Nitt Picks Is Arbitrarily Enforcing The Rules
by KevinHD on Apr 30, 2009 8:12 AM EDT
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PrintIt went that well everywhere else? So spring ball is over and that means LISTS LISTS LISTS until August. SI compiled the top five winners and losers of early 2009 nationally and count me as being someone who didn't realize things went so poorly in SC:
[Biggest Spring Loser] 4. Navorro Bowman, Penn State, LB. Expected to be one of the centerpieces of a stout Nittany Lions defense, the first-team All-Big Ten performer's future is in jeopardy after he received a year of probation for admitting to smoking marijuana in the off-season, which violated a previous probation. Joe Paterno suspended the redshirt junior for the spring game, saying he'd speak to Bowman about his future. Bowman, who failed two random, team-administered drug tests, will probably be suspended through the summer. There's precedent --JoePa did suspend Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma for three games last year after they were charged with marijuana possession.
There's precedent in that other college kids have been caught smoking weed before, but I don't know if it's fair to compare Evans and Koroma being interrupted by the cops, apparently not really owning up to what they did wrong, and Bowman, who's had a tough personal year and been totally upfront with the coaches about everything.
Now I'm not here to say you can do what you want as long as you admit to it, or that this even needs debating again, but Paterno has always made it clear he looks at every situation separately and this is one of those times when I think the policy is a good one.
And while we're over at SI:
[Biggest Spring Loser] 5. Coaches who Tweet. Everyone, including college football's resident king of cool, Pete Carroll, is tweeting. But just because some coaches are showing how hip they are by opening a Twitter account doesn't mean every coach should be living life 140 characters at a time.
I've been meaning to say something for a while now and this is as good a time as any: I love JayTweet.
Too often companies (and coaches) take a stab at being hip by simply doing these things. Note to these companies (and coaches): doing things poorly, no matter how trendy the medium, makes them not worth doing at all. They aren't helping you achieve whatever it is you are striving for.
JayPa knows what he's doing, and that's why I love it. He talks about relevant things like B&W weather. He answers questions. He puts up his own photos. He aggregates Penn State media like videos and news stories. He's even broken news about game times. He adds value, and broad statements like "Coaches who Tweet are losers" achieves the opposite of that because they aren't (1) useful, or (2) true.
Wisconsin is in trouble. Except they are in trouble with the NCAA, and that means they aren't actually in trouble at all. They've been charged with visiting recruits during a "quiet period", when such trips are not allowed. The iron fist that is the NCAA is all over it:
NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn said infractions for recruiting calendar violations are fairly common. The NCAA limits recruiting contacts to prevent students from being inundated with requests from coaches while they are finishing high school, she said.
Osburn said minor violations such as Wisconsin's are defined as giving only a minimal recruiting advantage. She would not say what action, if any, the NCAA has taken in response to Wisconsin's report.
Now attacking this could be seen as being ticky-tacky and an attempt at trying to blow something minor out of proportion. Here's the thing, though: what is the point of the quiet period? If you can visit recruits anyway, why even have the rule? The people who write these things are paid employees, same goes for those like Ms.Osburn who are charged with enforcing them.
The NCAA is powerless in so many ways, but in this instance they are actually in absolute control. And besides, there is a contradiction of goals here: are you trying to protect the high school kid so he can take his finals, or are you worried about college coaches getting a "recruiting advantage"? Because those are different things.
My belief is that the first is far more important, and if you really want to let the kid graduate in peace say, as a rule, that any coach who goes for a visit during a quiet period loses a scholarship. Either that or just get rid of the rule and let this AP writer report about some actual news.
Penn State Is The New Steel. By an 'independent study', which may or may not be true:
Penn State contributes more to the state's economy annually than any other industry. In 2008, the University generated $8.5 billion in direct and indirect economic impact and an additional $8.7 billion through business services, research commercialization, and the activities of alumni, for a total of more than $17 billion.
Check out the link for fancy charts and graphics, but according to the site Penn State is not only the biggest economic contributor to the state, but also employs more people than any non-governmental entity (Penn State is a quasi-government entity, by the way), they contribute more to the economy than all professional sports teams combined, and out of state visitors to Penn State spent around $777 million in the Commonwealth in 2008.
The whole thing appears to be a pitch to the state congress, who continue to give less and less despite all of this. I'm not saying I fully understand the budget constraints at the PA capitol, but...
