been me and my wife.
However, I was quickly comforted by the outrage of my classmates. It was a strange sensation. Being able to experience their genuine anger let me know that I wasn't alone. I realized something very profound had taken place.
Most of my classmates are white. Their rage signaled to me that most good people (as I know my classmates to be) find this type of behavior offensive and deplorable. In other words, they feel the same way about it that I do. Ironically, an experience of bigotry actually helped affirm my ability to identify with my classmates. I felt closer to them after that experience than I would have if we did not learn about it together.
There was more good news to come. My classmates and I got very excited about centering our final project around this incident. This experience motivated us to all come together and make an effort as a team to engage our community. I don't know that if it hadn't been for the “Beaver Stadium Nightmare” letter that we would have all been motivated to work on one project.
We decided that as part of the project we would make a video about the importance of sportsmanship and character. We're hoping that the athletic department will use it to dissuade people from behaving inappropriately at sporting events. So not only did I grow closer to my classmates through this whole experience but I got the opportunity to work on a great project that excites us because it confirms what we do believe in and what we are about. That's not to mention a group of us got to meet Joe Paterno. Hatred never wins. I was pretty sure sports fans already knew that. But we've got no problems reminding everyone.
When I go to games to cheer on the home team I feel like just another member of the student section. If I don't blend in with the crowd, no one's ever told me and I probably wouldn't believe them if they did. I've never seen myself as a black student at Penn State and I love white outs! That's an experience everyone who watches Penn State athletics should have. We are all entitled to live out our own Beaver Stadium fantasies.
"You must be the change you wish to see."- M. Gandhi
Welcome to Engaging State
WELCOME,
We the class of CAS 222 Foundations of Civic and Community Engagement have come together to create a public webpage/forum for the Penn State community. Over the course of the semester we have discussed many aspects concerning why civic and community engagement is so important when it comes to getting the public involved. Without informed citizens partaking in community involvement; rights such as, voting, free assembly, and free speech would be useless. It has become very evident to our class since reading A Beaver Stadium Nightmare that we needed to apply our knowledge and passion so that we can help better the Penn State community as a whole. Not only by making a public space for the students, but also for the community of State College including teachers, parents and residents. We have provided a space where all of State College can visit and participate in events and activities as well as share their thoughts on each subject. We feel this forum will add a since of unity, pride and gratefulness.
Included in this web space is information on a wide range of events, projects and blogs for the community to get involved with.
These different aspects include a community garden, a public awareness blog, and public interviews to raise awareness of sportsmanship.
We also wanted to enhance our public with knowledge about sportsmanship in the Penn State community after we read the letter published in
the Centre Daily Times as an article entitled “A Beaver Stadium Nightmare." We also learned that Penn State fans were ranked the 7th worst fans
in a recent issue of GQ magazine. We felt this didn't reflect the best of Penn State, and we wanted to change things around. Therefore, some of
our classmates thought it would be a good idea to video record students and athletes while asking them about their experiences (on and off the field)
dealing with sportsmanship and what Penn State pride meant to them. We also had the great opportunity to speak with Coach Russ Rose and Coach
Joe Paterno to get their ideas as well. The video enriches its viewers with a sense of sportsmanship that the entire Penn State Community deserves to see.
The Civic and Community Engagement class forum includes a letter written to Mrs. Baker to express our reactions to the Centre Daily Times' article, our desires to encourage student discourse, and our sincere apologies to Mrs. Baker. While writing this letter, we found it difficult to accurately put our thoughts and intentions into words, partly because we did not know how Mrs. Baker would react. Currently, after many hours of deliberation, the letter exists in a final form and has been sent to her. It begins by addressing Mrs. Baker and mentions her letter to the CDT. Next, the letter links Mrs. Baker's experience and our reaction to public discourse, applying what we had learned in the class. The letter mentions what we have been doing as a class, such as our video and web space. We hope this letter will find her well.
Our class encourages all individuals to read the letter and discuss with other students on campus how we can work together to help better the Penn State Community."As a class, we would like to work forward and we ask that others contribute ideas to assist us in working forward to uphold our name “HAPPY VALLEY”. We hope to sustain our efforts through this web space and video.
As you can see there is a wide variety of activities that are accessible to the State College community that will not only benefit you for becoming an informed and active citizen, but also will benefit the community for the common good.
For more information about, CAS 222 Foundations of Civic and Community Engagement, please visit the Penn State webpage at http://bulletins.psu.edu/bulletins/bluebook/university_course_descriptions.cfm?letter=C&courselong=CAS%7c222%7c201011FA
Please take the time to explore our webpage and feel free to add your own community involvement because every step forward helps to make a better Future! Thank you for visiting our web space!
Sincerely,
The spring 2011 class of CAS 222
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