I believe that State Patty's Day is a Penn State tradition, and it will be one for quite some time. Sam's points as to why we should cancel the pseudo-holiday for the year are all completely valid, but as a part of the student body, this holiday is for US. It is a time we all come together and celebrate with one another downtown and in Fratland, and it's an amazing day for us all. I realize if the media filmed us, it would show us in a drunken stupor for the majority of the time, but it is a college town that is already seen as a campus that revolves around football, pedophiles, and rioting. I do not believe that us drinking on a basic Saint Patrick's Day would make us appear to be any worse than any other college campus.
My argument is only further driven by the fact that it is not as if it would be a surprise to the world if they saw clips of us binge drinking. You cannot be "awarded" Number One Party School without there being a LOT of binge drinking involved with parties every week. If the media really wanted to lead a story claiming that we are the way we are because of drinking, they would have used that claim in the very beginning of all of this chaos.
I feel like Penn State's reputation is destroyed for the time being, and that one day of major drinking is not going to put us any further into a hole. We have a long way to go still and this is not going to make a huge difference; especially because it will then be closer to Daylong season, and that is basically the same concept. Drinking in nice weather with all of your friends with an overall theme is probably the most fun thing anyone could do, and the fact that we can all come together; Greeks, non-Greeks, freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, Penn Staters and local friends can all enjoy their Natural Light and obnoxious green.
This campus needs to try to get their groove back, and we need to return to life without the scandal. This is who we are. We are a drinking campus, a fun one, and this is a fun way that we have always been able to really come together as a student body and celebrate the four years (sometimes more, sometimes less) we have to be a little crazy.
I understand and fully appreciate Sam's warning to us, and if it were my choice, I would say that it was probably a good idea to cancel it, but reality is is that it will continue to be planned and followed out. I plan to participate in State Patty's with my fellow cohort, and I plan to be Penn State proud as I usually am.
This is never going to be something forgotten, but it will blow over, and the more we pretend to be such a squeaky-clean campus, the more suspicious we are going to appear. As I said before, we need to go back to the way we were. It is the only way to get out of the spotlight. Things out of the ordinary is what gets media attention; to get the attention away from us, it is time to crack open the Natty Lights.

If Sandusky had been any minority race, there would be much more going on. I feel that because Pennsylvania is a predominately white state, it would have only added fuel to the extreme fire he is already under. The racism that one sees daily if they belong to minority groups is ridiculous; that can go without saying. Unfortunately, due to the racism that still exists, people look for facts or instances that only further their erroneous beliefs.
If a family that is slightly racist and believes that black people are no-good-doers, then this Sandusky case would only serve as an affirmation for their views. It is a biased, yet unfaltering fact, that when someone of a minority race does something evil and/or illegal, it is put much more into the minds and lives of Americans via media. The fact that this scandal is so huge right now is because, I feel, most people would not have expected that from him. Granted, it should not be expected of anyone, but it was such a shock because he worked for a university that is held in such high standards globally, and the man he worked with, Joe Paterno, is seen as a pseudo-God. Had Sandusky been a black coach, I feel that people would be just as disgusted with the situation and acts that this man partook in, but there would also be a larger majority of people that would not be as surprised.
So many people in this world play into the white privilege, and do not even know it. Sandusky is getting threats and a lot of hate from everyone, but he is lucky. One can only imagine what kind of racist comments would go before the words "bastard" and "son of a b...." Although it shouldn't, race is ALWAYS a factor, and it upsets me to think that Sandusky is getting off easier because of the color of his skin.
People should be looking at the color of his soul, or lack thereof, but I feel that there are still many people that are giving him more slack than he deserves because they can identify with him more easily than if he had been of a minority race.

