As Facebook exploded with Penn State students mourning former football coach Joe Paterno, the Northwestern Associated Student Government posted a status expressing condolences for the controversial figure’s death.

“RIP Joe Pa. Our thoughts are with Penn State today, ” read the status posted Sunday.

ASG has issued statements on behalf of NU through social media in the past: The group tweeted about the Virginia Tech violence, Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford’s shooting and Pearl Harbor’s anniversary. But when Navy SEALs assassinated Osama Bin Laden last spring, ASG debated the event and passed a resolution during a Senate meeting.

Medill senior Laurel Stankus, ASG vice president of public relations, said ASG does not have a protocol for addressing national issues and handles them on a case-by-case basis. Stankus, who wrote the Facebook post, said rather than focus on Paterno’s failure to report child sex abuse by former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, ASG chose to honor Paterno’s legacy in a sign of solidarity with the Big Ten, Stankus said.

“At Penn State right now, people are going to his statue and pouring into the stadium to grieve, and I think it’s rude of Northwestern not to support our Big Ten family,” Stankus said. “He was one of the first coaches to say to (players they should) not only be an athlete on the field but also a student in the classroom. We applaud ourselves on athletics and academics all the time, so why should we not applaud him?”

Bin Laden’s death warranted a different approach because of its graver national consequences, Stankus said. She said Paterno’s passing hits closer to home.

“There’s a difference between someone being assassinated and someone dying from cancer,” she said.

When an issue requires more action, Stankus said, senators raise it during weekly meetings and pass resolutions like the one thanking the SEALs. Stankus said it is unclear whether ASG will address Paterno’s death further; senators may draft a letter to Penn State.

– Michele Corriston