After a week of turmoil at Penn State, PSU alums and applicants dealt with the shock of Joe Paterno’s sudden departure. While some insist he’s innocent and shouldn’t have been fired, others are appalled at his failure to report known child abuse.

The university’s Board of Trustees forced Paterno, who had coached at the school for 62 years, to step down Nov. 9 after word spread that he had neglected to alert police of complaints against his former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, who was accused of assaulting several minors in 2002. Though Paterno satisfied his legal obligations by notifying Penn State’s athletic director, critics claim Paterno’s failure to report the crime to the police was a breach of ethics.

After news broke of his removal, State College turned into a madhouse. Angry students destroyed public property, climbed lampposts and threw rocks, while police responded with batons and cans of mace.

The Penn State administration is understandably worried about the effect of these events on admissions. Although Penn State’s top recruit, Jerry O’Connor, has already decommitted, the scandal doesn’t seem to have dampened interest in the school for those students not interested in sports. Penn State has long been a popular choice for many college-bound Whitman seniors; 46 students applied last year, and 33 have so far this year.

Senior Tommy Scholl didn’t base his decision to apply on the athletic department’s prestige, and he said the recent events haven’t lessened his interest.

“It’s just the stupid actions of one guy and the colleagues who are associated with him,” Scholl said. “I don’t think it reflects the school as a whole.”

At a Penn State college meeting at Whitman Nov. 16, Tara Blomvall, the Assistant Director of Admissions for the Mont Alto campus, said that there had been no decrease in applications so far.  She is concerned that the reputation of the school will suffer based on the actions of the people involved in the scandal.

“I’m hoping that one individual’s or a few individuals’ poor decisions will not be a reflection of an entire university with 96,000 amazing students and a wonderful faculty, wonderful staff,” she said. “Hopefully a few individuals will not ruin everything else that’s fabulous and great about Penn State.”

Blomvall said that she thinks the football program will continue to run in a similar manner and that Penn State will still be a strong team. Although she acknowledged the importance of football to prospective students, she emphasized that there’s more to the athletic department than just football.

“I think that [football is] one reason why we have so much school spirit, but it’s not the only reason. I mean, there’s school spirit around the entire university, we have other athletic programs that are top notch, and I don’t think that’s the only reason why a student attends Penn State,” she said. “It’s fun to go to the games, but there are only five home games every season, so there’s a lot more going on and a lot more school spirit outside of the football team.”

At the football game on Nov. 13, the first game after Paterno’s exit, Penn State lost a close match to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 17-14. The game began with a prayer by Nebraska’s running back coach and a moment of silence for the victims. Two days after the game, Sandusky gave an interview to NBC in which he insisted he’s innocent of the 40 counts of sexual abuse.

Social studies teacher Wendy Eagan supports the Board’s decision to remove Paterno, citing educator’s moral obligation to protect minors.

“In a university setting, anyone who knew of any sexual harassment or violation of a young person had to immediately respond to the moral responsibility to report it not only to a higher member of the athletic department but also to the police,” Eagan said. “Coming from an adult, that’s very clear.”

PSU alum Michele Traficante, who teaches Spanish, was shocked when she heard about the allegations against Paterno.

“Joe Paterno has always been an idol, kind of like this godly, untouchable figure,” she said. “Everybody looked up to him. He was JoePa; everyone loved Joe Paterno.”

Bethesda Elementary parent Evelyne Baumrucker grew up in the same neighborhood as the Paterno family and feels a personal connection to the university and the football team.

“His career was so storied, and he gave so much to the university and the town,” she said. “It’s such a shame just to know that the town will be damaged so deeply. I’m working on just wrapping my head around the horrendous nature of the time.”

But Baumrucker said that it’s crucial to remember the true victims of the crime. Despite everyone’s initial shock after hearing about the scandal, it’s the children who are most affected.

“My heart goes out to all of the victims in this mess,” she said. “It’s their lives that will be forever impacted—all in the name of Penn State football.”

Zach Fuchs contributed reporting to this article

Check out Penn State freshman (and former Spectator staff writer) Lee Cary’s blog for a first-hand account of the events on campus.