THON is an incredible event. For 46 hours, we forget the differences between us Penn State students that divide us for 362 days a year, and come together for a cause that's just about as noble as it gets. It's inspiring enough before you even consider what actually goes on over the course of the weekend--the dancers refusing to sit or sleep, the BJC packed with supporters, and families and children getting one weekend to either just be a kid or to celebrate life. But that doesn't mean it's perfect, because, frankly, nothing is. THON as a charity might be above reproach, but the event can certainly be improved. We posed that task to the Onward State staff, who responded with a variety of suggested changes.
If you were one of the may students who were NOT at the March Against Raising Tuition yesterday, you're not alone. With roughly 100 participants, the rally could be seen as a total flop. But how? What went wrong? Aren't we all angry about the out of control debt the administration is forcing upon students? I'm sure no one wants to pay even more to attend Penn State, but why then was a march to address the issue poorly received? The answer is clear. We just really don't care.
As it becomes more and more likely that the University will see decreased state appropriations this year, as it has in years past, the University has set out to reduce costs. As part of Priorities of Excellence: the Penn State Strategic Plan, the University has begun taking a closer look at all of its academic colleges and campuses, looking to determine underutilized resources, as well as redundancies in the system. Most of this work centers on Strategic Plan Strategy 2.4: Consolidate Academic and Administrative Programs through Targeted Reviews. Strategy 2.4 outlines Targeted Review by stating that "rigorous program review provides a vehicle for elevating the strongest academic programs and most effective administrative units of the University, an opportunity to redirect resources from weaker programs, and a way to reduce redundancies and create greater efficiencies." To put it simply, the University is looking to reallocate resources in a cheaper, more efficient manner.
Legendary high school football coach Herman Boone, made famous by the Disney movie Remember the Titans spoke to a crowd of admiring attendees at Eisenhower Auditorium last night. The evening opened with the scene from the movie where Denzel Washington has his team run through the woods at 3am until they reach the battlefields of Gettysburg ending with a speech from the coach that would ultimately cause the union of a team divided.
This weekend, music played a huge role in keeping the 708 dancers energized and motivated to continue bumpin' and shakin' FTK. Instead of picking out a few good songs you could add to your pre-State Patty’s mixes, but have no fear, we’ll make sure you have a playlist for that later in the week.
In addition to working as Managing Editor for Onward State, I've had the pleasure of serving as a THON Technology captain for the past two years. My duties as a Technology Captain centered around the Pass System. The Pass System is used to control access to the event level of the Bryce Jordan Center during THON weekend, in order to maintain fire code regulations as well as to provide a reward to organizations based on their fundraising levels. Unfortunately, the system also necessitates that we limit the number of guests who have access to the floor. Because of the significant number of people wanting to get on the floor, long lines have formed historically on the concourse level of the BJC. Last year was plagued with some of the longest lines that THON had ever seen.
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