Fundraising for Julia Cipparulo

Hi all,

 

Our names are Aubrey and Ayse. We are both recent Penn State alumni. In 2020, while we were still students, we had the pleasure of being Julia's neighbor. Although we did not keep too closely in contact post-graduation, we never forgot her warmth and the easy-kindness that she shared with all. When the news recently broke, plastering her name across headlines with the words "vandal" right next to it, we were both taken aback. How could the intelligent, radiant Julia we know be called something so destructive, pointed out as a target to be harassed on social media?

 

We reached out to Julia to tell her that we were proud of her and to ask her how she was doing. She shared that she was pleasantly surprised with the support that she had been receiving and that she is doing a lot better since having checked into a PTSD rehabilitation facility. Despite this support, though, the true meaning behind her actions have largely been overshadowed by the title of vandal. Ears have been broken off of the lion shrine before for lesser reasons: riots over football, hazing, jokes. So why, when the symbol is temporarily changed to become a sounding board for making wrongs right, is the entire message ignored?

 

Back in May, when the Lion Shrine's ear freshly hit the news cycle, Ayse and I both knew that there was more to the story. In addition to being Penn State students, we grew up in State College. Our first football exposure was going to Blue and White games, cheering Paterno's legacy on. Then we watched in confusion as that name and his 409 legendary wins were suddenly quieted, spoken in unsure tones, with the hushed name of Sandusky joining the mix. While the "We Are" chants echoed in my ears touring Penn State's campus my junior year of highschool, I wondered if I would ever be at any parties like the one that Timothy Piazza thought he would be making life-long friends at. I ended up living in West dorms, right up the street from Beta Theta Pi, walking past the gravestone of a promising young individual's dreams every morning on my way to class. When red paint appeared on a shattered ear, we knew there was more going on.

 

Rather than try to express what Julia already has so eloquently, we would like to share some links with you, including Julia's own essay about her experiences. We implore you to take the time to look past your immediate fury from temporary destruction in order to understand what is deeper. Penn State has repeatedly neglected the well-being and safety of its own community to further its own image, rather than stopping, helping, and upholding the values it likes to preach.

 

We have set the goal for this fundraiser at $26,000. These proceeds will support Julia's legal restitution. This does not include legal fees. Once additional donations cover any legal fees, further contributions will be split among the Gross, Osagie, Pauls, and Piazza families as per Julia's request. Proof of any use of donations will be posted publically.

 

Sharing this fundraiser would be greatly appreciated. Penn State has the largest alumni network in the world. It is our responsibility to utilize it to better our alma mater for future generations— especially if Penn State is unwilling to do so first.

 

Julia's Essay on Her Student Experience *trigger warning included at beginning*

 

Julia's Statement on Vandalism

 

Collegian Article with Words from Julia

 

Onward State Article

 

Following is an excerpt from the linked Daily Collegian article.

 

Cipparulo said her reasoning behind the vandalism was to speak out against the university, which she claims is “the blueprint for mishandling, negligence and concealing sexual abuse, hazing and student deaths.”

 

“No, I would not pick up a sword, as I believe in nonviolence against humankind. So when the pen failed, I picked up a sledgehammer and took to the Lion Shrine,” she wrote. She said the broken ear of the shrine should serve as “a permanent reminder of the dark side of Penn State University, the lives lost and a warning.”

 

“This PTSD was a graduation gift from my alma mater,” she wrote.