Why we are “We Are…”

***Published in State of the Valley, Penn State Lehigh Valley's student newspaper***

The immense capacity of Beaver Stadium. The confines of a pavilion at new student orientation. The mind of a Nittany Lion alumnus as he thinks back to his glory days. What do these three localities have in common? They all have joined in on Penn State University’s beloved chant: “We Are Penn State!”

Despite the popularity it garners from countless athletic spectators, peppy Lion ambassadors, and prideful students past and present, the cheer brings up a few queries. What makes it so crowd-pleasing? What does it mean? And where did it come from?

Several teachers shared their insight on what they believe is a perfectly suitable chant. “The chant is very meaningful to me, particularly since we are at such a small branch of Penn State,” explains English professor Dr. Margaret Christian. “I love our local campus with its cozy feeling, but I also love being part of a huge, prestigious university—the recognition that I see in my colleagues’ eyes when I go to academic conferences and say, ‘I teach at Penn State.’  Even at the Lehigh Valley campus, WE are Penn State.”

Business professor Michael Krajsa believes Penn State’s renowned huzzah is not only unifying, but useful: “From a strategy and marketing perspective, our chant is powerful, priceless, and poetic. It speaks to the essence of Penn State’s ‘brand identity’ establishing an explosive verbal relationship between the customers who exclaim both ‘we are’ and our brand, ‘Penn State.’”

However, a handful of freshmen do not believe the slogan is all that special. Salma El-Ashry thought, “For a university so big and lively, you'd expect something with a little more pizzazz than just simply stating what university we belong to.” Kyle Niemkiewicz considered it to be, “…lame. ‘We Are Penn State.’ What are you going to do about it? Who cares? It fails.” “We need something more fierce,” commented Marquita Broxton.

But whether it is considered lame or powerful, meaningful or non-fierce, “We Are Penn State!” has always been the prominent rally cry ever since its creation six decades ago.

The 1947-1948 Nittany Lion varsity football team, also known as the “Men of ’47,” was one of the first teams to accept African-American football players in a time of nationally widespread racial segregation. The team had accomplished a perfect 9-0 season and was ranked as the fourth-best team in America. But despite such an impressive feat, the NCAA had considered disallowing the Nittany Lions from playing in a bowl game.

Eventually, an invitation to the Cotton Bowl against Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas was bestowed upon Penn State. Unfortunately, negativity arose once again when the NCAA started conceiving more ideas. This time, officials wanted to have a meeting to discuss whether the African-American Nittany Lions should travel to Dallas and play amidst heavy protesting at SMU. And when the Caucasian All-American offensive lineman Steve Suhey was asked by the press about this matter, his response was simple: “We Are Penn State. There will be no meetings.”

The 1948 Cotton Bowl had no winner as it ended in a 13-13 tie. But the Men of ‘47’s undefeated record remained intact when halfback Wally Triplett, Penn State’s first black varsity starter, scored the game-tying and game-saving touchdown.

In 2001, university president Graham Spanier gave a speech at Encampment, a retreat for Penn State students and faculty to discuss with the president about issues regarding the university. He mentioned the motto: “‘We Are Penn State’ embraces our differences and unites us as a community despite those differences. ‘We Are Penn State’ is a proclamation of unity, backed by our resolve to come together for a common purpose.”