"I'm sure you feel cheated. Angry. So do I. This was not the way Coach Joe Paterno's tenure as the winningest football coach in history should have ended. It is not the way President Graham Spanier's tenure should have ended. He was one of the most respected university presidents in the nation who did great things for Penn State. It may take years to figure out whether or not this was the right decision.
I have three appeals to you because I am very concerned about how you are feeling right now:
1. First, please be careful this weekend. Protests and rallies are fine. Riots are not fine. Be aware of what's happening around you. Stay away from angry mobs. If the police ask you to leave an area please leave. You could get expelled from this university if you wind up in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't want to see any of you lose a chance to graduate because you got too carried away with your emotions (or your drinking).
2. Find some way to channel your incredible energy positively. Whether it's supporting the football team this weekend or participating in Penn State Pride activities to welcome Nebraska to the Big Ten, or doing some volunteer work for Thon, or any other creative endeavor, we are much bigger and better than is being represented in the media now.
3. Hold your heads high. We will get through these dark times by banding together and supporting one another.
Here's what Dean James Thomas said this morning in a letter to faculty:
"I will not let the horrible alleged actions of one and the inaction of a few others dent my love for this University with its 45,000 employees, 95,000 students, and 550,000 alumni. Penn State is much more than any one or a few individuals … it lives in and through all of us."
-Carolyn Todd