- PSU's in-state tuition for 08-09 was almost $15K ($25K out of state) for core programs.
- The average state school charges $7K ($11K out of state)
- The Big Ten average was $10K ($24K out of state)
I'll stop with this now, but you get the point.
In Scores Of Other Games...David Jones is reporting the basketball team has scheduled a home-and-home with Virginia Tech.
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Looking at the costs pisses me off so much.
I wouldn’t trade the Penn State experience for anything. But my PSU degree better have a secret letter on the back that tells me how to make millions, because it is truly starting to get unfair. As a minority that is already struggling to pay things, I feel bad for anyone who is coming in after me. Its going to be tough for those who don’t have mommy and daddy to pay everything and must scrape up enough just to cover tuition. And lets not even talk about how, depending on major, books are now 300-700 a semester.
I would really like to hear the rationale for our tuition being so high. What do we do that is so different than other schools?
I was out in the trenches, which enables me to paint such a powerful picture, like Apocalypse Now.-Cormega
it's always got to be about minorities huh
god forbid a white guy has trouble paying the bills
by DevonEdwards on Apr 30, 2009 9:23 AM EDT up reply actions
I was speaking for myself...
never said anything about white people not struggling. But Penn State is about as diverse as a Nascar race already, so who do you think will be more affected by tuition increases, whites or minorities?
I was out in the trenches, which enables me to paint such a powerful picture, like Apocalypse Now.-Cormega
um...well I guess technically whites
just cuz, as you pointed out already, there are a lot more of them, so the sheer volume of it.
But yeah, I get what you’re actually saying
by The JuggerNitt on Apr 30, 2009 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions
sarcasm my dear watson
but seriously, i don’t see why race is at all important in this discussion. I’d prefer it weren’t brought up, but let’s not lamet the past.
by DevonEdwards on Apr 30, 2009 10:33 PM EDT up reply actions
White, black, green or purple, we’re all poor when we get out of there.
Penn Staters belong at Penn State. The problem with a lot of kids is they just don’t know they are Penn Staters yet. -jesse. @ BSD
by TheK-GunNeedsReloaded on Apr 30, 2009 8:28 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm only partially-qualified to answer.
But I believe PSU still gets a lot less from its state government than most of the other B10 schools. And really, it’s still a pretty good deal. A certain future wife of mine teaches at a smaller PA college, and the tuition there is something like $38k with room and board, for a degree that isn’t close to what the vast majority of PSU’s programs would give you.
(Thankfully, our theoretical kids would get it for free.)
"Never. We would never shoot nuclear weapons at Decepticons." -- Gen. Jack Jacobs
by Run Up The Score on Apr 30, 2009 9:34 AM EDT up reply actions
True
Look at how our out of state tuition compares to out of state with other Big Ten schools — very similar. The difference in in state tuition simple has to do with (relatively) small public support from the govenment, especially on a per student basis. That’s not going to change unless Pennsylvania starts giving much more money to the “state related” schools — fat chance in these economic times.
When you have..........
8 billion senior citizens, I guess you can’t use the lottery proceeds to subsidize education.
I went to Allegheny and it was 18k per year in 1990. Its 40k per year now. I am white. First person of 3 in my family to go to college and still the only one to graduate. I borrowed a lot of money and then had to move to find a job that paid more than 20k a year. Anyhoo………in retrospect, the only reason I would have gone anywhere else is because it was slim pickens when it came to females. Also, a better game day experience would have been a plus too. Sure we had Ken O’Keefe on the sidelines (Iowa OC) along with Joe Philbin (OC Green Bay) and Stanley Drayton (RB Coach Tennessee), but that wasn’t quite enough :)
However, I think the education I received was outstanding and I hope to someday fund a scholarship there directed toward first generation, white males, from blue collar familes who don’t have many resources. The scholarship money for that demo is somewhat light from what I recall.
15k 19 years later seems like a steal to me :)
Eric Watters Atlanta, Ga.
"If you hear Ric Flair is in town......WOOOOO........you KNOW things are takin' place".
Ric Flair
I still think it's 'worth it'
but if you are PA and having a difficult time developing strong industry in-state, allowing your residents cheaper access to what is a great product can only do good things.
Totally Agree.
Eric Watters Atlanta, Ga.
"If you hear Ric Flair is in town......WOOOOO........you KNOW things are takin' place".
Ric Flair
Allegheny..........
and UF………..the only two schools in the country with that nickname. Cruel coincidence for me :)
Eric Watters Atlanta, Ga.
