View Full Version : Veterans Are Violent and Ignorant
The Penn State Counseling and Psychological Services has a training video entitled "I Deserve a Better Grade... Or Else." The antagonist in the video is portrayed as an angry and ignorant veteran.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RspC-sIm_P0
http://www.ihatethemedia.com/penn-state-training-video-violates-iraq-vets-dignity-school-policy
Are any of you that are back in school experiencing any hostility from the faculty? Disdain?
I have actually had discussions with seemingly intelligent people that have told me that my experiences and opinions are based on only what the military wants me to know and think. In other words, many on the left and in academia believe we are unthinking, uncritical automatons.
This has already been posted....
Please post the link to thread. I couldn't find anything. Perhaps I am using the wrong search terms (Penn State, Penn State Video, Penn State Training Video).
Thanks
Please post the link to thread. I couldn't find anything. Perhaps I am using the wrong search terms (Penn State, Penn State Video, Penn State Training Video).
Thanks
http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22721
Gutes lesen!
Richard
It was 'hidden' in plain sight, with no detail. :)
I suggest we make this a new thread.
It was 'hidden' in plain sight, with no detail.
Best place for a dead drop. ;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
greenberetTFS
04-10-2009, 09:59
My son Tony got his Masters in English literature at Penn State. He owned a Book store until Wal-mart put him out of business. So,now he's working for them as the Director of Sales,Penn State University Press. I'm sending him this video. I'm completely sure he's going to be pretty upset with it and will check into whose idea this was to make and why.......................:mad:
GB TFS :munchin
Are any of you that are back in school experiencing any hostility from the faculty? Disdain?
I have actually had discussions with seemingly intelligent people that have told me that my experiences and opinions are based on only what the military wants me to know and think. In other words, many on the left and in academia believe we are unthinking, uncritical automatons.
Although I am not a vet, I have hung around campuses for quite a long time, both teaching as adjunct faculty and as a student. I suspect there is hostility, but not directed at the individual so much as at the military in general and some of the values vets have. As an example, I am an unabashed capitalist and tend to dismiss socialism rather undiplomatically. This is not a particularly good way to win friends in the College of the Humanities. ;) And, too, there is a tendency to blame national policy on the individual veteran - as if an E5 (or, for that matter, an O5) had personally made the decision to commit the nation to war. I do not suggest that any of this is right, or proper, or fair - but they are my observations.
The second paragraph - the one suggesting that the military molds minds - brings on a chuckle. Because the entire process of higher education tends to do precisely that. And the faculty - particularly the tenured faculty - have gone through quite a long process that nearly guarantees that their attitudes and ideals fit a specific mold. In the case of tenure-track faculty, an individual is hired as an assistant professor. They have about 5 years to prove themselves, at which point the faculty vote on offering tenure. The administration can over-rule the faculty, but it is rare. So if one wants tenure, one had best get along well with the rest of the faculty in the department - and that means an harmonious set of attitudes. If anything, the faculty are the ones who have been molded.
The way to deal with such problems is rather simple. One must keep in mind that Universities are filled with people who do not wish to deal with students. In fact, the appraisal system consists of three elements - research, teaching, and service to the university. Research is, by far, the most important. Teaching will not (at least, in my experience) get one tenured. So - in the video, the young man should have smiled pleasantly, gone to the learning center, and gotten assistance. Not for the purpose of getting assistance, but rather to obtain a third party within the university who can pass judgment on the assignments. A disparity can be used.
Another nice tactic is the "weakness power game". In the video, the young man says "I'm going to get you fired". Not good. Instead of acting strong, act weak. It would have been much better to have gone to the department chair, talk about concerns, fears of doing badly, and distress that the papers are being graded unfairly. Ask for advice. Display pathetic gratitude. Clasp hands across the stomach, and gaze at the top of the desk - in short, display a submissive attitude. Notice that this attacks the heart of liberal values, since they perceive themselves as the type who would never attack a weaker opponent.
Finally, appeal, appeal, and appeal. The dept. Chair has an important job - keep students out of the Dean's office. The Associate Dean has an important job - keep students out of the Dean of the College's office. And the Dean has an important job too...(see the pattern?)
