You have one football weekend left to do your part to help your University’s image. You have many weekends other than this football weekend, but this is the last time this year 110,000 fans will descend upon the grassy lots and cold steel bleachers, the events of the past week (and eleven years) on their minds and in their hearts and money in their pockets. And you have one last chance to show Success With Honor to the hundreds of thousands of fans, the millions watching on television, and the countless writers and cameras that, at least for the near future, will call Happy Valley home only for the purpose of looking for the lack/loss of that Honor.

Do something good. I mean really, really good. On a huge scale. By yourselves, not because you should go it alone, but because the University has shown itself to be a bit inept when it comes to projecting what positives exist in this darkest hour.

Perhaps hold an ad-hoc canning at the game with all proceeds to pass to a local or semi-local charity that deals with abused, neglected, and/or troubled children. Or a mini THON in one of the grass lots for the same purpose, with day-of donations from passers-by.

Yeah, money won't solve all problems.  But it will help those charities whose volunteers and staff directly care and provide direction for such children to continue to provide, if not expand, their care and direction.

Anything. But don’t do nothing. (Double negatives are fair game, friends.)

When you say you love your University, show it. The wound is open, but you can help by gathering the stitch threading and needles. Someone has to begin the process, and as far as I am concerned, there is no better representative of the University than its students. And, at least so far, it seems like it’s you or no one. Don’t let it be no one.

P.S.  Although it goes without saying, don't forget to cheer your classmates on the field.  Show up early, be loud, and stay late.  The actions of a few have been projected on the image of many, undeservedly so.  Give your classmates the support they deserve.

In the spirit of looking out for each other--

For those who travel I80W to get to State College, absolutely positively avoid I80W roughly from Exit 256 (Route 93/Sugarloaf) to Exit 242 (Mifflinville).  The Mifflinville Exit is being reconstructed, and backups during normal to high volume traffic can range from 8 to 18 (!) miles, and take hours to get from the back end to the merge point.  To add fear to insult, there is a blind right curve descending the hill to where the highway passes over a stream right outside of Sugarloaf, which leads to semis doing their best not to plow into lines of traffic.

My recommendation is to take Exit 256, follow Route 93N through Nescopeck and then into Berwick, and then pick up Route 11W in Berwick and travel until you hit the entrance ramp to I80W at MP 241.

I lucked out yesterday by using this route (after finding a passable median crossing and doubling back), and because of it, made kickoff.  God bless any fans who tried to wait out the backup.  If they saw any of the game, I'd be very surprised.