'I Never Felt Safe:' Penn State Students Criticize Pediatric Cancer Fundraiser for Not Being Diverse Enough

THON, an annual fundraiser at Penn State that raises money to help kids suffering from cancer, is too white according to some student leaders. “Seeing those involved with THON, I thought, ‘Where’s the diversity? As time passed, I came to the realization that THON wasn’t made for people of color,” one student leader explained in an attempt to shift the spotlight away from children with cancer and on to woke leftist campus issues.

Jeanelle Loiseau, the chief of staff for the University Park Undergraduate Association and previous Black Caucus representative, went as far as to say that she “never felt safe” while attending the fundraiser, called THON.

“This was my first time ever going to THON because I never felt safe,” Loiseau wrote in the student newspaper the Daily Collegian. “I felt that I didn’t belong.”

“Seeing those involved with THON, I thought, ‘Where’s the diversity?'” the student continued. “As time passed, I came to the realization that THON wasn’t made for people of color.”

Loiseau went on to complain about the event being run by Greek life organizations, but not including “the National Pan-Hellenic Council and Multicultural Greek Council,” which the student said predominately consist of racial minorities:

While Panhel and IFC likely contribute the most, this name discriminates against those who are not associated with greek life, which circles back to people of color, who may not want to be in greek life or chose to be in a NPHC or MGC organization. Diversity in Panhel and IFC is low as well, so it is not a win-win situation for anybody.

The student also claimed that there was “known racism and discrimination,” citing an Instagram account “that would post anonymous submissions of students’ experiences on campus” and “expose multiple organizations with their lack of inclusion, THON being one of them.”

In one instance, Loiseau said, a black girl was allegedly told something about her “natural hairs.”

Loiseau also complained about a so-called “gender-fluid” student not being offered a “gender-neutral bathroom” during a THON event:

Last year, Teddy Wilson, a gender-fluid student, participated in THON as an IDC pair. While they were provided gender-neutral storage, they were not provided a gender-neutral bathroom to use. They were forced to use either the men’s or women’s bathroom, which gave them great anxiety. Their message was addressed to the whole Penn State community — that there should be accessibility for all.

The student added that while she is “extremely grateful” for THON highlighting one of her projects after she “felt that my work was being underappreciated by the student body” and “always complained about not receiving my flowers,” there is still more work that needs to be done.

At the end of her open letter, Loiseau urged THON executives to implement an official name change, establish a separate “minority/multicultural THON organization,” and increase the amount of “POC” dancers, executive directors, captains and committee members.

Loiseau’s complaints about the THON fundraiser were also echoed by the editorial board of the Daily Collegian.

In a separate piece, the editorial board lamented that ” approximately 16% of its volunteers belonged to minoritized groups, with 2% being African Americans.”

The board did note, however, that “After these alarming statistics, THON did take steps to improve the culture of its organization, implementing a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan for THON 2023.”

“Other clubs and organizations at Penn State should follow this initiative by being transparent with its demographics and create yearly action plans to track its diversity,” they added.

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.