Ah, well. Our Universities value diversity of thought. So they welcome different ways at looking at things! (That's sarcasm as strong as any acid.)
nmap, thank you!:lifter
In a few concise paragraphs, you have described the academic environment with a degree of clarity superior to anything I could craft in a draft for a post that had rambled along for a couple of pages in Microsoft Word. As the saying goes "That was easy.":D
FWIW, my experiences are very much in line with your observations about the ambivalence many academics have towards teaching.
Fortunately, I never had cause to challenge a mark I received on a graded assignment or in a class. Even on those occasions where I was profoundly disappointed, I felt that I'd earned the grade I had received. It was up to me to find ways to improve my performance.
When it was my turn to stand in front of classes, I would give so much feedback and have such an aggressive approach towards individual consultations (including mandatory office visits) that students understood why their C+ essay was a C+ and not the A they thought they deserved and that particular C+ was not going to transform itself into any other letter.* No student I taught could make a credible case that their performance suffered from a lack of academic support.
Then this was all shortly before the students with 'helicopter parents' began to show up in ever increasing numbers.:eek:
An observation. It remains amazing to me that social historians can leave no stone unturned in their collective quest to 'recapture lost voices' and thereby describe counties, cities, and towns with such detail that you can hear the blacksmith's hammer but they cannot get their heads around the possibility that the American government is as complex. While I only encountered one outwardly hostile professor ("Why would anyone want to study naval history?" she sniffed on multiple occasions) I received no small amount of skepticism for holding to the belief that maybe...just maybe...:rolleyes: the members of the armed services have never been unthinking golems in service to a bloodthirsty monolithic state hell bent on global conquest.
___________________________
* A certain professor now at Penn had an unwritten policy when he was at Cal: if a grade can go up, a grade can go down.
No more "F**K-OFF" are needed any more.:D
That's exactly whay I would have said, taken my grade and came back the next day; sat my happy a** in class and continued on.:lifter
Stay safe.
The following is a link to a short documentary on political indoctrination at the University of Delaware:
http://www.thefire.org/index.php/video/10389
Video: ‘Think What We Think... Or Else: Thought Control on the American Campus’
by Erin Osovets
April 2, 2009
Today, FIRE releases a new documentary entitled Think What We Think... Or Else: Thought Control on the American Campus. Produced by FIRE and Free to Choose Media, the video explains the University of Delaware's Office of Residence Life's invasive thought-reform program and features personal interviews with FIRE staff and UD students and faculty involved in revealing the scandal.
In the fall of 2007, the University of Delaware implemented an Orwellian program of ideological reeducation aimed at coercing students to change their thoughts, habits, and values to conform to a highly specific ideological agenda. Over 7,000 undergraduate students living in the dorms at UD were required to attend training sessions, floor meetings, and "one-on-one" meetings with their Resident Assistants (RAs), who followed procedures described internally by ResLife as a "treatment" and defined "learning" as "specific attitudinal or behavioral changes" in line with ResLife's social, economic, political, and environmental agenda.
When FIRE learned of the thought reform program at UD, we immediately launched a campaign to bring the attention of the national media to the situation. People from across the ideological spectrum were outraged that a public university would enact such a program, and pressure was on the university to either justify or abandon the program. After a weak attempt at justification and several days of intense scrutiny and terrible publicity, UD President Patrick Harker finally terminated the program.
Think What We Think... Or Else serves as a reminder to college and university administrators that programs like that established at the University of Delaware are flagrant violations of students' right to freedom of conscience—and that colleges with programs that emulate UD's failed effort just might end up as the subject of FIRE's next documentary.
http://thefire.org/index.php/article/10391.html
Along the same lines, I have encountered some resistance in establishing a Veterans organization at my school. Most, if not all, can be classified as territorial disputes, political correctness assurances, and the like. Not once have I meet any form of outright disdain, or prejudice. I have meet boatloads of caution. One technique that has work well, and I assume it would with regards to grades, is the innate guilt some express towards not having served, be it the Armed Forces, or the Peace Corp. Habitat for Humanity, etc.; all worthy causes. However, when I sense that, it’s a done deal.
Utah Bob
04-11-2009, 11:00
Another nice tactic is the "weakness power game". In the video, the young man says "I'm going to get you fired". Not good. Instead of acting strong, act weak. It would have been much better to have gone to the department chair, talk about concerns, fears of doing badly, and distress that the papers are being graded unfairly. Ask for advice. Display pathetic gratitude. Clasp hands across the stomach, and gaze at the top of the desk - in short, display a submissive attitude.
Good tactic, but for some of us, a very difficult thing to do.