"If you hear Ric Flair is in town......WOOOOO........you KNOW things are takin' place".
Ric Flair
The thing that bothers me
Is that since I left almost 20 years ago the campus has grown tremendously. Each of those buildings has to cost millions, I just have a hard time believing that all the expansion is needed, and it certainly has to be payed for. I want my kids to go to PSU but will have a hard time if the tuition continues to climb faster than inflation.
They don’t have the tradition to hold our nuts
This here^
That gets me every time. I understand that buildings are part of the competitive arms race between schools… but has anyone looked at the new buildings? Take the IST building… they built a multi-million dollar bridge across Atherton Street. The new law building out in the flower gardens looks like one of those new-age megachurches, and why did they need to close Shortlidge Road to build a Chemistry Building (which had a bridge, just for good measure)? How many parking garages does a campus really need?
I’ll never discount the Penn State education and experience. I know there’s a huge Penn State family out there, and I know it helps in the corporate world with connections and all. But if I see one more building constructed that covers up a soccer field or a garden to replace one of the beautiful old buildings in the center of campus, I might very well throw up my Peachy Paterno from the new corporate sponsored creamery building.
“I might very well throw up my Peachy Paterno from the new corporate sponsored creamery building.”
At least it’d be free from cockroach poop. Be glad you never went into the basement of the old food sciences building.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Apr 30, 2009 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Understand totally. I used to work at the Old Creamery. But cockroaches can be exterminated, buildings can be renovated. Don’t disagree that shit was far from perfect, but how can some stuff be justified? The IST Building (not the need for a building, but the grand architectural monstrosity they made it), new Medical Building, the Parking Lot City?
Renovation?
Those buildings weren’t built for the kind of research being done now. You simply can’t renovate some of them – the buildings aren’t rated for it. In the case of the food science department and the business department, physically there wasn’t space.
IST, the medical building, and the law school are all being built to handle essentially new departments, so there was really no choice but to build entirely new buildings. And if you’re going to do that, you want those buildings to be adequate for 50 years, so yeah, they kinda need to be big.
I agree with you regarding the closing of Shortlidge and the chemistry building bridge. That was pointless.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Apr 30, 2009 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions
yup, one or the other would suffice
though here at MSU they have 3 buildings, the Biochemistry Building, the Biomedical and Physical Science (BPS) building, and the Chemistry Building that are all connected by tunnels AND sky bridges, and let me tell you this: when you are going back and forth from the buildings multiple times a day, and it is in the negative degrees out, it is much appreciated (also, important when you are transferring delicate/hazardous materials)
by The JuggerNitt on Apr 30, 2009 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions
I think it’s just a matter of a “need to have” vs a “nice to have.” Especially when it comes at jacking tuition through the roof. That’s really the central issue.
My point is that they were all “need” except for the chemistry building bridge. That could’ve been done cheaper. And while I appreciated Curtin being extended out to Atherton St., I don’t really understand why it was necessary if they were trying to reduce traffic on campus.
Penn State tuition in the 90s was way cheap, but part of that was because the campus hadn’t had major work done in years. F’crying out loud, before the HUB-Robeson expansion the Robeson Center was housed in temporary housing from the 1940s that was intended to be used while the HUB was being built.
You might want to go and read some of the old Collegian editorials back from the mid-90s. There was an article about the need for expansion probably every week. The explosion of construction is just because things were stalled for so long.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Apr 30, 2009 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions
A couple of things...
1 Penn State was always expensive for a State school. Always. It used to be cheaper, but so did Michigan and North Carolina. It’s not like our costs are going up and nobody else’s are.
2 The law building especially, and also the medical building are necessary. Penn State needs to get out of being in Harrisburg, and that’s where both of those programs are/were located. It was killing the law school, nobody wanted to move to Carlisle. It was a huge advantage for Pitt.
"I honestly think the "Spread HD" is going to work pretty well, and we’ll be just fine this year". - 8-27-2008
Medical?
The Medical school is still in Hershey and is not moving. And there’s no particular reason why it would be moved.
As for the law school, there’s advantages and disadvantages for haivng a law school right outside the state capital just as there are advantages and disadvantages of having it in a college town. That’s why they went with a two campus system to allow students to have a choice between the two settings.
Also...
“they built a multi-million dollar bridge across Atherton Street.”
I’m completely with you on the closing of Shortlidge, but the bridge over Atherton Street was a great idea.
