Recently in Advisory Board Category

On Monday, October 22, the Paterno Fellows Student Advisory Board met with Jack Selzer to discuss ideas for enhancing the program. Attending were Briana Adams, Sean Dooling, Laura Dzwonczyk, Coral Flanagan, Doug Smith, and Danielle Mackintosh.

First the Board gave suggestions for the meeting between first-year aspirants that was then coming up, and they decided that the Big Event for spring (based on voting by Paterno Fellows) would be an evening at the Broadway show "The Addams Family."

Then the Board discussion focused on ways to build the Paterno Fellows community:

• Can we find a way for Fellows to contact each other? A listserve?
• Is there a way that Fellows can be listed on the website, so people can see who's involved?
• Could the Paterno Fellows build on the SHC idea of allowing students to go to dinner with a faculty member, to discuss a certain topic informally?

Board members agreed to work together to suggest activities that would be purely for fun (e.g., a ski outing), perhaps among students in the same graduating class, as a way to encourage relationships.

Groups might also be created in order to provide group service opportunities. For example, there might be ideas for service over Spring Break that could even be supported with PF funding.

The Board members emphasized the need to get additional information to Fellows in junior and senior year to let them know what's expected.

We still are... hurt.
We still are... angry.
We still are... confused.

After talking with a number of my friends and classmates, it's undeniably clear that we still have no idea how to feel or how to react to what has happened in our community and what will happen to our community in the future. In search of some resolution, we've tried protesting and rioting. We've tried a peaceful vigil. We've tried to rally around one another for a sense of comfort and support. Yet I'm still not sure if any of us have found that stability or reassurance that we've been searching for.

One of the main reasons for this lingering sense of anxiety is that we have heard no clear answers. There's been a shroud of mystery hanging over the entire situation. We've received little to no answers or explanations from anyone at the university. Instead we've had to rely on the twisted reports of the news media and Twitter feeds in order to find out what is going on in our own home.

If only we could know some of the reasoning behind the actions of the board of trustees such as firing Joe Paterno and having Graham Spanier resign while Tim Curley kept his job during the past few weeks. If only we could ask the Board of Trustees or the administration just a few questions to help us make sense of this complicated mess.

And so, the Paterno Fellows Advisory Board would like to know your opinion on some of these issues:

For instance:
- What was your initial reaction to hearing about the scandal? How has your viewpoint changed has the situation has progressed?
- After going home for Thanksgiving, what impressions (if any) have you received from your home community about Penn State?
- If you could ask the Board of Trustees and/or administration one question, or get one issue of the scandal clarified , what would it be?

We ask that you give us your thoughts. Objectively, maturely, and most importantly, honestly.

And above all, always remember:

We still are... committed.
We still are... determined.
And We still are... going to set things right.
We still are... Penn State!
Thank you.

Last evening the Paterno Fellows Student Advisory Board shared their thoughts with me and Associate Dean Chris Long concerning the current crisis and how it might affect the Paterno Fellows Program.  The discussion was so wide-ranging that I cannot summarize it well--but I will try.  Attending were advisory board students Christine Theberge, Olivia Hoover, Nathan Hollister, Doug Smith, Brian Prewitt, Coral Flanagan, Ben Stewart, and Sean Dooling; Paterno Fellows Max Keire and Lauren Perrotti; and Dean Long and me.  Laura Dzwonczyk participated by email.

Two specific outcomes, both related to hearing more of your thoughts:

1. A "message board" is available for you to share your thoughts: respond to this posting with your comments; or respond to other postings from Paterno Fellows that you will see in this blog space.  Think of this medium as our way of sharing information and ideas. Non-Fellows and non-aspirants can read your comments and comment as well--we can't stop that--but we expect that the overwhelming number of comments will be from Fellows and aspirants.
   
2. "Facilitated small group discussions" will be arranged, we expect, so that Paterno Fellows as a cohort can come together to ask questions, offer comments and viewpoints, and share ideas.  Watch for an announcement, and please participate.

(Also: see my blog entry on Going Home:  FAQs for suggestions on how to cope in the short run, as you are discussing the whole matter with family and friends over the break.)

The Advisory Board will discuss your comments and suggestions and needs and observations at its next meeting on December 6.

The discussion last night began with statements of frustration; students feel that they have not been adequately informed as to the rationale for Board of Trustee actions; that information seems to be coming from everywhere except the university; and that they would like answers to all kinds of questions.  A list of such questions is being formulated by the group so that answers might be solicited from likely providers; but the Advisory Board would also like your input.  They encourage you to make your views known.

