With football season fast approaching, some are getting their RVs serviced and buying charcoals for their grills, but it's business as usual for those who put on the big show.
As we wait for our tickets to come in the mail and go to pick up our white-out T-shirts, the man who has prepared for more seasons than anyone else is beginning to face a different type of media scrutiny than ever before.
With no starting quarterback announced and no season record to focus on, the attention is on Joe Paterno's future as head coach -- or lack thereof.
This season, before the games begin, the over-analyzing and the speculation will certainly hold the spotlight. As Paterno's storied career is publicly scrutinized, it's time to find a fitting way to honor the man who built this program -- and what better way than by renaming the house that Joe built?
Beaver Stadium has moved from its first home near Rec Hall to the far Northeast corner of campus, and grown from 500 to more than 100,000 seats in just more than a century, but the one thing that has remained the same is its name.
The stadium is named for James A. Beaver. The civil war veteran, former president of Penn State's Board of Trustees and Pennsylvania governor died in 1914, leaving a well-respected and influential legacy in Pennsylvania and State College. Not only the football stadium bears Beaver's name; there are also Beaver Avenue, Beaver Hall and countless other small honors throughout town.
However, save presidential libraries and maybe space stations, honorary titles often mean more when they recognize a contemporary figure.
Since Joe Paterno has been at Penn State for more than half the time since Beaver's death, I don't think even Beaver himself would have a problem sharing a piece of the State College namesake glory.
Earlier this week, Paterno was enshrined into the college football Hall of Fame. Being inducted while still coaching is an honor he shares with only two other coaches.
While making post-retirement or posthumous honors to a public figure is a tribute to his or her legacy, making the gesture while the person is still an active member of their community shows a particular immediate appreciation for his or her contributions.
As this season begins, renaming either Beaver Stadium, or the field within, would be a well-deserved symbol of our Penn State community's gratitude to the man in the iconic coke-bottle glasses.
The idea is not a new one -- plenty of people have discussed it on blogs and in other forums -- but now, the time is right.
Before we know how Paterno's contract situation will play out.
Before it's a winning or losing season.
Before there is anything that could make questionable our motives for doing so, we should honor the person without whom Penn State football may not be the phenomenon it is and has been for generations.
In Latin, the phrase "ave atque vale" means "hail and farewell."
I think the time has come to bid a respectful hail and farewell to the stadium's current namesake, Gov. Beaver, and in preparation to bid ave atque vale to Coach Paterno, rename our stadium for the coach it has been home to for half its existence.
Katie Maloney is a junior majoring in media studies and is The Daily Collegian's opinion page editor. Her e-mail is klm5153@psu.edu.
