Syracuse–There’s No “I” In Orange

I wrote a post on Penn State, so it’s only fair that I write one for Syracuse as well…

Please note: this post is heavily based on my opinion. I have watched news coverage and read a few articles and I am also currently a student at the University in question. If I offend anyone I apologize, but I am an opinionated person. Once again, this is my opinion and by no means definitive, factual information. Then again, neither is the majority of anything the media has been saying about this situation either…

Being a current student at SU changes things a little bit. Well, no, it doesn’t. And that’s my point. Just because someone is a student of the University in question doesn’t mean they should act any differently considering the startling news and atrocious allegations. Let me start off by saying that people aren’t just picked at random to be accused of molesting children, or anyone for that matter. I am not saying that Bernie Fine is guilty, but I am saying that perhaps something did happen that was related to child molestation. Or maybe he is guilty, just not to the degree that the alleged victims have set forth for us and through the media. Or, maybe he’s just guilty and a disgusting individual. This is what I thought at first, but now that the voice recording of a phone conversation between Laurie Fine (Bernie’s wife) and Bobby Davis ( the first victim to come forward/the main victim so it seems) have been released, it’s a whole different ball game.

First off, to think that Bobby Davis and Laurie Fine were in cahoots is appalling. What’s even more appalling is that Laurie Fine seemed to know that her husband had been molesting a child/teenager and didn’t say a word to authorities. I understand that sometimes loyalty means more than anything in a relationship, just like how Anthony Weiner’s wife went back to him, but COME ON. This is child molestation for (apparently) over ten years! That’s absurd! So maybe he wasn’t apparently engaging in intercourse with little boys like Sandusky was at Penn State but molestation and sexual abuse is still molestation and sexual abuse at any level. Regardless, if I ever found out my husband was sexually molesting a child/teenager/anyone of any gender I would go to the police immediately, for revenge if nothing else. Think about it–if the allegations are true, Bernie Fine cheated on his wife with, possibly more than one, teenage boy. Sickening.

This evening SU Chancellor Nancy Cantor made the decision to fire Bernie Fine as the assistant coach of the men’s basketball team. As far as I’m concerned, it was the right move to make. Even if the allegations turn out to be false the man must have done something awful to have any allegations against him of this magnitude. Period.

I’m just hoping Jim Boeheim has been telling the truth and truly didn’t know anything about all of this hoopla that (allegedly) went down. To be honest, I had never heard of Bernie Fine before this whole fiasco surfaced. Call me a bad (rotten?) Orange fan, but Jim Boeheim is the face of Syracuse Basketball, so why should I know anyone else? Well, due to some incredibly unfortunate and disheartening events, I now know who Bernie Fine is.

But my main reason for writing this post to to let everyone know that while an individual can ruin something for everyone, one individual is by no means a whole representation. Bernie Fine was a part of Syracuse University, he was by no means the whole enchilada. And by that I mean University. Saying that his actions have made SU a terrible place is like saying that just because **one MLB player molested a child means the entire league is full of child molesters.** It’s not fair to say and that’s just not true. The same goes for Penn State. Yes, there is a lot more evidence against Sandusky to prove that he is guilty of all charges against him, but that doesn’t mean Penn State breeds molesters. One man’s decision should not change how an entire institution is viewed. Of course, thanks to the media, it does, but hopefully only temporarily. 

ESPN jumped the gun on this story and of course the rest of the media followed. Once one source reports, the flood gates open. Somewhere in China, a little boy is scared of Bernie Fine. But it should not be that way. Until FACTS are present the media should not be allowed to release any harmful information that can be considered defamatory. Yes, the new voice recordings certainly seem like grounds to make assumptions on but the question still remains: if these tapes have been around since the early 2000s then why the hell weren’t they brought to authorities sooner? I understand the statutes of limitation had expired because of the timeline but certainly this would have been vital information to bring forward to the University when they conducted their own investigation a few years ago. It just makes no sense. That’s why, despite the voice recorded conversation, something just doesn’t seem right.