The discussion shifted to specific short-term actions that Paterno Fellows might take.  Paterno Fellows themselves wish to be responsible for what the program stands for:  perhaps it means adding nuance and complexity to what an iconic name like "Paterno" means; perhaps it means taking up specific focuses within the ethics, leadership, and service imperatives of the program; in any event, the Board will be looking to DO SOMETHING distinctive as Paterno Fellows.  Long-term it might mean that Fellows adopt a specific charity or take on a specific group project or conduct a particular activity as a regular part of its mission.  Those in the room stated that they are proud of the ideas and ideals that the program stands for.  In essence it will be Fellows themselves who define what the PFP stands for.

What about the "Paterno" part of the Paterno Fellows?  The students came to the consensus that so far not enough has emerged to make them wish to distance themselves from the name Paterno.  Students appreciate what Joe Paterno has accomplished and has stood for in his life; the program recognizes not just Joe Paterno but the entire Paterno family; and students do not wish to join in on any rush to judgment but instead insist on critical examination and thoughtful reflection and the collection of additional information.  Students claim not to "idolize" Mr Paterno uncritically (as the media implies) but to respect what he and his family have stood for through their actions.  At the same time, there was a recognition that further fact-finding and reflection certainly might lead students to call for something different.  The protection of children is a matter of utmost seriousness, all agreed, and opinions in the room ranged from strong, vigorous support of the name to wariness.

As I read over this summary, it feels very inadequate. I am leaving things out inadvertently, and I ask those who were there to elaborate by recording your own sense of what transpired.  This summary also fails to reflect the passion in the room, the give and take in the discussion, the thoughtfulness and respectfulness in the room, the imperative to "do something" and to make sure it's the right thing.  The matter requires us to be at our best.  Please add your own thoughts in the coming days and weeks.

Here are minutes of the Paterno Fellows Student Advisory Board meeting April 20 at 5:45-7:00 pm.  (The Board consists of Danielle Mackintosh, Nathan Hollister, Brian Prewitt, Doug Smith, Caitlin Ogram, Olivia Hoover, Christine Theberge, and Laura Dzwonczyk.)

A.  Announcements

• Selzer thanked members of the Advisory Board for their contributions.  All agreed to serve once again next year; we will also add two incoming freshmen.-- Selzer mentioned the Paalem Project dramatization coming up over the weekend.
• Selzer congratulated ABoard members who had won Discovery Grants.
  

B.  Reports

• Caitlin Ogram indicated that the Sustainability Fair is on life support.  She will investigate a couple of possible additional leads, but right now it looks like their is insufficient interest among Fellows to ensure a successful event.  It could well be that there is so much sustainability stuff going on that the opportunity is not great.
• Danielle Mackintosh has investigated the possibility of PF involvement in THON.  Since LAUC has a developing presence in THON, we decided to cooperate with LAUC efforts.
• Nathan Hollister has investigated the feasibility of an informal mentoring or "buddy" system that would link upperclass PFs with incoming freshmen who are PF aspirants.  He recommended that we cooperate with efforts by LAUC for a similar system for LA students, and the group agreed to that recommendation.  He and new LAUC president Lauren Perrotti will be developing the idea along with other LAUC members; he and Lauren have also discussed a modification to the sign-up form that would accommodate students involved in the PF program.   
• Olivia Hoover indicated that it was full speed ahead as far as participation in Homecoming next fall.  Olivia has a handful of co-conspirators who will work together to get the Paterno Fellows a presence in the parade.  She has taken care to ensure that PFs are not intruding on LAUC plans.
  

C.  Next Year
The Advisory Board discussed at length plans for next year's PF events.  Conclusions:

• The year will begin with an August or early September event for incoming freshmen PF aspirants.  (Since the meeting Jack Selzer met with the Rock Ethics Institute and the Center for Democratic Deliberation, and they will likely put together an interesting Town Hall / debate event involving issues of "food ethics" during the first or second week of classes.)
• The group decided to continue the Recognition Event in early January.
• In addition, the Paterno Fellows should have one significant cultural event in the fall semester (equivalent to the "Color Purple event this year), another high profile event that does not involve the arts (e.g., the Rock/CDD event in the fall will be one of these; the Recognition Event will be another), a set of "stress reliever" smaller events, and some volunteer opportunities (e.g., the 5K Race for Special Olympics, participation in the Day of Caring, etc.).  The group will stay in touch by email over the summer so that a full slate of activities can be announced early next fall.  On May 8, Jack Selzer will gather possible ideas when the Artists Series offering are unveiled for 2011-12.
  

