We often refer to the Penn State family, and the recent tragic death of freshman Joe Dado makes the meaning of our family all too clear. Like any family, we worry together when circumstances among us seem not what they should be. We draw together around a common cause when our collective resources are required. We hold onto hope together, drawing strength from our community. And when events play out against our better wishes and our collective effort leaves us wearied, we must sometimes grieve as one when hope turns to tragedy.
Joe Dado’s death reminds us that we are all Penn Staters. Each of us has a fundamental obligation to tend to one another’s needs. We study and work together; we play together; we weep as one. But first among our duties as Penn Staters is the obligation to honor the meaning of our special community, and we do that best when we remember our commitment to one another’s safety and well-being and act with that commitment in mind.
Each of us must be responsible for ourselves, but we all must be responsible for one another, too. In this time of deep personal loss and pain for our community, but especially for Joe’s family and friends, who are foremost in our minds, let us remember the meaning of our community. The Penn State family has lost one of its own. We must do whatever we can to lose no more.