Very difficult.
Good tactic, but for some of us, a very difficult thing to do.
Very difficult.
I understand. If I may, I will preface with a joke (a rather old one):
A guy goes into a clothing store to buy a new suit, but he doesn't want to spend too much money. The tailor shows him a really nice suit for $400, but
the guy says it's too much. He shows him another suit for $200, and the guy says it's still too much. After showing him several others, he finally shows
him one for $10.
"That's more like it!", the guy says, and he goes to try it on. He comes back and looks in the mirror and one sleeve is about two inches shorter than the
other.
"No problem," says the tailor, "Just hunch up your right shoulder."
So the guy hunches his right shoulder way up, and the sleeves look OK, but the lapels are crooked.
"No problem," says the tailor, "Just stick out your left arm and cock it like a bird's wing."
So the guy sticks out his left arm and the lapels look OK. But then he notices that one pant leg is shorter than the other.
"Well, just keep that leg stiff," says the tailor, "and no one will notice."
"I'll take it!", the guy says.
So the guy leaves the tailor shop wearing the suit, walking with his left leg stiffened, one arm stuck out like a bird's wing, and one shoulder hunched
way up.
As he's walking down the street he passes two orthopedic surgeons. One of the doctors says to the other, "I have never seen anyone in such bad
shape in my twenty-five years of practice!"
"Me neither," the other doctor says. "But he sure has a nice suit!"
------------------------------
If a tactic really doesn't fit, one shouldn't use it, just as with the suit. On the other hand, within the classroom, the instructor can regard themselves as "in charge", while at the same time being somewhat insecure. It's the insecurity that creates the problem, because they do not know what to do when challenged.
Add in a few psychological nuances. Perhaps the student is of similar age, or older. The student may be physically larger. And - the student may well be more familiar with exercising authority than is the instructor.
Back years ago, a fellow named John Molloy wrote a book titled "Live for Success". He videotaped various human interactions and analyzed them. One such scenario involved a large ex-football paper who was in sales, and contacted small people who worked as purchasing agents. In the tape, according to the book, the purchasing agents looked almost as if they were attacking - because they were intimidated by the size of the salesman.
The solution? The salesman had found that if he fumbled his papers a little - displaying a weakness - that it created sympathy and defused the purchasing agent's fear.
Perhaps a similar pattern applies here.
Warrior-Mentor
04-12-2009, 11:29
Screw Penn State. My wife is a grad and those jack-asses are always looking for money. F*ck them. The more I think about this video the angrier I get...oh...wait...I must be the angry vet they were talking about.
Virginia Tech, Columbine, Post Offices...none were military veterans....why didn't they do a video about Koreans? or Postal Workers? WTF? :mad:
Screw Penn State. My wife is a grad and those jack-asses are always looking for money. F*ck them. The more I think about this video the angrier I get...oh...wait...I must be the angry vet they were talking about.
Virginia Tech, Columbine, Post Offices...none were military veterans....why didn't they do a video about Koreans? or Postal Workers? WTF? :mad:
"...this training video from Penn State’s Counseling and Psychological Services, a divison of Student Affairs."
After searching here: http://www.sa.psu.edu/caps/
I could not find any info on the video...so I will search here CAPS Staff :http://www.sa.psu.edu/caps/staff.shtml from the folks that run the damn thing!
Guess these folks think that no-one will be outraged over the inference to Our Brave Veterans! IMHO, they need to get their asses up from behind their cushy little desks, in their cozy little offices, and get a F***ing Clue!:rolleyes:
Rant over.
Holly
Holly, if one truly wishes to change policy there, why not contact the Trustees?
LINK (http://www.upenn.edu/secretary/trustees/index.html)
From their web page:
They serve as a bridge between the University and the world; on the one hand, interpreting the institution to the public, and on the other hand, bringing in experience and perceptions gained outside the University. The trustees provide leadership in the identification and development of financial resources. They oversee the University's relations with other institutions, the private sector, government bodies, and the media.
The page includes an official contact e-mail address.
A few polite but pointed e-mails to the trustees might have some interesting effects on the decisions made by staff. ;)
Holly Go Get them!!!!!!!!!!!
Holly, if one truly wishes to change policy there, why not contact the Trustees?