D.  Communications

• The group discussed ways of improving communications within the Paterno Fellows Program.  In the coming year, Fellows can look for improvements in our Facebook presence, in our regular listserve communications, and in our blogging activities.

Hey Paterno Fellows!

My name is Olivia Hoover and I'm a freshman Psychology major. I am a member of the Paterno Fellows Advisory Board, and we have been talking about getting the program involved with Homecoming 2011. So, I'm trying to get a group of students interested in helping to make some plans for next fall. One main thing we'd like to do is get involved with the parade, by either making a float or just having a group walk.

If anyone would like to be a part of Homecoming 2011 or has any suggestions, please email me at orh5010@psu.edu. We need your help to get this going!

Thank you so much!

Hello Fellows! Recently the Advisory Board met to discuss some of the upcoming events and future plans for the program. To begin, we discussed the recognition event that took place on January 10th and its pros and cons. Overall we were very pleased with the event and are hoping that you all enjoyed it as much as we did. Next, we discussed the upcoming Paterno Fellows Program event: play The Beaux Strategem on February 25th. I know this event is scheduled for a Friday, but you get a dinner and a show for just $5. Tickets are on sale now in 119 Sparks if you are interested (and you can bring a guest). Finally in old/rapidly approaching business, Dr. Selzer was approached about the permissibility of substituting two minors for the 24-credit minor or second major that is required for graduation with the Paterno Fellows Program. He has deemed it acceptable to do this, but only with his explicit permission based on the student's unique academic goals. This would require you to meet with him in order to discuss and explain your reasoning behind the request. If you have any questions about this, please contact Dr. Selzer via email.

In addition to those things in the immediate past or future, the Advisory Board also looked at some long-term goals for the program. A few of us have decided to take on some side projects that we feel would be interesting for Fellows and Aspirants to participate in. Caitlin is currently planning a Sustainability Fair for students which will feature different eco-friendly organizations. Danielle is looking into maybe having a THON team for the program. Olivia is trying to figure out what it would take to have a presence at Homecoming next fall. Finally, I am proposing a mentoring program where Fellows and Aspirants would be matched based on academic interests and majors. Fellows would be able to give advice about different professors and classes in addition to anything else that an Aspirant might have questions about, including fulfilling program requirements. As you may be able to tell, all of these events will begin or take place in the fall, but we are currently in the planning stages, so this is why we are asking for your help. In the coming weeks, you will be receiving messages asking you to work with each of the people named above in order to make these projects come together smoothly. We would greatly appreciate any assistance that you can provide with these projects. Like I said, most of these projects are in the early planning stages, so we are basically working from scratch. So remember, play on February 25th, watch your inboxes for solicitation about helping with these projects, and pass your first exams. Hopefully your semesters are going well and let's keep up the great work.

Hello Fellows and Aspirants! Hopefully you all had a great break and are beginning some amazing semesters. I would first like to thank all of the Fellows and Aspirants who were in attendance during the recognition event last Monday on the behalf of the entire Advisory Board. I thought that the turnout was very impressive and that the overall proceedings went quite smoothly and hopefully you all felt the same way. In case you missed it (for classes or otherwise), I will give you a quick recap of what happened.

Throughout the event, our musical guest, "Irreconcilable Differences," which consists of six members of the Penn State history faculty, played a variety of songs including the Alma Mater. Following their initial performance, Associate Dean Long welcomed everyone to the event and explained what it signified--a transition into a program founded upon honor and integrity. Next, Dean Welch presented Joe Paterno with the Sparks Centennial Medal which he was unable to receive at the fall of 2009 College of the Liberal Arts Centennial Reception because of his coaching duties. Ginnelle Sroka, a Fellow and Advisory Board member, gave a wonderful speech about the opportunities that the program has allowed her to take advantage of. The Paternos were then presented with their own sweatshirts, which matched the ones that all entering Fellows received. Next, Associate Dean Upneja of the Schreyer Honors College spoke about the admittance of the Fellows into the Honors College and what really makes an honors student. Finally, after a short closing from Dean Long, all in attendance enjoyed refreshments and some one-on-one time with the Paternos.

I feel as though this event exemplified some of the best qualities of the College of the Liberal Arts and the amazing endeavors of its students. It was definitely a night worth attending. Hopefully such attendance and enthusiasm will be present at the various events that the Advisory Board is planning for this semester. More details about these will be available to you in the coming weeks but I am surely excited for them. Hopefully I will see you there.

