Topics

More

What is Blue White Rising?

If you’re on Twitter (and if you’re not, come on, what are you waiting for?) and follow any number of Penn State people, you’ve undoubtedly seen someone mention the newest account to hit the Penn State “twittersphere” — @BlueWhiteRising. The tweets all prompt you to go their website, BlueandWhiteRising.com, and sign up to, as they put it, “claim your seat in Blue and White Rising’s Digital Stadium where on January 1st the Penn State Nation will roar together at the same time to celebrate Coach O’Brien and our team.”

The founder of Blue and White Rising is Tony Bifano, a ’96 Penn State graduate and former Lion Ambassador. On his website, he states “Blue White Rising is an innovative new grass-roots community organization I founded to create a positive way for our Penn State community to both celebrate and proudly share with the world whenever a member of our family accomplishes something truly outstanding.”

Sounds cool, but what exactly is it?

Several other skeptics on Twitter noticed the same ambiguity, so I spoke to Bifano on the phone, whose Penn State pride is evident right away in his reflection.

“Our team and coach are great examples of what success with honor is all about,” Bifano said. “With Blue and White Rising, we want to identify and create moments of pride for people to share.”

Bifano explained that on January 1st, people who have signed up on the email list will be prompted to watch a 45-second video honoring Penn State and specifically this past season’s football team. Bifano hopes that people will then share the video on social media or via email – what he refers to as “roaring.”

Bifano says that he has consulted with over “200 of the most influential Penn Staters” to develop the project, which started out of an uneasiness with how information was disseminated from the university.

“There is so much information that flows out of our university and it can be overwhelming,” Bifano said. “It was clear that we didn’t have our own organized voice – and we needed a simple communication path for us to send a message together. This project is organizing our community and turning every Penn Stater into a powerful advocate for Penn State.”

Bifano says that this will be an ongoing project and that Blue White Rising will seek to put up new content to recognize Penn Staters who exemplify the very best of Penn State, or as he put it, “those who lead our community with success and honor.” He said new multimedia and content will be created and sent out “as needed.”

So, that’s that.

Your ad blocker is on.

Please choose an option below.

Sign up for our e-mail newsletter:
OR
Support quality journalism:
Purchase a Subscription!

About the Author

Kevin Horne

Kevin Horne was the editor of Onward State from 2012-2014 and currently holds the position of Managing Editor Emeritus, which is a fake title he made up. He graduated from Penn State with degrees journalism and political science in 2014 and is currently seeking his J.D. at the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. A third generation Penn Stater from Williamsport, Pa., Kevin is also the president of the graduate student government. Email: [email protected]

[Photo Story] Pro-Palestine Protesters March Through Downtown State College

Our photographers captured the pro-Palestine protest and pro-Israel counter-protesters as they took the streets of State College.

Penn State Football Looking For Faster Starts Offensively

“We are investing a lot of time in it, and we understand how important it is.”

How To Register To Vote In Pennsylvania As An Out-Of-State Student

Yes, out-of-state students can vote in Pennsylvania!

113kFollowers
164kFollowers
61.3kFollowers
4,570Subscribers
Other posts by Kevin

Hometown Brewery Releases Beer Honoring Evan Pugh

Penn State’s first president Evan Pugh was born in 1828 at Jordan Bank Farm, three miles south of the city center of Oxford, Pennsylvania, an hour west of Philadelphia in Chester County. One-hundred eighty-nine years later, an Oxford brewery is honoring one of the preeminent champions of “liberal and practical” higher education in the form of a delicious Porter.

Penn State Basketball Downs Colgate 72-59 In Front of Thanksgiving Eve Crowd

Why Honoring Paterno Still Matters