They did that because they needed more dorms and land space, partly because it’s cheaper to build a new building than tear an old building down and replace it. They couldn’t grow north (College Heights), south (College Ave), or west (ag land), but they could grow east. But to do that, they needed a safe way for students to cross Atherton Street.
It is common for students to get hit by cars and killed on campuses which have four-lane roads crossing through them. Building that bridge was a good solution.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Apr 30, 2009 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Beh
I’ve got east/west inverted due to the rotated State College frame of reference.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Apr 30, 2009 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions
hah, I do that all the time between PSU & MSU
since they’re pretty similar campuses, but one has the town to the north, and the other has the town to the south.
by The JuggerNitt on Apr 30, 2009 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions
MSU?
Is that Michigan State?
MSU’s campus doesn’t look rotated like Penn State’s. Penn State campus maps are one of the few maps I’ve ever seen with a compass rose rotated 45 degrees. It’s kinda funny because most university’s interactive maps just use Google Maps, but I don’t think Penn State can.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Apr 30, 2009 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah, Michigan State
and what I was implying is that the size and dimensions are really similar, but at PSU I would orient myself with the town being to the south, but here the town is to the north, so I often flip flop east & west in my mind when going between the 2 campuses.
and yes, I know that the PSU campus isn’t direct north/south, but instead has that 45 degree angle, but in terms of thinking where places were, I always imagined College & as going East/West, and Shortlidge & Atherton as going North/South, since it just made things easier (at least for me)
by The JuggerNitt on Apr 30, 2009 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, that’s what I do too, but if I forget the orientation, I think back to the route numbers (322 E/W, 26 N/S) and compare them to the E/W and N/S designations on campus (east/west College, north/south Atherton) which inevitably gets me into trouble.
Of course, it also doesn’t help that State College’s origin (the place where E/W, N/S are split) is at the old University gates at Allen & College, rather than the now-obvious choice of College and Atherton.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on May 1, 2009 1:08 AM EDT up reply actions
I prefer
to not try to think of compass directions while at PSU. We’re immune to the orientation of the planet, that’s why we’re so awesome. North is north halls, south leads you into town, west is west halls and travelling in the PSU east direction will get you to the stadium, which also is immune to compass direction despite having a compass on top of the stadium showing the orientation of the rest of the world in relation to the poles of the earth.
Shortlidge
As I understand, the closing off of Shortlidge was quite intentional in order to cut down on traffic throught the campus. They prefer to have preople have to drive around rather than right through the center of campus — there is a not insignificant number of pedestrian injuries that occur on campus plus reducing traffic there helps with noise and air pollution. At least in theory.
And has there been a big boom in parking garages on campus? There’s been a few over the years, I guess. It seems to me that they’ve been getting rid of parking over the years (like Lot 80 giving way for Food Science) while also increasing the number of people working at the school — people have to park somewhere. Better to have parking garages which allow for dense land use and keep the campus walkable than surface lots.
well they did put up that huge parking garage
which I think has as many, or more, spots than lot 80 did
by The JuggerNitt on Apr 30, 2009 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions
"how many parking garages does psu need?"
Tons, that’s how many. I still wish they had better parking options available to students, particularly commuters.
Also you mention the IST Building. I’m an IST major so I’m there everyday. Lets just say that building was poorly constructed. They worried too much about looks and not enough about efficiency. That building should have twice the classrooms that it does now. The bridge part was needed though because it is the central connection between the new west campus and graduate apartments. Without it, students would have to cross Atherton Street everyday.
Let's Go State
If by commuters...
If you’re a local resident who commutes, I agree with you. If you’re living out at State College Park or whatever, I have no sympathy. The kids up there are so adverse to mass transit and want to park right in front of their building. Then again, I remember kids taking the bus from east to the forum.
I was an IST student and was there everyday. In many regards, I agree totally with your assessment. That building is essentially one big hallway/bridge. A very attractive pedestrian bridge, as well as a much more efficient class building could have been easily built at a fraction of the cost, without the adverse effect of creating a building that is an aesthetic affront to god.
“A very attractive pedestrian bridge, as well as a much more efficient class building could have been easily built at a fraction of the cost”
A “fraction”? What fraction? 9/10 is a fraction. C’mon. A simpler building would’ve still cost 50-75% of what the final building did. And note that I don’t disagree with you that the IST building sucks, but that’s implementation. You were arguing that the buildings weren’t needed.
