I am very proud to have been a student when the first State Patty Day's came about. It was so exciting to be a part of a new Penn State tradition and to stand up for what I believe in. The event will always be more special to me than Saint Patrick's Day.
Do I wish that Penn State students would organize and voice concerns about more important things? Absolutely. And that is why, to me, State Patty's Day is about the time we, as students, stood up and said "No! That is not acceptable!" and then proceeded to invent our own solution and implement it. I hope every student involved realizes the impact of what we did and how that kind of influence felt because that level of interest can be used to make bigger things happen.
With the power of unity, issues like student aid and tuition prices can be negotiated in our favor. The same passion can be used for national and global issues to express the views of the majority and influence decisions with the government. The possibilities are endless. We have a precedent set by the alumni before us to do great things; maybe this is how some of them started out.
Becky Balliet
Class of 2008
