THON reminds why Penn State remains great

Think about Penn State and what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

Joe Paterno and football greatness?

Or Jerry Sandusky and one of the ugliest scandals to ever besmirch an institution of higher learning.

They took down the statue of the beloved “JoePa.”

They even took away his record as the winningest coach in NCAA Division 1 history. Eventually that was restored.

Restoring the image of Penn State is going to take a little longer.

The school still is trying to free itself from the incredibly ugly, shameful spectacle of Paterno’s one-time trusted assistant coach who turned out to be a pedophile. Paterno is gone. Sandusky is in jail. But the stigma remains. It pops up like a fever blister that just won’t go away. Sandusky continues to appeal his sentence.

Now his adopted son faces charges of child abuse as well.

Three former school executives still face legal proceedings for their role in the probe of the Sandusky scandal.

You begin to wonder if Penn State will ever exorcise itself of the shroud that Jerry Sandusky placed on the school.

Which is why something that happened at State College this weekend is so important. A bunch of kids held a dance.

Of course, this is not just any dance. It’s actually a marathon. Penn State students stay on their feet for 46 hours.

It is referred to simply as THON.

Started in 1973 by the university’s Interfraternity Council, it had fairly humble roots. That first year only a handful of students took part and they raised a little more than $2,000.

THON is now something of a colossus, involving thousands of students, the largest student-run fundraiser in the nation. Just how big is THON? This weekend students raised $10 million for children’s research. That is not a typo. $10,000,000. Six zeroes. That topped last year’s total of $9.7 million raised. The total raised by Penn State students over the past quarter century now is a staggering $13.34 million.

All the money raised benefits pediatric cancer patients and their families at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

For 46 straight hours, kicking off Friday night and continuing through Sunday afternoon the student dancers are not allowed to sit down, let alone sleep.

Students at Penn State Brandywine, as well as Penn State Berks and other satellite campuses, also take part in the charity drive, raising money on their perspective campuses.

These students were not around when the Sandusky story exploded.

But they still bear the burden of what that story has done to Penn State’s image.

No one should forget what happened at Penn State, including the allegations that school officials were aware of Sandusky’s actions and ignored them for years.

But it’s important to note that Penn State is much more than that.

It always has been – and remains – one of the nation’s great research institutions.

It continues to draw students from across the state and country because of that reputation.

For years, State College, the town that serves as home for the university, was referred to by students, alumni and friends as “Happy Valley.”

The Sandusky story, and the fall of Joe Paterno wiped the smile off the faces of many Penn State boosters.

But the heart of Penn State, its students, have never lost their sense of purpose.

They continue to dance to the beat of their philanthropic mission.

They have made their mark. Through their actions they remind us that Penn State is so much more than Jerry Sandusky.

And they’ve given us 10 million reasons to believe it.

The heart of Penn State, its students, have never lost their sense of purpose.