It is the annual question that plagues the Penn State community: ‘what is more important; academics or football?’. The answer to this question seems simple, but it is not in fact simple at all. Although ‘academics’ is the preferred answer, how much does any handful of students really know about Eric Barron? We could tell you where James Franklin is from, his top five tweets, and that he’s the guy behind the ‘dominate the state’ fervor sweeping the t-shirts downtown. But who is Eric Barron? Yes he has Penn State ties, but doesn’t seem nearly as connected to the Penn State community as Franklin does, despite his authoritative position. This could be an issue that all Presidents face due to the lack of connection that students feel towards them. James Franklin shows up at hockey games and is eager to get in a selfie and shake hands, whereas the president of the university… where woul one go to find the president in his ‘natural habitat’? As much as some people are hesitant to admit it, the football program is the glue that holds the Penn State community together, where the academics though important are a bit of a given. An extraordinary school, yes Penn State is. But where the spirit and the passion of the student body culminates is in Beaver Stadium on football saturdays in October. Students can rely on seeing Franklin down on the sideline pumping up the team and acknowledging the crowd. But does the president go to the football games? Have we ever heard Rodney Erickson start a ‘we are’ chant or appear at a game in the student section of Pegula? I believe that Franklin is the more important hire for the Penn State community because the football program is one that goes out of its way to makes itself known around campus and around the world. The office of the president seems far-off and out of touch to most Penn State students, as no one really ever sees or hears from the President unless it’s most likely negative. James Franklin wins this battle because of his charm and down to earth approach to his position that Eric Barron seems to lack. Read: Eric Barron make a Twitter for starters!
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