Scandal U

                As a first year student at Penn State I will be honest, I am not all Ho ha Joe Pa like everyone else seems to be. I highly appreciate everything he has done for the school and all the positives that have occurred because of him. That being said I actually believe the penalty was well deserved. I believe Jon Stewart actually did a great job of driving the point home.  As everyone was very upset with the firing of the coach, it is almost disgusting how the victims were forgotten. I hated how Joe Pa became the scapegoat for the whole scandal while others were forgotten. Joe Pa caught so much heat only because of how prominent he is in the nation. Everyone knows who Joe Paterno is. Everyone knows who Penn state is. It was a university full of prestige and wonder. Now it seems like Penn State is a place which has a huge dark cloud hovering over top. It seems like this storm is going to be here for a long time so get your raincoat and umbrella.

                There is something that has been on my chest since this scandal started and now for the first time I am writing it down. In a way, I feel wronged. I did not sign up to attend scandal University.  I signed up to attend what used to be debatably the greatest university in the nation. Before I could wear my Penn State hoody and sweats with pride beaming through me. You could almost feel an aura about you that just emanated from your being. Now I think three times before I throw on my state gear. I’m not even sure if I want to stay here anymore. For the rest of my life, I will be asked where I attended school. If I stay for four years, I will say Pennsylvania state university. No matter who I tell that too, in the back of their mind they will think of “the scandal”. Most of the time it will probably be followed up by, “O yeah didn’t Joe Pa rape that kid?” I don’t want to live my life hearing this. I want to speak of  a university and the person to give me respect. I want to be able to be proud of my university.  I believe anyone that remotely knew of any info of sandusky’s actions should be cut from the university.

                I am not even sure how the students could have rioted. I thought the act was disgusting and could not believe the stories that were pouring into my phone. “Dude a van just got flipped”. That text from my friend stunned me. A man sexually abused children, many authority figures at the university learn of the actions, almost nothing is said or done. And a van is flipped because the people that did it got what they deserved? Disgraceful.

                As sad as I am from this scandal I am still unsure about everything

                We are Penn state, but is that a good thing?

Dear Incoming Freshman,

            Get ready to have the time of your life. This is one of the greatest institutions in the entire world. Pennsylvania State University is a thriving community filled with artistic value and self-expression which is held in the highest regard. Everywhere you go, the community surprises you time and time again with the relationship between the people who occupy this campus. Art is in abundance, just look around. You will see gorgeous buildings, a stunning landscape, and so much more. You will share an experience with many people who are just like you. When again in your life will you be able to share this experience with so many people within four years of your age. The experience you will undoubtedly love here is what I deem to be the purest form of art. The sheer enjoyment you will have here is art in itself. I believe art is anything that produces emotion and/or involves some form of skill.

            The first thing many people think of when they hear Penn State is partying. They think, “Oh, those drink hard and are wild”. Now that may define some people, but if that is why you’re coming here, stop thinking that now. Yes we like to have fun on the weekends a bit, and some may look down on that but school comes first. Everyone here had to have achieved supreme academic success, and must carry that forward. I believe that is actually art. The art of balancing school work and fun. To perfectly balance these two things takes skill and experience and is viewed differently by people.  Some people think it is ok to have too much fun and forget about the important things and why they come to school. You come to school to gain an education, that is a main stressing point on any campus. To have fun, one must work hard and achieve gains academically. If you do poorly in the classroom, you will not have a good time and will be overwhelmed with the high academic level you are held accountable for here.

            Once you get a chance to walk around this campus, keep your senses open to all aspects of different atmosphere this campus has to offer. Take a walk down East College at two in the afternoon and you will notice people hustling and bustling about, going about daily chores or going to class to learn. Next, walk down East College at two in the morning. It is even livelier than in the afternoon. People walking, talking, having a great time, maybe grabbing a bite to eat after the activities of the night. This to me reflects art. I believe this is art because it evokes different emotions in people. Some people are disgusted in the way people conduct themselves at this time of night. They believe kids should not be this loud or rambunctious at this time of day. Some people love the energy that is shown on the campus at this time. The loud noises and innumerous amounts of people create an atmosphere that is full of art. It includes sounds, sights, and smells that you probably won’t be able to experience with as much frequency anywhere else. And there is where I see art. Just stop and soak up all the stimuli that are presenting themselves towards you. Think of how art is shown everywhere around you.

            Not only the atmosphere at two in the morning is emotion provoking, but the actual landscape and architecture of the campus is. Take a walk down Shortlidge, past the Science building, and notice the beauty of the area. The red bricks below your feet, the beautiful kept grass raised on platforms which you can sit on and read a nice book, all of it is captivating. Then look off in the distance as you put your book down. Realize you are in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Take in the mountains in the far distance, covered to the top with trees and a beautiful lush green color. That is Mother Nature’s art right there.  Then notice the Science building that you passed. Notice the massiveness of the structure and how much beautiful glass was put into the construction of this building.. The building is one of art, and beauty. It is art in the fact that it catches your eye in many ways. You see all the glass window panes shining, reflecting the sunlight with almost a greenish blue hue to it. You notice that the structure dominates the landscape with the size of it. Art is all around you here, you just have to open your eyes and look.