As for the five stages, I personally do not believe that many people are going to go through the depression. The student body is more angry, which is stage 2, and I feel that many will jump from stage 2 to stage 5. I also feel that the majority of how people will feel depends on the game this coming Saturday. As Sam mentioned in class, if we win, the majority of the fans that are on Joe Paterno's side will be able to recognize that he was not the sole reason for wins (or losses), and that another coach can get the job done. Unfortunately, the anger in many students is not what I would call anger, but more excitement, especially in terms of the riots.
Everyone last year rioted for Osama's death-- absolutely thrilled that it was finally over and we had finally caught the man that was behind the September 11th attacks. That was a joyous riot; a prideful and, for the most part, a peaceful one. The riots that took place for Paterno this past week were absolutely dreadful. The fact that there were news anchors from major television channels (e.g., CNN, ESPN) made us look terrible. Flipping over the vans, starting fires, knocking down light poles, and harassing the police (and one another, in some cases) showed the nation exactly what we were saying we were NOT: more than football.
I agree, and I stand with the majority of my fellow cohort when I say that Paterno should not have been fired after decades of giving all he had to this school. I DO believe, however, that the majority of us have forgotten why this has all occurred. Children were molested and/or raped, and being an world-renound football coach does not excuse you from not telling law authorities.
It is so sad that so many people are showing anger instead of hurt; instead of grief, instead of acceptance and support for Paterno. I have no doubt in my mind that Paterno is not proud of what he has done, or lack there of, and I am sure that he feels even worse knowing that his fans are wreaking havoc on their own town; on HIS town.
People need to accept what has happened and move on. This is an amazing university, and we are here for our degrees to make a difference in the world. A football coach's leave should not be our downfall, nor should it be the reason our school is making headlines.

My family has hired illegal immigrants to work because the work was easy and they were willing to do it for very cheap. Yes, it sounds like we were taking advantage of the situation where they could not choose their salary, but we were also paying them much more than they would have gotten from their previous home. In California, illegal Mexican workers are plentiful, and they are hard, diligent workers, and usually very honest. My family chose to hire a Mexican worker that did not have papers to do our landscaping every other week because they had seen his work before in the neighborhood. He had a family back in Mexico that he supported and we wanted to give him an opportunity to get as much money as he could since he had already worked at a few other homes nearby.
I personally feel that if we know that a person is an honest worker, that he does not feel cheated out of any money, and has mouths to feed that it is not a bad or shameful thing to hire them. My issue only comes when someone will hire an illegal immigrant, but not an American worker of the same skill and salary request. That is when I would say it is not appropriate to favor one over the other, especially because of legal issues, and that the American should get the job.
I also do not feel that it is okay to hire illegal immigrants in big companies or factories. My family hired him to cut the grass, trim the bushes, and keep up the yard. That only affects one family, and even then it is not something where it could have a detrimental effect on anyone else. If an illegal immigrant is hired for big corporations, then not only are we taking a very high-up job and giving it to someone that is not even a citizen (when there are plenty of qualified Americans for every type of job), but we are also running the risk of having someone that is not tied to the US taking, what may be, a very important position. A huge concern would be that their "loyalty" would not be to us, and therefore it could be a botched job done.

I have many thoughts about illegal immigrants, and most of them are positive ones.
First of all, the America that we know now started with illegal immigration and stealing. That right there shows that many here have no right (at least morally) to say that others should not do the same. That is hypocritical as much as it is selfish. So many people here have so much more than others, even the poorest here would be kings in third-world countries...
Secondly, many of my good friends are first generation to parents that have come to the Americas illegally. I cannot imagine not having them in my life, and knowing what wonderful and hardworking people their parents are, I would never ask for them to leave. I feel that they only help our economy-- they are not taking jobs that Americans of many generations-old would want (such as gardening, working at fast food restaurants, etc.) Many of the people that say that are just bitter because of the few that have surpassed their own salary incomes, and that is just ethically ridiculous. You should not envy your neighbor, but perhaps just work harder to match their success. That has nothing to do with being legal or not, it is hard work and determination.
Third off, we ask that they do not come over illegally, but rather seek a green card or work towards a legal status, but the government has made it so difficult to become a citizen and the process is so long that perhaps that person(s) cannot wait that long to get out of their respective countries.
Whatever the reason for people to want to leave their countries to come here, it should be respected and welcomed. If we begin to shut people out, we are destroying what the United States has created: diversity, a melting pot of different cultures and origins, and a safe haven for those that need refuge. We take for granted what we have, and instead of wanting others to have that same success and lifestyle, so many choose to live selfishly and make others work for it.
I was born in the United States and was lucky enough to be born as an American citizen, without having to work for it. I personally do not feel that that gives me reason enough to feel as though I am more "American" than the person that wants to come over and live their life here and work hard. If that is the case, we are both doing the same thing: just working in the same country (which, as Sam has explained, is just an invisible line separating us.)
I believe that immigration should still be a process that people must go through, but just to make sure that they are good people (with few legal issues) and that they intend on working hard for what they get. Other than that, they are doing better and more important things than many Americans are at the very moment.

