Penn State Essentially Says “Our Bad”
Remember that “Worrisome Veteran” video that has generated so much controversy? The University finally released a statement regarding their P.R. snafu last night:
The university released a statement Thursday saying that the video wasn’t intended to stereotype veterans as worrisome students. It also says the video was cleared by “a number of focus groups that included veterans and no one indicated offense at the content.”
“Unfortunately, in our efforts to also highlight in this video the potential services that are available to veterans, the portrayal of the student as a veteran may be viewed by some as unfairly stereotyping members of this important constituency,” the statement reads. “Penn State sincerely regrets any misperception.”
It’s good that Old Main is doing some damage control, but they still haven’t made it clear how exactly this was supposed to help anyone. Unstable students capable of violent action are a concern for any university, but generically-scripted training videos aren’t going to prevent tragedy from happening. Let’s hope next time they keep the purpose of training material in mind.
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Gorman Abruptly Resigns
Head coach of the men’s soccer program Barry Gorman unexpectedly announced his resignation Monday. He leaves a legacy of 22 years of coaching and three Big Ten titles in his wake. Citing “personal reasons,” he has left the team to a nation-wide search for his successor.
“We expected Gorman to be there,” [rising Senior and Co-Captain Andres] Casais said of next season. “He was a father figure to us.”
Oof, that can’t feel good. The move isn’t completely out of the blue, as Gorman was periodically absent during the past few weeks without notice. But from all accounts, his intention to resign was only revealed yesterday. On the abandonment scale, this registers just slightly above “going to the store for some cigarettes and never coming back.”