MSM wants to make drinking a Penn State problem............how can a

[Fayette_LION]

reasonable person make this conclusion? All talk is again about Penn State culture. We have unfortunately been the home of another tragedy, but the fraternity is privately owned and PSU has almost no control over anything that goes on there. How can the MSM call this a PSU problem? Drinking is a national problem, on almost every campus. NBC interviews Barron and cuts him short on his answers. Gives SPM the DA most of the time. Tough to get away from these people!

 

[demlion]

reasonable person make this conclusion? All talk is again about Penn State culture. We have unfortunately been the home of another tragedy, but the fraternity is privately owned and PSU has almost no control over anything that goes on there. How can the MSM call this a PSU problem? Drinking is a national problem, on almost every campus. NBC interviews Barron and cuts him short on his answers. Gives SPM the DA most of the time. Tough to get away from these people!

The reason it keeps coming back to us and our culture is because our leadership is made up of incompetent toadies, including all of Old Main and the people who hired them.

 

[NittPicker]

There have been news reports in the past of tragic alcohol related deaths on college campuses elsewhere in the country. Some were greek related and some weren't. Those reports were in the news cycle for 24 hours and forgotten. Now suddenly a tragic death at Penn State is the root of all evil. The Centre County DA took a page out of the Fina playbook and made a media show out of the filing of criminal charges thus milking the situation for all possible publicity.

 

[demlion]

The media is like a scorpion. It is going to bite you. That is what it does. The question is whether we are prepared. And we are not.

 

[demlion]

There have been news reports in the past of tragic alcohol related deaths on college campuses elsewhere in the country. Some were greek related and some weren't. Those reports were in the news cycle for 24 hours and forgotten. Now suddenly a tragic death at Penn State is the root of all evil. The Centre County DA took a page out of the Fina playbook and made a media show out of the filing of criminal charges thus milking the situation for all possible publicity.

Agree, but making spectacles is what they do. The question is, when will PSU ever get in front of ANY story? I say never so long as we are led by toadies.

 

[BBrown]

reasonable person make this conclusion? All talk is again about Penn State culture. We have unfortunately been the home of another tragedy, but the fraternity is privately owned and PSU has almost no control over anything that goes on there. How can the MSM call this a PSU problem? Drinking is a national problem, on almost every campus. NBC interviews Barron and cuts him short on his answers. Gives SPM the DA most of the time. Tough to get away from these people!

Yea really, they (media) need to pull their heads out of their asses and look around. Its happening everywhere and if they are really as outraged as they claim they
should be looking at some High Schools and even some middle schools and some parents or lack there of.
Here in MD, specifically Harford county we have a highschool thats so bad its nickname is Heroin High. Now that is something to be outraged about.

 

[humpydudas19]

Agree, but making spectacles is what they do. The question is, when will PSU ever get in front of ANY story? I say never so long as we are led by toadies.

Why haven't they been nailed by the Legislature for obvious Charter violations?

 

[PSU Mike]

I can read my little home town obits and see 3 heroin-related deaths a week. There are bigger problems.

 

[BBrown]

There have been news reports in the past of tragic alcohol related deaths on college campuses elsewhere in the country. Some were greek related and some weren't. Those reports were in the news cycle for 24 hours and forgotten. Now suddenly a tragic death at Penn State is the root of all evil. The Centre County DA took a page out of the Fina playbook and made a media show out of the filing of criminal charges thus milking the situation for all possible publicity.

Yep she, Stacy Parks Miller, (I never trust anyone with 3 names) had her moment in the sun and her free re-election ad spot.
Do you really believe all those charges are going to stick?
If you do google Marlyn Mosby and Baltimore.

 

[dwiz]

The Centre County DA took a page out of the Fina playbook and made a media show out of the filing of criminal charges thus milking the situation for all possible publicity.

Is Frank Fina representing one of the frat kids? I saw a picture of a defendant and his lawyer, it looked like Frank but the caption said the lawyer's name was Frank Frina.

 

[demlion]

Is Frank Fina representing one of the frat kids? I saw a picture of a defendant and his lawyer, it looked like Frank but the caption said the lawyer's name was Frank Frina.

Yes. The President.

 

[BBrown]

Yes. The President.

Where is that other ambulance chaser, Andrew Shubin? I'm thinking he should be smelling another pay day.

 

[AvgUser]

reasonable person make this conclusion? All talk is again about Penn State culture.

To be fair (or honest?), PSU does/did have the reputation of being a "top party school". I'm not sure who ranks these things and why other than PSU used to be near the top of the list(s). I just googled "Biggest party schools" and PSU was 13th (Tulane was #1).

So, there is some "history/legacy" that supports the conclusion you are questioning. But, PSU is clearly not the only school,not the first school, and wont be the last school.


Like the Sandusky situation which MSM used the Paterno name as gasoline on the fire, PSU is the gasoline on this fire.

