I am compelled to respond to the many hypocritical letters from fellow alumni expressing their disgust at the current student body. For better or worse, rowdy gatherings following sporting events are a Penn State phenomenon dating back much further than current students. Kathey Facey, Class of 1990, wrote, "(during my years) never once was there even a hint of a riot." If last Friday night constituted a riot, how would you describe the events following the 1990 football victory at Notre Dame? For those who don't recall, Beaver Stadium was rushed, the goal posts pulled down, and several thousand students paraded them down College Avenue before carrying them to Joe Paterno's house. This event was never labeled a riot by university administrators or treated as such by local police. Did all those students also deserve to be beaten with batons and pepper sprayed? How would they have reacted if police tried to do so? Call these events what you want, but the only difference is that nowadays they are ended by police in riot gear, university leaders publicly announce "We must stop these terrible riots!" and the event is portrayed as such in the media. I point this out not to condone destructive behavior by students. I simply believe that extreme overreactions by a number of parties have harmed Penn State's public perception far more than a student body no more "riotous" than those before.