The Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State is like many modern college basketball arenas.  There’s two levels of bleachers, the ubiquitous banners announcing this victory or that, an American flag (in case we forget where we are) and a massive television screen that hovers over all. 

It is, in many ways, a shrine to college athletics.  And not just any school’s college athletics, but a very particular school.  Penn State currently has the largest dues paying alumni organization in the country.  It recently boasted a first place in the Wall Street Journal for corporate hiring.  Oh yeah, and it recently suffered a stinging child sexual abuse scandal.  The scandal originated with a star Defensive Coordinator on the star football team who appears to have been protected by his brethren. 

So perhaps it’s fitting that this weekend Penn State’s college students took over the Bryce Jordan Center to stage “Thon” a dance marathon.  Dancers are required to dance for 48 hours in a row, without sleeping or sitting down.  They do this to raise funds for the Four Diamonds Fund, a charity that gives money for pediatric cancer care.

The THON dancers invited families to attend who’ve suffered through pediatric cancer and over 300 families obliged.  There were kids currently in treatment with chemo hair cuts and kids who have been out years.  There are even a few who now have kids of their own.  All seem grateful for THON.

This is where I come in.  I was  diagnosed with cancer when I was 20, long before I joined the faculty at Penn State.   When I first went to this annual dance marathon three years ago, I figured that well intentioned college students could probably raise 20 or perhaps 30 thousand dollars if they were organized and aggressive.   And I felt some pride that my organization was tackling a disease I’ve been so familiar with.

As it turns out, the Penn State students are organized.  They are aggressive.  They can in the winter out in the intersections, they approach all organizations across the state.   They motivate and incentivize and hold mini-thons.  They pit the Penn State campuses against one another in competition and the sororities and fraternities and hold special events.

And they take the dancing seriously.  On Sunday there were kids hallucinating and crying and at least one who had to be removed by stretcher.  They make sure the dancers get food and massages and their medications and entertainment.  It’s a serious event.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised with they flipped up the numbers.  Penn State students raised over 10 million dollars for pediatric cancer care last weekend.  I know some of the kids it will help treat and I couldn't help but think on that massive number.

It can’t take away what happened to those kids at the hands of our predator.  It can’t wipe away the shame that hangs over our athletics department.  But it does reflect an honest truth about my organization.  We are more than one thing.  We are the former home of a predator and a cover-up.  We are also the home of hardworking, well-intentioned students capable of great generosity and selflessness.  We are both.  We’re probably like many organizations across the planet.  And maybe people too. 

Yep, we are more than one thing.  We are Penn State.