A better design might’ve saved money, but not a ton. Tuition still would’ve gone up.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Apr 30, 2009 3:21 PM EDT up reply actions
"a very attractive pedestrian bridge"
what bridge do the ugly pedestrians use? Or are they just required to play real life frogger on Atherton?
by The JuggerNitt on Apr 30, 2009 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions
We could just put JoePa as a traffic cop out there. He lives nearby, and has experience yelling at people for breaking traffic laws.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Apr 30, 2009 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions
I was waiting for that
Have a "great HD day!" - Jay Paterno
by ReadingRambler on Apr 30, 2009 7:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Spanier is going to keep building
until they name something after him. And something good – not some bullshit dorm that they built over on the old Nittany golf course.
by Tailgate Shogun on Apr 30, 2009 9:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Hmm
“Spanier Field at Beaver Stadium sponsored by Pepsi, Rockvale Outlets, and Sheetz”
?
Have a "great HD day!" - Jay Paterno
by ReadingRambler on Apr 30, 2009 10:30 PM EDT up reply actions
What's that? I couldn't hear you over "Sweet Caroline"
Have a "great HD day!" - Jay Paterno
by ReadingRambler on May 1, 2009 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I know it will never happen
but if it did, I believe I’d have to kill myself. Either hara-kiri at the 50 yd line, or diving off of the upper deck of Beaver stadium. The pain would be too great.
Nah, I’m planning on killing myself when we put names on the jerseys.
Have a "great HD day!" - Jay Paterno
by ReadingRambler on May 1, 2009 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Unrelated
but I think that the potentially greatest day in my life is when Spanier resigns as President of the University, and JoePa is still coaching. There’s some sort of karma or divine justice in that.
eh, Spanier isn't nearly as bad as he could be
by The JuggerNitt on May 1, 2009 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions
No, he's not the devil incarnate or anything
but I meant since he tried to hard to get Joe to retire, I find some irony in a situation where Spanier retires before he does
Not needed?
Ten years ago, the following was all true:
- The student union building’s basic design was almost 50 years old, intended to serve a student body that was probably 1/5 the size of the current student body
- The business school was using an old converted dorm as office space
- It was common for incoming students to be in overflow housing – that is, living in a student lounge with 4-5 other people – for a full year
- The food science department had more cockroaches than professors doing research (and yes, this is the building where the Creamery was housed)
- The physics department had to eliminate the graduate student lounge to give an incoming professor lab space – in the basement
- The entire mathematics library had to be relocated because the floor was collapsing
Penn State lost faculty members because of some of those conditions. This I know for a complete and total fact. Two of the new buildings that were built were for the business school and for food science, and both of those were absolutely necessary.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Apr 30, 2009 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Creamery
As an aside, what are they planning to do with the old Creamery site?
Borland
They seriously renovated Borland (hint, shadowfax) and gave it to the College of Arts and Architecture.
I haven’t been there since the renovation, but I’ve seen pictures of it, and it’s freaking gorgeous. (after brief searching, here: http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/1847 )
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Apr 30, 2009 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Borland
And hats off to them for it. It looks great… I have no emotional attachment to what is in the building, but I hate seeing a lot of the buildings going to waste in the center of campus so every department can have a building that looks like a freakin’ spaceship.
Which ones are going to waste?
The only example I can think where they made a mistake was when the Scholars program (nee Honors College) moved inside Atherton (who moves administration inside a damn dorm?!? I swear I wanted to take every freaking piece of paper to them in boxers) instead of going to Old Botany, but even then Old Botany was renovated thanks to the class of 2000 and went to the STS program.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Apr 30, 2009 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
I graduated from Food Sci, and the reason they went to the new building was simply that Borland was not big enough for the Creamery. It was cheaper to build the new building than to renovate the other one to the degree that would allow for the Creamery to continue growing.
As far as the food science department goes, freshman enrollment is at an all-time high (it was traditionally a major that you transferred into because no one knew about it in high school) and they’re adding a few new faculty members. Arguably, with the old faculty, new building, and additional faculty, we have the best Food Sci department in the country. If not, it’s definitely top 3.
Just adding on from someone’s point of view that was actually affected by it.
Penn Staters belong at Penn State. The problem with a lot of kids is they just don’t know they are Penn Staters yet. -jesse. @ BSD
by TheK-GunNeedsReloaded on Apr 30, 2009 8:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Plus Borland was a dump. My wife was a grad student in the food science department. The place was really bad, and there were several professors sharing lab space because either there wasn’t additional space available or the space wasn’t usable.
