Home'scool Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Remember a while back when I posted "My Cautionary Tale" about the cost of sending my daughter to school? The school she really, really wanted to go to was Penn State. The campus was absolutely gorgeous, the academics are stellar, and the environment was very welcoming. After being accepted there we had to tell her we could not afford the tuition. I guess Penn State is known for not giving out a lot in aid or scholarships, and we were no exception. She was devestated. She cried for days. I felt so guilty. It was a very bad time for us. Now I am so relieved things worked out the way they did. I would be very, very nervous if she was going there in the fall. I do not know what the fallout of the Freeh report just released this morning will be, but I would be so worried right now about it affecting tuition, the environment on campus, and the future of funding for Penn State. They are now open to millions of dollars in civil suits due to the findings in the report. They may even have their football program shut down for some number of seasons, which will basically render the campus a ghost town. We still will be scraping up tuition every year, but it is at a school that she now cannot wait to start at, for a much more reasonable price, and without all the uncertainty that would come if she was going to Penn State. Sometimes it is funny how things work themselves out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I was glad to see the findings in the Freeh report. The cover-up and under-response is very typical from families to churches to schools, etc. It is SO GOOD that someone has put it in black and white how unutterably WRONG that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I was glad to see the findings in the Freeh report. The cover-up and under-response is very typical from families to churches to schools, etc. It is SO GOOD that someone has put it in black and white how unutterably WRONG that is. :iagree: So very sorry it took so long for this all to come to light, but there's no hiding from it anymore. I expect some sizeable settlements. I feel bad for the student body. So many are at risk of experiencing the repercussions of the administration's negligence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 The school she really' date=' really wanted to go to was Penn State. The campus was absolutely gorgeous, the academics are stellar, and the environment was very welcoming. [/quote'] It is indeed all of that. From the first time I stepped onto that campus, in the fall of 1993, when my then-boyfriend's parents took me along to visit him (a freshman at PSU), I loved the school. My time there was completely worth the multiple jobs I worked and the student loans I took out to be able to pay for it (back then, the honors program's scholarship made a huge dent; I think now it is not so much). DH and I loved our time there, and we loved taking our children back to visit. We've got a family time capsule of pictures from the Lion Shrine. One of our biggest concerns about possible job opportunities is that leaving PA would mean giving up in-state tuition for our children; we've always assumed that at least one of them would attend there, and we'd have been proud to have them do it. With all that has come out (and I haven't read the most recent report; I don't really want to know any more than I already do), I can say that our hearts' ties to the school have definitely been loosened. It makes us feel a ton better about any possible career moves that might take us elsewhere. Funny how that happens, but I understand your sentiments. I'm so glad your daughter is excited about her chosen school! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I'm sorry your daughter didn't get her "dream" but so glad she is enjoying the place she did end up. I can understand your feelings; I would be absolutely horrified if I had sent a child to PSU and then learned of how negligent the leadership was in allowing those crimes to happen and then covering them up for so long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 The events that have taken place and negligence of those who could have been more alert (should have been) have been heartbreaking. Sandusky should have been stopped at many points along his path by those entrusted with power and decision-making authority. I would still not hesitate to send either of my kids there, and am very excited to be sending a nephew off to University Park this fall. I hope the outside powers that be have the wisdom to focus any penalties on those who actually committed or facilitated those horrific actions instead of senselessly punishing generations of students, student-athletes, and members of the public across the entire state of Pennsylvania who benefit from PSU's many programs that assist people across all stages of life. My heart is broken for many reasons, first among them for the victims of this senseless monster who roamed free for too long. I hope steps can be taken that are proactive to help them heal, rather than steps that are senseless, not healing, and merely punitive to those who come after and who had nothing to do with what happened. Positive steps reap positive results. Despite all that has happened, I am still extremely proud to be a Penn State alum. I believe that as an institution, we will hear the criticisms and recommendations in the Freeh Report, respond beyond what has even been asked or demanded there, and set an example for other institutions so that these events need not be repeated elsewhere. Time alone will tell whether we succeed in this mission. It would be difficult to match a Penn State education anywhere else. I would still be proud to send my kids to Dear Old State. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I wouldn't want my kid to go there. The management of the school was complicate with a classic pedophile, I can only wonder who else was sacrificed to the gods of football. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I'm not concerned about the quality of the academics, and I think it's really, really unfortunate that fine professors may suffer from the actions of those at fault. But I am very concerned about the reputation of the name as a whole. I think some time will be needed to see what happens to the University's name in general. I like to think that prospective employers and such will look past the scandal and see the quality of the academics that are unrelated to the sports program, but I think we'll just have to see how it shakes out in the next few years. Right now, if my child were attending college, I'd be hesitant to send him/her to Penn State, but if in a few years, the world realizes that Penn Staters are indeed more than this, then I'll rethink things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.Balaban Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 In my sociology class a couple semesters ago, we discussed what possible implications this could have for Penn State. It could, potentially, bankrupt the school. They could lose their affiliation with Hershey Medical Center. I mean, really, I hope it doesn't go that way, I'm planning on transferring to the Harrisburg campus to finish my degree in a couple years, but you know, unfortunately, I don't think the punishment will be limited to just the guilty. So, we'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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