You may have forgotten, but it was not long ago that the Big Ten formally announced it would look into expansion. The internet was abuzz at the possibility of a twelfth member, be it Notre Dame, Pitt, or even the recently gridiron-challenged Syracuse. Then things died down a little. Until today, when word got out that that member could be...The University of Texas?!
The Lawrence Journal-World reports today the Big Ten has had preliminary talks with Texas about joining the league. The Big Ten announced in December that it would actively explore the possibility of expansion during the next 12-18 months, but this is the first legitimate report of discussions with another institution.
While Texas wasn't even considered in our Big Ten expansion poll, it wasn't because the Longhorns wouldn't be a great addition to the conference. Quite the opposite - taking Texas from the Big 12 would be a nearly unbelievable coup. Not only would the Big Ten extend its reach into the South, but would get an athletics program with an incredibly impassioned fan base. While these are merely talks, it's encouraging that not only has the conference worked beyond an announcement of intent, it set the bar high in starting its courtship.
This evening Caitlin Zankowski, THON Overall Chair, emailed all Organizations' THON Chairs notifying them of some significant changes to the canning procedures for this weekend.
Because of the snow, all canning must be done in front of stores and other businesses. Any organization found violating these procedures will not have their canning total be credited to their organization, in addition, violators will see their pass lists revoked for the entirety of THON weekend. In the event of serious breaches of procedure organizations could have their total canning amounts uncredited, their dancers removed or their entire fundraising total uncredited.
I came across this article listing the 12 most valuable teams in NCAA football. The website, Business Pundit, collected opinion from various sports authorities about the most valuable teams and compiled them into a ranked list.
Penn State came in at 3rd place (under the Texas Longhorns and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish). But what caught my eye was the paragraph about Penn State.
Another highly valued NCAA football team with a rich history is Penn State’s Nittany Lions, said by ESPN to be the most valuable team in the NCAA’s Big Ten conference. ESPN reports that Penn State’s “team value is $99 million, and the program makes a profit of $50 million.” Its ranking as the third most valuable NCAA football team is a ten spot leap for Penn State from the last time rankings were compiled. Coached by the legendary Joe Paterno (who earns roughly $1.5 million per season), Penn State figures to continue its run as one of the most prosperous college football teams in the country for quite some time.
Do you agree with ESPN's opinion?? Either way, good for us! Go State!
The beloved associate dean of the Schreyer Honors College, Dr. Ozment, will be resigning from her post at the end of the semester, after seven years of service. Students and faculty alike are upset and worried by the news, questioning if the replacement of Doc Oz (as she is affectionately known) will be able to fill her shoes.
But Dr. Oz is handling it with the class and optimism those around her would expect from such a lady, saying, "Some people are panicking, and I don't think they need to panic...I have a lot of hope for who follows me in this role. Change is difficult, and when you get used to someone being there, it troubles people."
There has been little explanation surrounding Dr.Ozment’s leave. Read on to find out what the future has in store for her and Penn State.
Penn State has asked that a federal judge drop the lawsuit against several University police officers filed by Penn State Student Chris Ferry, one of the participants of the Mifflin Streak last year. He's suing for $150,000 in damages for a concussion he suffered after he was tackled by police during the streak, saying his shoulder never healed properly, a year and a half after the fact.
Penn State's reaction is appropriate; this suit is absolutely ridiculous. Ferry seems to be suffering from a case of green fever, and I don't think there's a judge in these United States who'd find him entitled to that heap of money. Seriously, Chris, what did you think would happen? The vast majority of streakers get leveled, either by a police officer or by, at a football game, for example, one of the players on the field, and the general public has usually applauded the tackler. Sorry that your shoulder had a few permanent effects from breaking the law. What did you think was going to happen? Even partially clothed, look what happens to this streaker at a Tampa Bay Rays game.
This shows that the trend is continuing that people think they can just sue for anything to get a large bit of extra cash. Penn State certainly has bigger fish to fry, and so does the federal justice system.
University Park beat Snowpocalpyse '10, there's no doubt about that. Roads were clear by early morning, classes continued as usual (although they were a bit sparser than normal). You'd think the resilience would make a country on the outskirts of depression Happy (as in the Valley). Quite the contrary emerged on Facebook, however. Chase explained what happened earlier this morning, but in short, some Facebook fans decided it was time to tell Penn State exactly how maligned it was for refusing to cancel classes yesterday.
What do you think? Did Penn State make the right call? Was yesterday's opening a slight against the safety of the vast Penn State UP community?