            Take a trip down here on a Saturday game day and you will not believe what you are a part of.  The college expands to one of the largest cities in Pennsylvania to root for a team that is full of tradition. The sheer masses of people will astonish you. Art is all around you on game days. So much emotion and commotion is packed into this large campus. People are shouting before the game walking up. Numerous amounts of people, every single one of them dressed in that beautiful Nittany blue and white. Then as you walk towards the stadium the size of it takes your breath away. Once you get into the stadium, you look around and see so many people having a single-minded approach. A Nittany Lions win. The kickoff is just about to happen. Not a single person is sitting down, everyone is screaming at the top of your lungs. You turn to your friend who is trying to tell you about how great it is to be here. But his attempts are futile, you can only attempt to lip read what his inaudible words are. During one point of the game you pause to just take it all in, 110,000 fans in a sea of blue and white. It is one of the most beautiful spectacles you will ever be a part of. This experience and what you see is art.

            Penn State is rooted deep in tradition which is upheld by all. It is almost to the point where if you are part of Penn State it is a cult. Art as iv explained is everywhere you go. It is part of your everyday experience here. From the beautiful buildings to the magnificent sculpture of the Nittany lion that everyone pays their respects to. Art is deeply rooted in every aspect of Penn State. So take my word for it or not, you won’t fully appreciate all this university has to offer until you come here. I’m a Nittany lion and am very proud to say it. GO STATE!

           

Nick Conroy

1.     What is the thesis of the essay? What are the stated criteria the author is using to create the category of "art" or "artistic community?"  The orchids are a prime piece of art on campus and the podcast was downright disgusting with how it portrayed penn state. The criteria he uses is that of art invokes emotion and serves a unique purpose.

2. Who is the intended audience? Can you tell easily? Parents of incoming freshman. Yes
3. What appeals are at work in the essay? Are they appropriate for this audience? Be specific in your answer and suggest better/different appeals where necessary. All appeals are at work in the essay including pathos logos and ethos. Yes they are because his essay is very professional with great diction which would appeal to a parent questioning the prestige of the University. The only thing is he uses the word brainwash in the last paragraph. The podcast did not completely tear apart Penn state and actually offered many positives to the University.
4. Are the best examples being used to support the criteria stated in the thesis? If not, can you suggest others? Yes the best examples are used.
5. Has the essay anticipated the values and needs of the audience sufficiently? Has the author done the work of addressing any possible rebuttal issues or questions the audience might have? Yes this is where I believe his essay strives, he covers all the bases of the podcast and art at the University.
6. If the essay is taking on the question of re-definition at the institutional level, has the NPR podcast been utilzed well enough? Has the rhetorical situation in general and the exigence in particular--why THIS argument at THIS time--been made explicit in the essay? Yes the podcast is the main point. He methodically introduces point after point of the podcast and refutes with detailed reasons why he is doing so.
7. Is the sentence-level writing clear and concise? Is the organization coherent? Does the introduction engage and provide context? Does the conclusion remind us of main point and point us toward something new? The sentence level is astounding; I honestly wish I could write like he does. The conclusion is perfect and does a great job pointing towards something new which is hoping that parents have a clear mind when they consider Penn State.


Paper written by Chris Bizzell

Kiss me kate

The only musicals/plays I have ever been to were ones at my school. I went to two of them  and to be honest it was against my will. The theatre is just something that I am fine with not affiliating myself with. But I do hold all the people involved with theatre in a high regard. I don’t believe I could do what they do. The fact that they must learn all their lines and moves down perfectly amazes me. The actors must perfectly be in synch and know all their lines. This memorization to me is just amazing. One must also have the ability to sing at a fairly high level. The play we watched was spectacular in my regards. I thought Bianca was especially good at singing and captivating the audience.  I was very impressed with the play and thought it was done very well. The play we watched far outclassed the ones I’ve been to.  

                I think the musical theatre genre is one that is a little boring to me, but I know some people love them. I think that the talent involved in the genre is amazing though.  This play was the best play I have seen by far and actually had me watching; wondering what was going to happen next. I have not seen the Taming of the Shrew. I think that this actually helped in watching the play because I did not know what was going to happen next. I was interested in the plot which I thought was actually a little confusing. I actually didn’t realize that the story involved a play within the play while including backstage scenes for most of the play. I was very confused halfway through it. But once the realization hit me, the play made sense and was even more interesting. The switching of the play and backstage scenes actually was very interesting once I got it. I thought it was extremely clever and witty.

                I believe my favorite part of this experience is that it was so new to me. As I said early I never go to plays because I think they are very drab and boring. They don’t really appeal to me. But this was like opening a new door. I was surprised by how much I actually got into thinking about what it takes to make one of these plays perfect. You have to have the complete package to go on-stage. You have to be fairly attractive (let’s be honest), have great vocals, and incredible memorization. You must be able to dance extremely well and, what I think is most important, be able to captivate an audience through some means. I believe Bianca did a great job. She started out as somewhat as a ditzy blonde, then transitioned into finding her husband and being less clueless. Kate was also outstanding. I believe she was the best acting wise. She had to show emotions of love and anger back to back. She was the center of attention for most of the play. Even under having the star role, she produced a great performance which revolved around her. She had a great voice but expressed her hatred for boy in a perfect way. Her tone and expressions had you believing that this woman actually disliked men as a whole. Then in the last act had to show her soft side in accepting her ex husband Petruccio.

                Thank you for taking us! It was definitely an experience I am not used to and enjoyed my time.