In the meantime, take a look at some photos from the Paterno Fellows Program Recognition Ceremony.

Hello Paterno Fellows and Aspirants! As you may have read already, this January will mark the First Annual Paterno Fellows Program Night of Recognition. This has been the focus of the Advisory Board's efforts for the past few months and it is finally coming together. This short event will include what I like to call the Penn State student triple threat: free Paternos, free stuff, and free food. Seriously, what else do you need? As of right now (and it looks pretty concrete), both Joe and Sue Paterno are expected to be there and we will be recognizing JoePa with his College of the Liberal Arts Centennial Medal which he unfortunately did not receive last year because of his coaching duties. Also in attendance will be College of the Liberal Arts Deans Welch and Long, Schreyer Honors College Dean Brady, and President Spanier, as well as other Paterno family members. With this star-studded cast, every Paterno Fellow and Aspirant should be excited to attend on January 10th in Heritage Hall. Is there any better way to make all of your non-PFP friends insanely jealous?

Also included in your visit to this amazing night will be a sweatshirt to commemorate this ceremonious transition into the program. And what's better, it is completely free of charge! However, this cannot be given to you without a little help from every Fellow. In the next few days, Fellows will be receiving an email which will ask you for the size of the sweatshirt that you would like to receive in January. I cannot stress enough how important it is that you respond to this as soon as possible when you actually receive it. Without this information we will have no idea what to order and therefore, we will not be able to order one for your individual preferences. So again, please respond to the sweatshirt size message in a timely fashion. Finally, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact any of the Advisory Board members and be sure to read Dr. Selzer's original post. Oh, and be sure to tell your friends about this if they are unaware of it (and while you're at it, have them bookmark this page for future readership). Have a great end to all of your semesters and good luck on any finals that you have! See you all on January 10th in Heritage Hall.

We're almost there, Fellows. The end of the semester is almost here and hopefully everything is going well for you. I am writing to you in order to bring you up to speed on what is happening with the Advisory Board and how what we're doing will affect in the near future. This week at our meeting, the Advisory Board discussed our progress on the recognition event that will be occurring in January. We are currently in the process of getting our wearable item created for the event and putting together a program. When we get all of the kinks worked out, we will be creating an order form of sorts that you will be receiving via email within the next month. It will be very important that you complete and return the form as soon as possible because this will tell us how many people plan to attend the event and who will be recognized. Again, this will be pivotal in our planning, so I cannot stress enough how important it is that you actually respond when you receive this email.

In addition to the January, we are currently planning a forum for April in conjunction with the LAUC and the Center for Democratic Deliberation. More news about this will be made available when the specifics are finally decided, but we will most likely be looking for people to help with this at some point next semester. Finally, I have received some questions about some of the requirements of the Paterno Fellows Program and how to know whether or not you are on track to graduate as a Fellow. Currently, the program is working to create a database that will answer some of these questions and help you plan what you need to do in order to finish the program. It is currently in the testing phase (actually the Advisory Board and some others are being used as the guinea pigs for the database) and will be available to all Fellows and Aspirants when all of the glitches are fixed. Hopefully this entry answers some of your questions about upcoming events and requirements. Have a great Thanksgiving break!

Hello Fellows! Hopefully your semesters are going well and those incessant exams and papers haven't completely burned you out because I am very excited to say that the rest of the Advisory Board is planning quite the event for all of you to be a part of, Aspirant and Fellow alike. In the near future, all Fellows who have been admitted into the program will be receiving an invitation to a recognition event, which is being planned for the beginning of next semester. And for all of you Aspirants out there, you're welcome to join in on the fun. This event will mark the transition from the status of Aspirant to Fellow and will even include a wearable gift from the program to you. This way, you will be able to show, rather than say, that you are truly a Paterno Fellow. When we get a final design and development plan going, you will learn a lot more about this. And it will be very important for you to respond to any emails you may receive about this if you actually want this item (I mean seriously, it's free; why wouldn't you want it?).

At the same time, the purpose of this event will also be to create an increased sense of the values that are associated with being a Fellow and to acknowledge the people who have donated their time and money into making this program work. We're planning to have some special guests and food (now you're listening). Since I am fully aware of how busy everyone is, I am going to wrap this report from the Advisory Board up by asking you to be on the lookout for some more important information about the event that I am describing. You'll be hearing from me in about two weeks when a lot more will be set in stone. Until then, good luck with all of your classes and everything else that you are juggling, Fellows (and Aspirants)!