I still believe that a boy who is molested from the time he is a teenager until the time he is a young man has the power and mindset to say “this is wrong. This shouldn’t be happening. I need to make this stop.” The fact that Bobby Davis was allegedly molested into his early twenties and he STILL did not do something to stop it makes it seem like it could have been consensual. And then this becomes an entirely different case. Once you’re 18–even 16–you usually know when you do or don’t like something, or if an old man rubbing your genitals is wrong. So why didn’t Davis speak up? There’s got to be something the media is (shockingly) missing or withholding from us. All I can truly say at this point is that something still doesn’t seem right–the facts just don’t add up.

Regardless, this is a time for students, faculty, alumni, friends and family of SU to stand by the University and support the alleged victims 100%. No matter what, SU has given us so much good in our lives that we will look back and only remember what we learned in whatever classes we took, how many overtimes that Big East Tournament game went into and which dining hall had the best food–not that the assistant men’s  basketball coach allegedly molested children and got fired.

There is no “I” in Orange. 

**This is of course a hypothetical statement/situation. A random, false example.

Penn State

I get Joe Paterno being fired was horrible for the friends, families and students of PSU.

I get thinking you’re now going to lose more games sucks.

But what you don’t get is that one of Joe Pa’s staff members molested and even raped minors. And when it comes to rape or sexual harassment or molestation cases, it’s time to get serious and things such as sports get pushed aside. When you strip down all of the chaos surrounding this situation—the firing of Joe Paterno, students rioting in the streets and flipping over news vehicles—you get a very simple case of witholding information that should have been shared with authorities. Something should have been done. Something should have been said, and Sandusky should have been stopped or fired a long time ago.

Joe Paterno will forever be remembered for all that he has done for Penn State University, but he was punished for what he didn’t do, and that’s act upon the startling news he heard about Sandusky and those poor, poor little boys.

On another note, PSU students are angry that their school’s reputation is now tarnished because of this scandal. Well, that’s simply not true. Joe Paterno, his coaching staff and most of all Sandusky are the ones who now have a tarnished reputation. It’s the students’ decision to actively riot in the streets, flip off news cameras, scream obscenities and make a mockery out of themselves that has now tarnished the reputation of Penn State University. The behavior of the student body was absolutely disgusting. This was definitely a situation to be upset and angry about but there are much better ways to express your feelings than to riot in the streets.

Check out Occupy Wall Street. Maybe PSU students should’ve invested in some tents.

 

Please note this is my opinion, something everyone is entitled to.

Conan in NYC

For those of you who don’t know, last fall I interned at Conan in Los Angeles while I was there for a semester. I had an incredible time, which you can read all about right here.

This past week Conan taped four shows (back where he belongs) in NYC to celebrate the first anniversary of his new show on TBS. My boss from Conan reached out to me and a few other past and present interns to help and work the show because they would need all hands on deck. Naturally, I accepted and drove home from school to work the last two NY shows on Wednesday, November 2nd and Thursday, November 3rd.

I was fortunate enough to be the costume intern for those two days, and was asked for specifically by the costume designer himself. Prior to arriving in the city, I had read online that Conan would be officiating a same-sex marriage on his show for one of his long-time staff members. It wasn’t until I arrived that I found out the costume designer, Scott, was the groom to be. I had the pleasure of working alongside Scott on the day of his wedding, and it was such an incredible experience. I also got to meet his wonderful fiance (and now husband) David. They are both such sweethearts. They truly deserve each other and a lifetime full of happiness. The wedding itself was very sweet and emotional. It was touching. Most of the staff had crowded into the aisles and doorways of the Beacon Theatre to witness the ceremony in person, and I was one of them seeing as I was working with Scott. It was truly something incredible.

Working with the Conan staff is always a blast. Not only is it a lot of fun, but it’s a great learning experience as well, and an excellent chance to build relationships and network. I got to meet some great people, and get back in touch with others. I also got to see one of my previous bosses, Andy Cohen, as he was the guest who walked Scott down the aisle to the chuppah.

I saw the Conan blimp, met Will Forte, exchanged glances with Jon Stewart and was in the theatre to witness the first same-sex marriage on television. It’s safe to say it was worth missing a few classes.