LINK (http://www.upenn.edu/secretary/trustees/index.html)
From their web page:
They serve as a bridge between the University and the world; on the one hand, interpreting the institution to the public, and on the other hand, bringing in experience and perceptions gained outside the University. The trustees provide leadership in the identification and development of financial resources. They oversee the University's relations with other institutions, the private sector, government bodies, and the media.
The page includes an official contact e-mail address.
A few polite but pointed e-mails to the trustees might have some interesting effects on the decisions made by staff. ;)
Holly, if one truly wishes to change policy there, why not contact the Trustees?
LINK (http://www.upenn.edu/secretary/trustees/index.html)
A great idea in theory nmap, to contact the Trustees.:)
Here is also written doctrine from the Penn State CAPS website, and oh my what a rosy picture it paints of them, and all the good they can do for people:
http://www.sa.psu.edu/caps/
"CAPS provides group and individual counseling, crisis intervention, and psychological and psychiatric evaluations for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as prevention and consultation services for the University community."
"CAPS services can help students resolve personal concerns that may interfere with their academic progress, social development, and satisfaction at Penn State...."
My point, as maybe it was a little vague, was that these folks singled out War Veterans to propigate their agenda!
The crafters of this video thought they could get away with it by riding on the fears of the current un-informed, mayonaise -jar sucking, couch potato watching, public. And they knew by planting these little seeds of un-truths and half-cocked opinions as FACT, that it would result in a biased!
That they would be spreading dis-information and biased towards a community of heroes, IMVHO, is Disgusting!
Don't F**K with VET's!:mad:
Holly
SF_BHT Sir, Somebody sure as hell should rein them in, IMO. Think I will start some nice, well-thought out emails!;)
My point, as maybe it was a little vague, was that these folks singled out War Veterans to propigate their agenda!
I thought you made your point very effectively.
It's just that the trustees may help them focus their attention more than could you or I. :D
I thought you made your point very effectively.
It's just that the trustees may help them focus their attention more than could you or I. :D
nmap,
Honestly, comming from you, that is such a compliment! Thank you. ;) I have an idea about how these boards are run, as my cousin sits on one, and well...I have a little background on 'em.:o
Now as to the crafting of my emails...well, if anyone has an idea of something to include, am all ears.
Holly
Well...since you DO have background on them... (evil grin)
If it were me, I would go to the list of trustees and meticulously research each name. With luck, there is a retired vet or two....I would then write the e-mail or letter to them individually instead of through the institution.
Then I would look at the state legislature, and try to determine the committee that controlled funding for the University. Again, I would try to identify someone with a background as a veteran, or who would be sympathetic to veterans. I might keep that name in mind for the future.
The e-mail would look something like this...IMHO...with suitable references to the video applied...
Dear Mr. ------;
I was both surprised and disappointed when I came across a training video, apparently prepared to communicate policy at the University of Pennsylvania, which seems to unfairly stigmatize military veterans. The video, seemingly originating in the counseling center, is, in my opinon, injurious to the reputation of the University. In addition, such materials could produce substantial adverse publicity for the University. As you are aware, Governor Rendell has reported that the state budget shortfall is substantial and growing. No organization is likely to escape scrutiny, and it would be a shame for an important center of academic excellence such as Pensylvania State University to be hurt in the budget process due to the ill-conceived actions of a few.
I urge you to use your influence to have this training video and this policy repudiated or at least withdrawn. I will look forward to your thoughts on the matter.
With kindest regards,
Etc.
Very well written...... And not a single F$#K in it....:munchin
...training video, apparently prepared to communicate policy at the University of Pennsylvania, which seems to unfairly stigmatize military veterans.
An observation - but I wouldn't send that to Penn State University - the source of the video under discussion - and expect too much of a response if I were you. ;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
An observation - but I wouldn't send that to Penn State University - the source of the video under discussion - and expect too much of a response if I were you. ;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
Of course. As I mentioned in a previous post, it might be better to look at the list of trustees (available at the Penn State web site), and then conduct a little Google searching to learn something of them. At that juncture, send the letter to a trustee (or even several trustees) who might be sympathetic.
And then, failing that, one could contact a politician on an appropriate funding committee - a politician who might be sympathetic to vets. Universities become remarkably attentive when the discussion turns to money.
Just because I don't use a certain word beginning with F doesn't mean I don't grasp the concept. ;)
Just because I don't use a certain word beginning with F doesn't mean I don't grasp the concept.