I’m sure the main reason they built the new building was because Borland was too small, but I guarantee that most of the people who worked there appreciated the new building simply because it wasn’t nearly as bad as Borland.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on Apr 30, 2009 10:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Very very true. I just graduated in December, so I was in the old building and then switched over after my sophomore year (‘05-’06)…what a difference.
Penn Staters belong at Penn State. The problem with a lot of kids is they just don’t know they are Penn Staters yet. -jesse. @ BSD
by TheK-GunNeedsReloaded on Apr 30, 2009 11:58 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm surprised when I hear people so sentimental about Borland
Yeah, it’s where I grew up going to the creamery as long as I can remember, but you couldn’t fit more than ten people inside for the cone line, and the other side only seated about fifteen, if that. God forbid it’s raining or snowing and you want some ice cream. At least the new building has shelter from the storms, at least until the line wraps around curtin road.
The only bad thing about Berkey is that it’s named after Iowa alums. On the other hand, they decided to give their money to us instead of their alma mater, so I guess that makes us infinitely better than the entire state of Iowa.
They gave 4 million to a 50 million dollar building- the only reason their name is still there is because they were committed for the money while it was still a 10 million dollar renovation project. They’re also a royal pain in the ass about it, about every six months they demand something else (a flavor in the Creamery, another flavor, a plaque in the seating area)…I like that they gave money, but they are really overboard about it.
Penn Staters belong at Penn State. The problem with a lot of kids is they just don’t know they are Penn Staters yet. -jesse. @ BSD
by TheK-GunNeedsReloaded on May 1, 2009 10:34 PM EDT up reply actions
I know- I was just piling on. I’m not a fan of the Berkeys.
Penn Staters belong at Penn State. The problem with a lot of kids is they just don’t know they are Penn Staters yet. -jesse. @ BSD
by TheK-GunNeedsReloaded on May 2, 2009 9:09 PM EDT up reply actions
I love how
nobody has questioned the ratonalle of geting ice cream when its raining/SNOWING outside.
I just spent 10 minutes this evening describing how it was possible to drive in snow to some Cali friend of mine. He couldn’t fathom the idea, let alone getting ice cream when its snowing.
"Even though it was bouncing, I knew it was so soft that it was just going to stay in," Battle said. "Then I ran around like a lunatic."
Sorry, you lost me when you started implying there was a bad time for Creamery ice cream.
by Bleed Blue 'n White on May 3, 2009 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions
"Penn State commissioned an independent study..."
So, they paid for it, but it was independent?
And reading it, I feel like they are making some stretches to get to that $17B number.
Still, PSU is kind of an impressive machine.
by borisborisboris on Apr 30, 2009 8:43 AM EDT reply actions
I believe they paid the researchers about $50K or something like that. I forget what the Collegian reported it was, but it’s not like they were going to do that for free. Most research is funded by somebody.
Sure, some of it might be a stretch, but that’s sort of the purpose of the study and I think that a lot of it is really legit.
by smashtheguitar on Apr 30, 2009 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions
Paying for it isn’t an independence breaker, all public companies get “independent” reports from their auditors despite paying quite a lot of money to the companies that give such opinions.
BUT, PSU was free to shop around for the firm that uses the criteria most favorable to them.
Yeah, I was just taking issue with the verbage I guess.
Independent to me means something like, “The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania commissioned a study about the the state’s economy, and PSU was a big player.”
Also a statement like “Penn State contributes more to the state’s economy annually than any other industry.” Well, yes, if you count all the revenue and payroll of all the alumni and their associated business interests.
But like I said, those numbers are still very impressive, even if their introduction had me feeling skeptical.
by borisborisboris on Apr 30, 2009 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions
VA Tech
Let’s hope that home & home comes to fruition. These are the sorts of teams we need to be scheduling, teams that are at least in the bubble discussion on a regular basis. Going 2-0 against the ACC (even with it being at Virginia and vs Virginia Tech) would really help our credibility with the selection committee.
Let's Go State!
by Gopher Broke on Apr 30, 2009 9:51 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
ACC
Hey, we could theoretically go 3-0 against the ACC if we ended up playing Miami(FL) in the Charleston Classic as well.