 

[kgilbert78]

I thought Barron handled himself pretty well. He was able to make the point, at least twice, that this was a private org on private property and the only control PSU had was over their being allowed to be a student org. There was at least one graphic showing (as I recall) 60+ frat deaths over the last few years throughout the US. I'm sure at least a few of those were not frat related, however--as in a group of people that large, some will die untimely deaths. Heck, non-frat related, I know there was at least one death while I was in school where a gal backed her car into a snowbank in Parking Lot 80 and was killed by CO poisoning, and there was at least one at my HS during senior year.

 

[BobPSU92]

I hate us.

 

[Nitt1300]

We live in a society of whining ninnies It's so much easier to blame an entire group of people than a few individuals. You can be outraged without actually dealing with the fact that some people are just bad- or just really stupid. Nobody is responsible for their own actions as far as these ninnies are concerned.

So in this case they start by blaming all fraternities, but then act offended (ninnies are always offended about something) when other ninnies blame PSU culture.

There were a few people actually responsible for this tragedy- and they alone should be held to account.

 

[jerseylion109]

penn state should fire their PR people...what do they really do anyway?

 

[WPB_lion]

Agree, but making spectacles is what they do. The question is, when will PSU ever get in front of ANY story? I say never so long as we are led by toadies.

How would you handle it? It is easy to sit back and criticize but the media machine and public opinion and the facts are lining up against PSU. There is no good answer for the University. I think we are in an impossible situation.

 

[Art]

How would you handle it? It is easy to sit back and criticize but the media machine and public opinion and the facts are lining up against PSU. There is no good answer for the University. I think we are in an impossible situation.

The University created this problem when it pinned a "Kick Me" sign on its back in the aftermath of the Sandusky scandal and invited everyone and his mother to do so.

Fast forward to today. If PSU wants to discourage alcohol consumption at frats it has to develop a clear policy on unacceptable behavior with serious penalties for violations and then make a concerted effort to enforce it. Absent that, any attempt to explain limitations will be met with the sort of mockery we're seeing.

 

[BBrown]

penn state should fire their PR people...what do they really do anyway?

I think they've done that at least once since the JS scandal. None of them have an ounce of common sense.

 

[NittPicker]

How would you handle it? It is easy to sit back and criticize but the media machine and public opinion and the facts are lining up against PSU. There is no good answer for the University. I think we are in an impossible situation.

Please explain what "facts are lining up against PSU". Thanks....

 

[baircub1!]

The reason it keeps coming back to us and our culture is because our leadership is made up of incompetent toadies, including all of Old Main and the people who hired them.

Absolutely CORRECT !!!!

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

reasonable person make this conclusion? All talk is again about Penn State culture. We have unfortunately been the home of another tragedy, but the fraternity is privately owned and PSU has almost no control over anything that goes on there. How can the MSM call this a PSU problem? Drinking is a national problem, on almost every campus. NBC interviews Barron and cuts him short on his answers. Gives SPM the DA most of the time. Tough to get away from these people!

 

[demlion]

How would you handle it? It is easy to sit back and criticize but the media machine and public opinion and the facts are lining up against PSU. There is no good answer for the University. I think we are in an impossible situation.

Oh, we are in a bad situation. It is far too late to get ahead of it now. The man has been dead for over 90 days. In 2015 they set up a task force. No report in over a year. That's where we.lost out. They did nothing. Now Barron is deflecting away from PSU, and that seems pretry unlikely to work.

 

[ILLINOISLION]

Yep she, Stacy Parks Miller, (I never trust anyone with 3 names) had her moment in the sun and her free re-election ad spot.
Do you really believe all those charges are going to stick?
If you do google Marlyn Mosby and Baltimore.

Yeah, agree, in 95% of the cases the three names is "all about me".

 

[joeparules]

How would you handle it? It is easy to sit back and criticize but the media machine and public opinion and the facts are lining up against PSU. There is no good answer for the University. I think we are in an impossible situation.

Penn State basically wrote the playbook on how NOT to handle a crisis. Do NOT immediately fire people making them appear guilty before any real information is out. Do NOT go on national TV apologizing to everyone about everything bad in society making it appear your institution is responsible for everything evil. Do NOT hire a hit-man (for over $6 million) to try to put blame on the fired individuals while averting attention from those responsible (CYS, DPW, TSM).

Of course they learned their lesson by announcing restrictions on all Greek life making them appear guilty and having the president reflect in a blog about the possible termination of all Greek life. IDIOTS!!!

 

[baircub1!]

How would you handle it? It is easy to sit back and criticize but the media machine and public opinion and the facts are lining up against PSU. There is no good answer for the University. I think we are in an impossible situation.

Disagree. We are overly apologetic...have no backbone...Did Barron know what he was getting into with his interview?

Because a GOOD PR Team would have that Mother Fckr so prepped OR recommended he not be interviewed...

Clowns...everyone of them...Clowns...

 

[Obliviax]

The reason it keeps coming back to us and our culture is because our leadership is made up of incompetent toadies, including all of Old Main and the people who hired them.

Agree....they've realized they can spend all of the University's "play money" and not get caught up in their $hit's stink. As long as the University takes the fall, and they don't, its all good.