My point was merely that your e-mail proposal was addressed to Penn and the video is from PSU - not hardly the same university. ;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
My point was merely that your e-mail proposal was addressed to Penn and the video is from PSU - not hardly the same university. ;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
Ahh - point well taken. It seems that my situational awareness needs more work. Thank you.
The Reaper
04-13-2009, 10:30
Now THAT was funny.
Thanks for the brief respite.
TR
Wow... I guess I need to watch myself since more than half the guys in my classes are vets. :rolleyes:
Or MAYBE the professor needs to grow a little backbone and common sense. Let's see... IF you correct grammar and typo's in writing and use a grading rubric there should be no need for discussion unless of course you ARE letting your personal beliefs about the military effect your judgment. I sent this on to a couple of friend to teach at FSU and VCU so they could ridicule it too.
Very well written...... And not a single F$#K in it....:munchin
Sir,
Ah well, my typing gets carried away sometimes...:o
nmap,
As far as seeking out those "sympathetic" (nasty word IMHO,) to "vets", well I personally have never known a U.S. War Veteran that wanted sympathy. :rolleyes:
My belief is that ALL Americans should respect, support, and defend those who protect our freedom, instead of painting the dismal picture that this video portrays.
A good start nmap, none-the-less. :-) Thank You!
Holly
FWIW - My wife is a professor at a local college and she was blown away by the video. I asked her if she had ever had any problems with veterans in her classes. She said they were usually the most organized and best students, and no, she never had a problem.
I believe this is what most of us would expect.
Now when I attended college under the GI bill I had a visiting professor from England in my final business class. This gentleman thought he had free reign to criticize the U.S. until I told him to put a cork in it. To his credit, he never held it against me, nor did he call the police. :D
Utah Bob
04-13-2009, 22:30
Well I might be ignorant but I'm usually pretty tame.:rolleyes:
greenberetTFS
04-14-2009, 06:31
My son Tony got his Masters in English literature at Penn State. He owned a Book store until Wal-mart put him out of business. So,now he's working for them as the Director of Sales,Penn State University Press. I'm sending him this video. I'm completely sure he's going to be pretty upset with it and will check into whose idea this was to make and why.......................:mad:
GB TFS :munchin
My son Tony said the HR people did the video because they felt the country needed to understand there is a serious problem with home coming Vets. He told them it was totally insidious and completely insensible to put out a video like that..........:mad:
GB TFS :munchin
My son Tony said the HR people did the video because they felt the country needed to understand there is a serious problem with home coming Vets. He told them it was totally insidious and completely insensible to put out a video like that..........:mad:
GB TFS :munchin
And they responded with.......?
greenberetTFS
04-14-2009, 07:10
And they responded with.......?
He said that they stand by their decision........... :(
GB TFS :munchin
He said that they stand by their decision........... :(
GB TFS :munchin
What a bunch of Turds....:mad::(
Originally Posted by greenberetTFS
they felt the country needed to understand there is a serious problem with home coming Vets.
Did they say whether this serious problem was based upon actual incidents or supposition?
The Reaper
04-14-2009, 09:13
What would their position be if someone stereotyped and stigmatized blacks, or gays, or Muslims like that?
Would they be standing by that as well?
Do they have stats that show vets offend at a higher rate then their civilian counterparts? I really doubt it.
TR
Utah Bob
04-14-2009, 09:25
My son Tony said the HR people did the video because they felt the country needed to understand there is a serious problem with home coming Vets. He told them it was totally insidious and completely insensible to put out a video like that..........:mad:
GB TFS :munchin
I suspect there's a bigger problem with high school students, meth heads, and corrupt politicians than there is with vets.:mad:
Deja Vu, Same tactic that was used during the Viet-Nam war. The actual fact was they were better adjusted than their non-serving peers.
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2009/04/10/video_must_not_overshadow_trea.aspx
Often times, a single incident can mask an entire body of good works. I speak of the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) video.
I'm writing to mention as a veteran, and life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), how proud I am to not only be an alumnus, but also a graduate student here, and an employee of Penn State because of the care given to veterans. Recently the Office of Student Affairs held a Veterans Forum with invited participants that brought answers to many of our long lingering benefits questions. The Veterans Office in Boucke is always supportive and looking out for veterans. In conversations, as a past member of the Commission for Adult Learners, with officials from many aspects of campus life, I have found every single person going out of their way to create better access and opportunities to a Penn State education.