Good Stuff Kevin
When you post a Nitt Picks, is it hard to look for that shiny red bicycle of response, because you’ve covered so much ground? If so, I’m here for you. To wit:
Bowman: I agree, I’ll pass on debating it again. But it’s nice to hear what’s going on over at SI without actually having to check in. Appears I’m missing a metric assload of quality print.
All Hail JayTweet! I prayed to Zug last night, and this morning he appeared to me in a vision granting me this small discretion (it was beautiful, btw: cycling around Hains Point, he glided up the river and presented His Glory unto me). You covered it well Kevin. Plus, it’s so cool for PSU fans to see Jay doing something so well—especially something he clearly ‘gets.’ It feels like when someone’s come out of the closet and you see them free and full and expressive and comfortable. JayTweet has that feel. Zug bless him.
Wisconsin vis a vis NCAA: nice coverage of this latest example of a largely failed organization. Maybe Bosworth had it right: National Communists Against Athletes.
Penn State as GDP Juggernaut (not to be cornfused with BSD Juggernitt!): love the title: The New Steel. Not sure where this one’s gonna head. I do however know the following with certainty: American education costs are going to continue to rise and making ends meet will continue to be a challenge for many. It builds character tho. It took me to age 30 to get unbroke. Gawd that was a good birthday.
Javid Dones: will defer to someone more expert than I on this one.
And voila! A shiny red bicycle with all the parts. Keep up the good work, brother. Now, off to jury duty. Anybody want some crack?
Hey, this game is fun too and you can make it fun. --j. odrick
But I’m biased towards tailgating, as you may imagine. -ts
Ignore the accolades – just enjoy the games. -bb&w
JayTweet really serves two very big functions- One, giving crazy alums like us (and yes, I realize there’s students around here, I’m generalizing) some “insider” info, at least those who are Twitter-ers; and two, showing recruits that our staff is savvy…and kind of shows that “Penn State is a big family” thing that we always bring up.
Not to give too much credit, but this might be one of the smartest things Jay’s ever done.
Penn Staters belong at Penn State. The problem with a lot of kids is they just don’t know they are Penn Staters yet. -jesse. @ BSD
by TheK-GunNeedsReloaded on Apr 30, 2009 12:57 PM EDT reply actions
$15,000 freaking dollars
a year for tuition. I think it was $5-6K back in the mid-90’s when I was in school.
I remember for a fact
It was $5000 a year even when I entered school in 94. That was tuition only of course, R&B was an extra 3K or so. I was fortunate to have three scholarships covering the whole thing, which I’m sure would be much harder to get now that it’s 15K. So I graduated debt-free with a sweet engineering income, only to marry Mike who had aquired quite a bit of student loan debt. The good with the bad, right? Thankfully we paid it off quickly…I can’t imagine what it’s like these days trying to find a decent job to pay of much higher loans…especially if you went to a private school! Back in 94 my choice was full scholarship at Penn State (who’s Chem Eng program was top 5 in the country at the time) or a big name Ivy where I’d be paying 30K a year for the same education and a more prestigious name on my diploma. My parents told me to pick wherever I wanted and they’d find a way to pay for it (they weren’t rich). Besides the obvious economics…my visit to Penn State completely sold me…even the guys recruiting for the Honors Program talked about “Penn State pride”, something that was downright palpable. I never had football growing up since I went to a small prep school with no team, but I sensed I would love something about Penn State football even before I moved in there.
I have never EVER regretted for a second choosing Penn State over other elite private schools. I hope and pray they find a way to quit raising tuition at such an alarming rate.
When I went it was 1500 per semester, all included
And it wasn’t that darned long ago.
They don’t have the tradition to hold our nuts
I graduated in 91 and paid ~$30k for all 4 years
Most schools cost about that much per year now. I have 4 kids and I’m scared to death how I’m going to pay for them to go. I’m hoping I have some future plumbers in the family!
Reply to PSUWifey: “Thankfully we paid it off quickly…” and you still had a little left over for the sweet grotto in the backyard!
"The sea was angry that day, my friends." G. Costanza
I guess if we all had
a PSU Honors ChemE sugar mama taking care of things – we could have a sweet backyard grotto among other luxuries also.
One man doing the work of 100's for the good of 1000's
Va Tech
playing another ACC school is great news. Va Tech is perennially an on-the-bubble type of team. I think someone mentioned Siena as well, which Andy Katz has in his way-too-early preseason Top 25. Hopefully they can play well enough in their tournament to get to play some of the better teams.
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