Happiness is something that everyone wishes to achieve, perhaps even more so than money, love, or success. When a person claims that all they want in life is to end up happy, I've always thought that perhaps the reason people do, in fact, end up happy is because they have a combination of money, or love, and/ or success. Unfortunately, you usually need two of the above, because most are not satisfied with having just one.
For example, if you are extremely poor, to the point of poverty, having a loving spouse is not going to get you much happiness when your stomach is growling and you have taxes to pay. On the flip side, being the wealthiest person in the world without someone to love can be even more depressing than the latter.
As I said before, I shall say again: You need a combination of the three aforementioned things to be capable of being happy. If you must add another, it would only be self satisfaction, and about 99% of the population can never attain this, so you had better work for two of the others.
When I think about it for myself, I stand with the majority and say that I truly do want happiness for myself. I know that I need to be in a loving relationship and to have money-- it may sound shallow, but I know that for myself; that I need the two in my life in order on focusing on self-satisfaction.
Giving in to this somewhat shameful "need" has not been something that I could easily acknowledge and admit, especially to others. Only now am I really able to say it because I truly believe that most everyone needs these things, some more than others. I happen to be one of those "others" but I am not afraid to admit it.
I suppose I feel that it is okay to want money and success and love because, in order for me to get my true happiness, I need to be able to not worry financially or romantically about other things.
Happiness, for myself, is an easy life. Not boring, but one without materialistic frets.

Racial stereotypes occur in every race, but usually the ones I do not believe in fall under those of my own. However, because of where I grew up, I do not believe in the stereotype that it is those who identify as black to be the "criminals." Watching the videos on Tuesday where Sam showed a clip of Oakland PD upset me because I am from a city that neighbors Oakaland, California, and black is not the only race that is racially profiled. In California, those who appear as Mexican are usually suspects in many cases that regard burglary, drug trafficking, and crimes such as rape and murder. The fact that blacks are deemed as criminals is so wrong, politically and statistically, that the only reason it is believed is because there is more coverage in the news when it comes to this specific race.
There are so many people that are "untrusting" towards the black community because of the stories they have heard and because of the things they have seen on the news, but in reality, you should not trust anyone, of any race. People are people, and they make poor decisions in life. I, personally, had many friends back at home that identify as black and they come from good homes of upper middle class, and have no need to steal, cheat, or lie (as these are some of the highlighted stereotypes that are attributed with that race.) It proves to me that this society has a very long way to go in terms of acceptance that does not involve racial prejudices of any kind, including unfair advantages given to minority.
All in all, I disagree that the black community is the "main" one that is involved with crime because I choose to not see it that way. I see it as many people were either raised in poor situations and were taught that those actions was not a bad thing, or that they simple are not very good citizens. I would not sit there and believe that it is only one specific race that is causing mayhem out in the world.

Haiti needs our help. Even just by watching the videos and seeing the landmarks around town, you can tell very quickly on that it is in very poor shape (earthquake, or not.) The Haiti Project’s ability to help others get onto their feet is a wonderful thing, but it also helps start a domino effect. Maybe if we can help this one person to be successful, they can, in turn, help their neighbor.
I watched multiple videos, and they were all very inspiring. I watched a few involving clothes manufacturing and distributing, another about pastries, and a final one discussing how to improve a floral arrangement business.
I personally do not feel that the clothing businesses will do well. The prices of some of the items were unrealistic for everyday wear, and the other items I saw, such as elegant dresses and high heels, are not something that I see being worn often enough in Haiti to be purchased. I can understand that clothing is necessary, but I feel that denim (a fairly sustainable fabric) and cotton shirts would suffice and be more practical.
The pastry clip made me think that it could truly be a successful business in Haiti. The woman mentioned that she has buyers, but that she has to make long, difficult trips to get the cakes and cookies to them. Although cookies and cakes are not necessarily for survival, food, I feel, is more of a resource than evening dresses. Besides, she said that she was supporting her children and her husband who cannot work which makes me more inclined to think that she needs the business more.
The woman that had the floral arrangement and bridal veil shop seemed to already have a very successful business going on. It is mentioned that she has two shops that are doing just fine in Haiti as it is, so why she needs to be given more textiles is a little strange to me.
Regardless of which business ends up being helped, I truly believe that they all have the potential to do well financially if they just had the opportunity. Unfortunately, in a place like Haiti, there are not many people that have the spare money to support local businesses involving “designer” purses and shoes, etc. I feel that food and comfort is something that would ultimately lead to success, for both parties.

