A Penn State student from Palmer Township said she had to put a lot of thought into scheduling the events around her workload and classes, which were not canceled in the wake of Paterno's death.
The mood this afternoon at the HUB-Robeson Center, the bustling hangout in the center of Penn State's University Park campus, wasn't somber, but some students from the Lehigh Valley said that shouldn't be taken as an indication of apathy toward the death of Joe Paterno.For many of the tens of thousands of students on campus, attending this week's events to memorialize the legendary football coach, who died Sunday, just isn't feasible.
Janel DeGerolamo, 20, of Palmer Township, said she's had to put a lot of thought into scheduling the events around her workload and classes, which have not been canceled in the wake of Paterno's death.
Getting into Tuesday's public viewing was a four-hour investment, given the length of the waiting lines, she said. In order to make it in time for the start of Paterno's procession Wednesday afternoon, DeGerolamo said she would have to hope one of her classes would let out a few minutes early.
"This has been really hard," said the Notre Dame High School graduate who's studying psychology at Penn State. "Obviously, they can't shut school down for three days, but (the students) still are trying to find a way to be together."DeGerolamo went to Tuesday's viewing with her brother, Jared DeGerolamo, 23, also a Penn State and Notre Dame High School graduate. Joining them was Mike Simonetta, 24, of Easton. He, too, graduated from both schools.
Janel DeGerolamo also said she considers herself fortunate to be among the students who got tickets to Thursday's service in memory of Paterno. Tickets for the event, which is taking place at Bryce Jordan Center, were gone minutes after being offered to the public.
For Mike McGivern, a 22-year-old Bethlehem resident who is a Penn State senior, remembering Paterno was more of a personal affair that didn't involve attending the week's events.
He said he and a few friends went to the Paterno statue outside of Beaver Stadium on Monday night and placed candles there.
"I just thought it would be a nice way to pay my respects," said McGivern, a Liberty High School graduate who played football with the Hurricanes.