From my standpoint, the reporting has been pretty fair. Anyone who doesn't understand that drinking on college campuses (campusi?) is a worldwide problem isn't smart enough to worry about anyway.

 

[bjf1991]

How would you handle it? It is easy to sit back and criticize but the media machine and public opinion and the facts are lining up against PSU. There is no good answer for the University. I think we are in an impossible situation.

LOL

"Everything PSU does........ removed by 180 degrees"


That should be the subtitle for some textbook.

 

[WPB_lion]

The University created this problem when it pinned a "Kick Me" sign on its back in the aftermath of the Sandusky scandal and invited everyone and his mother to do so.

Fast forward to today. If PSU wants to discourage alcohol consumption at frats it has to develop a clear policy on unacceptable behavior with serious penalties for violations and then make a concerted effort to enforce it. Absent that, any attempt to explain limitations will be met with the sort of mockery we're seeing.

Regardless of what ever window dressing or half hearted regulations the University has put place with respect to the fraternities, the real problem is that everyone, and I mean everyone, knows that a lot of underage drinking goes on at fraternities and we have known this since the movie animal house. Partying is the primary reason most people join Fraternities. Most people who join Fraternities think Animal house. If you believe otherwise, then you are not dealing with reality. All you have to do is drive around on a Friday or Saturday night around Fraternity Row and you will see the obvious.

If real measures are taken to eliminate underage drinking from Fraternities, I believe Fraternities as we know them would fail. PSU is known to have a vibrant Greek Life (code name for great fraternity parties) and they receive significant benefits from the reputation. Although Greek Organizations do some great things for the community (see Dance Marathon), the main allure for students to Fraternities is the party.

PSU and many other Universities have elected to reap the benefits of a vibrant Greek Life despite the warts that come with it. The partying associated with Greek Life is a major attraction to many high school students who want to experience Animal House. I was admittedly one of these people. If the University really wanted to eliminate the partying or disaffiliate itself entirely from the Greek System, it could. By not eliminating the well known partying that goes on at Fraternities, the University has taken a calculated risk that this type of situation could arise and the University could be criticized. IMO, there is no way to spin this matter. The University has to take its medicine.

 

[JoeDidntKnow]

How many victims will they pay off this time?

 

[Tweedbear]

Come on guys grow up. I am class of 58 fraternity member. Active in alumni chapter etc.
One of my better friends died in an alcohol/fraternity accident our senior year.
It made the paper and that was it.

The story here is not the death of a young man but the ignorance and arrogance of his fraternity Brothers. How would the press react if he fell in an apartment stairwell and his roommates and other residents left him for hours with out seeking help.
Google Kitty Genovese.

 

[WPB_lion]

Come on guys grow up. I am class of 58 fraternity member. Active in alumni chapter etc.
One of my better friends died in an alcohol/fraternity accident our senior year.
It made the paper and that was it.

The story here is not the death of a young man but the ignorance and arrogance of his fraternity Brothers. How would the press react if he fell in an apartment stairwell and his roommates and other residents left him for hours with out seeking help.
Google Kitty Genovese.

Whether we like it or not, times have changed. If the University wants to be affiliated with what are essentially bars, the University needs take appropriate measures to protect itself.

 

[WPB_lion]

FWIW, I joined a fraternity to escape my close circle of friends from home who were struggling trying to find themselves and failing in the collegiate academic environment.

Joining my fraternity was a move of self preservation, establishing a new path forward into adulthood. I needed to find a new group of friends and acquaintances who shared the same interests and goals.

While the social life was fun, I was never known as a party animal by any means.

I appreciate your reason for joining the Fraternity. However, IMO Fraternities would not exist as we know them if you eliminate the parties.

 

[Cletus11]

I saw on Fox News their 9PM primetime show ended the show with a segment on this. Other than obviously mentioning this occurred at Penn State, there was never any 'blame' placed on PSU that they did something wrong. The discussion was entirely around college drinking, fraternities and hazing, and the response of kids at the party from a more generic standpoint of 18-22 year old college kids and how to better manage these types of problems.

 

[Cpeplion]

I can read my little home town obits and see 3 heroin-related deaths a week. There are bigger problems.

Where I live, we've had 14 heroin Overdoses in April alone which matches all of last year

 

[Cpeplion]

My main question is honestly, why even watch MSM?

Second, they're all hypocrites because their Hollywood counterparts produce movie upon movie about drugs, alcohol, and fraternity parties and it's all fun and games and everyone laughs.

So who really gives a rats A$$ what their narrative is?

 

[BBrown]

Where I live, we've had 14 heroin Overdoses in April alone which matches all of last year

As of March it was 47 OD's and 17 Lives lost in Harford county, MD.
I haven't driven by the sign where these are posted lately.

 

[BBrown]

What the university needs first and foremost is a policy of amnesty in reporting students who are in medical distress from drugs or alcohol. There should be absolutely no fear of reprisal for getting someone medical treatment. Then they need to examine why binge drinking is so rampant.

+1000

 

[AvgUser]

Then they need to examine why binge drinking is so rampant.

That's easy. It's called the transition from youth to adulthood.
Good luck to those trying to solve it.