I do not believe that welfare discourages one from going out and improving their lifestyle. Although welfare does help those who cannot fully support for themselves and/or their families, it usually is not because the "bread winner" is being lazy. People are given opportunities depending upon a mixture of their upbringing, race, and their socioeconomic status (both in the past and present.) Unfortunately, because of these factors, it is not always up to a person as to whether or not they live a life of luxury, or at least one of comfort.
Americans have always been one of the wealthiest of citizens in the world, individually and collectively. The government, having recognized this, put forth a plan to help those who cannot help themselves for the time being due to allotted circumstances.
I have been blessed enough to have been born into an upper middle-class family, where my lifestyle has been a comfortable one, if not completely lavish at times. To think that some children are born into families with little money, food, and/or basic necessities is heart breaking and I am more than pleased to pay taxes to help them get on their feet. Those who believe that it is only a "get out of jail free card" are being selfish and finding the only negative in what could be a (and to many people is the only) positive thing in a person's life.
I find it very difficult to not believe in the welfare system simply because it has worked for so long and helped a very large group of different people. To say that it is only for those who are black, brown, Asian, white, Latino/a is being racist and making a completely illegitimate claim.
Welfare was made to help people who need it. People. Not lazy individuals of a certain race. Of course there will be those who do take advantage of the system and completely live off of those who are generous enough to give, but I would like to think that, for the majority, it is not charity, but just simple help for the time being.
Ideally, welfare should be used to help people get on their feet so that they, too, can turn around and help those who need it.

I classify myself as a female. Other than that, I really do not find myself easily classified because, quite honestly, almost anyone can slightly fall into hundreds of thousands of categories. Just by going to Penn State I can say that I am a female, in a sorority, from out-of-state, under 20, of mixed racial background, a student... the list literally can go on and on. This is why I do not see how one can say that s/he is clear-cut in one division. There are even sub-categories, but I do not even want to attempt with those.
Basically I feel that we give ourselves place these imaginary categories for one of two reasons: to set ourselves apart or to feel as though we belong. Obviously we are all different, so why there is a need to show that you are an individual is quite confusing, and if you feel the need to belong to a group, realize that we are all people. You are one of billions. That statement right there accomplishes being a part of and apart from a very large group.
When others try to categorize by appearances, by religion, by social class, or even by ancestry, you can usually assume that the groups will be wrong. There is no way to tell if someone fully falls under one category. Even if they are 99.9% sure that they "qualify" as something, that .1% is the determining factor that shows everyone, including oneself, that you are not like anyone else on this earth. Why try?
I find it stupid that we make all of this progression towards equality, and then we sit here and say that I am different from you because of x, y, and z reasons. If we want to set ourselves apart so badly, then we should stop fighting so hard for an egalitarian world. To be quite honest, it is hypocritical work if we continue it, so we need to stop doing one or the other.
We choose to put ourselves, and everyone else, into classifications (that are usually wrong, anyway) to raise up in comparison to our neighbors. There is a certain power that comes into play when you can classify yourself, because it gives you a way to signify what it is about you that is special. If I could just be myself, and have no one know about me, my background, my family (or my own) income, then there would not be too much that one could judge me on. It’s is because others know me, and because I know others, that I can place myself, and them, into these organized sections showing what it is that sets us apart and brings us together.
Maybe if everyone decided that they would keep the private things about them private, our world would be a little less divided.