<p>Well . . . I dredged it up because the unfortunate young man died premaurely, prompting some stories about it. To that extent, it had become current news again. Also, I appreciate your perspective on how corporate controls work, and I agree that in a sense, the controls did work at I.U., though one would have thought the egregious lack of integrity shown by Knight should have been sufficent without some other blow up. You are also quite right that we cannot prevent everything. On the other hand, an ounce of prevention . . . .</p>
<p>I retain sufficient optimism to believe that if people pay attention to the missteps, and how they come about, that perhaps fewer toes will be stepped on moving forward. A cover up is antithetical to integrity, and the latter should be valued much more highly than it currently seems to be. The individual needs to value integrity highly to withstand pressure from both the institution and probable negative consequences to the individual of acting against one’s own interests out of a sense of honor. The honor codes at the various colleges and universties become something of a joke if no one stops to think about what honor and integrity mean and sometimes require. </p>
<p>How can integrity be taught if winning, achievement, and wealth are the highest values, even at programs that are relatively straight like Bobby Knight’s basketball team at IU? Some people say they can find better values through religion, but that was always a dead end for me. Empathy seems to be in dangerously short supply in the world today - that has probably always been the case. Historically, religions have been less than empathetic toward non-believers and those who stray from the path. What helped me become more empathetic were frequent doses Dickens, Twain, and Fielding. Now, there are classes like the justice course taught by the Harvard prof., Michael Sandel, which is available on line. </p>
<p>As parents, do we teach our kids to do what it takes but don’t get caught, or to try to figure out what the right thing to do is, and do that even if you lose a job, or an opportunity. Which is more important, losing your place at HYP or losing your soul? </p>
<p>I don’t think Knight balanced those considerations correctly. Given that the nail he tried to hammer down just died (an amusingly mixed mataphor), it seemed just (to me) to resurrect the Neil Reed affair, even though it is old news. However, here, the OP is stated more broadly (and briefly) and perhaps will draw a more lively discussion.</p>