I'm tired of the sour grapes over the CAPS video that is being given to the university's overall care of veterans. CAPS erred, they know it, they are making amends. Let it go. I'd give a huge Lions roar for Penn State for its care of veterans. And in the future it is only going to be better for Veterans.
Paul Rutter
graduate-adult education
What I would like to know is what exactly CAPS is doing to make amends? I have yet to read an apology or even that they felt the video was inappropriate.
ETA bad SA on my part:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09100/961958-100.stm
Penn State apologizes for video portrayal of veteran
Friday, April 10, 2009
The Associated Press
Penn State officials have apologized for a faculty training video that portrayed a veteran as an argumentative and potentially threatening student.
The university yesterday released a statement saying there was no intention to stereotype veterans. The statement said focus groups that included veterans viewed the video and no one indicated offense.
The video portrayed a veteran as raising his voice as he complained to a professor about his grade. It has been removed from Penn State's Web site after complaints from members of the Penn State Veterans Organization.
The video was created as a training tool and posted on a Web page designed to teach professors how to cope with difficult students.
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
First published on April 10, 2009 at 6:23 am
Although I still don't see them acknowledging the inappropriateness... just sorry they upset people (more likely sorry that they got negative media attnetion over it).
I'm tired of the sour grapes over the CAPS video that is being given to the university's overall care of veterans. CAPS erred, they know it, they are making amends. Let it go. I'd give a huge Lions roar for Penn State for its care of veterans. And in the future it is only going to be better for Veterans
Paul Rutter
As HQ6 said, how are they making amends. Is there an apology in our near future. How about a clear statement from the University that this video was a mistake followed up by special scholarship established for veterans. IMHO Mr. Rutter's explanation is not going to cut it.
FWIW how is this sour grapes? Talk about trying to diminish a horrendous error by the University and a slap in the face to the very folks who have paid the price in blood so that entities like Penn State can flourish.
In my opinion, the honor of Penn State and all of their alumni is at stake.
The Reaper
04-14-2009, 10:04
If I were a vet looking for a place to further my education, this would cause me to strongly consider going an spending my money elsewhere, where I would not be stereotyped like this in official university media.
TR
Here is the email I crafted, and just sent over to the folks at the PSU BOT; (address at the bottom)
Dear Sir,
Greetings from a fellow American citizen. I wanted to send a note over to Pennsylvania State University, with the hopes that it might provide you with an outlet with which Your CAPS department could truly help Our returning War Veterans, instead of insulting them.
Go here: http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
As you can see, this organization actually assists Our returning War Veterans, while upholding the dignity, honor, and courage that each and every one of Them deserve!
The Veterans that are helped by this organization hold themselves the the highest standards. They put themselves in harms way each day so that we can have the luxury of living our lives free from oppression here at home.
Therefore, I find it disgraceful and shameful that Your University has chosen to paint these Bravest among us as anything else but the heroes that they are. The Penn State CAPS training video, titled, "I Deserve a Better Grade... Or Else," as seen here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RspC-sIm_P0
is, in my opinion, a gross violation of the truth, propogated to spread mis-information.
I can only hope that there is no underlying agenda on the part of Penn State University, in the creation and distribution of this video.
Sincerely,
A very concerned American
The Pennsylvania State University
Board of Trustees
205 Old Main
University Park, PA 16802-1571
Office: (814) 865-2521
Fax: (814) 863-4631
Email: bot@psu.edu
Surf n Turf
04-14-2009, 14:51
I spoke today with Kathy Stocker, assistant to the head of the Alumni Association.
I told her that although I was not an Alumni, I did write the checks for two of my kids who were, and that they would be contacting his office tomorrow.
I also told her that even the premise of the CAPS video was offensive, and any suggestion that veterans were more violent than their non-serving peers was “ivory tower propaganda”, strongly suggesting a very anti-military environment at PSU.
Ms. Stocker did not defend the video, and said that she had received calls, letters, and emails about the subject, and the university was attempting to “put things right”.
I asked how she was going to do that, and she said they did not have an official announcement yet, but would “probably” have one in the near future.
I said that was not good enough, and if they expected Alumni support they better apologize to the veterans immediately. She thanked me for my call, took my number, and said she would call me as soon as they had something positive to say.
My daughter and youngest son have a call to the Alumni Association at the top of their list for tomorrow.
SnT
http://www.alumni.psu.edu/about_us/staff/default.htm