<p>As the mom of a future PSU hopeful, I am appalled by the stories in the news today. Is this making national news everywhere, or is it still just PA right now? I am most disgusted at the behavior of the PSU administration/</p>
<p>It’s everywhere, at least in sports news, unfortunately. Repugnant.</p>
<p>I saw it on my news (I’m in Illinois) – it caught my attention as I have a friend with a freshman D at Penn State.</p>
<p>it brings home the article someone posted on here a while ago about the way sports/athletes run some schools. I know that had a fair share of detractors, but as a parent, this is worrisome to me.</p>
<p>Another potential Penn State mom. This story is heartbreaking and sickening.</p>
<p>It’ in news out here in CA. Awful story.</p>
<p>Disgusting. I know the reports say that Paterno told someone when he heard a report, but where’s the follow-up? Everyone looks bad.</p>
<p>One of the most disgusting things about it is the statement from Penn State’s president, which expresses full support for the two administrators charged with covering up the event. It reads like something a defense attorney would say. So Big College Football - when your precious program is endangered, circle the wagons.</p>
<p>Let’s make sure we start with the facts from the reporters news article as this discussion rolls on.</p>
<p>Sandusky retired as a coach of PSU football 11 years ago in 1999 at the age of 55. He was part of PSU football for 30 years</p>
<p>Sandusky started a program for at risk youth in 1977 and used Penn States facilities for it. He continued to bring youth into PSU’s facilities after his retiement. The program continues to this day.</p>
<p>8 boys were targets between 1994 and 2009 (15 years)</p>
<p>In 2009 a mom reported the abuse to her sons high school. This started the official investigation</p>
<p>In 2002 a grad student witnessed a sexual assault and reported it immediately to Paterno. Paterno says he immediately reported it to the athletic director of the college.</p>
<p>The athletic director (Curley) and the vice president for finance and business (Schultz) questioned this grad student about 10 days after Paterno reported it to them.They state that the grad student only reported non sexual horsing around to them. They barred Sandusky from bringing kids on campus. They reported this to the president of PSU (Spanier). They did not report this to any law inforcement officer.</p>
<p>A janitor witnessed an assault in 2000. </p>
<p>Schultz stated he knew of a 1998 investigation of abuse although the news article says the first case to come to light was the 2009 case.</p>
<p>So for those in the University accused of knowing of the abuse and not reporting it, it all boils down to who is lying. The grad student or Curly/Schultz. What did the grad student tell Paterno? What did Paterno tell Curly? What did Curly/Schultz tell Spanier? The grand jury believes that Curly/Schultz were lying. The grand jury believes Paterno and Spanier were not implicated.</p>
<p>WOW. It’s chilling that Sandusky started his “at risk youth program”. Classic child abuser move on his part. </p>
<p>If the grad student actually told Paterno of a sexual assault I would think Paterno would also be implicated in not telling the police. Since he was not implicated I assume the athletic director was Paterno’s boss and Paterno may have been following university policy by taking it to his immediate supervisor. Who knows? This appears to also be the case for the grad assistant who witnessed the event.</p>
<p>What happened with the abuse in 1998?</p>
<p>In any case this is pretty horrible stuff. All OF THE ABOVE ADULTS should have gone to the police in my opinion. Sadly none of them did. I believe Spanier will come to regret his statement of support.</p>
<p>“In 2002 a grad student witnessed a sexual assault and reported it immediately to Paterno. Paterno says he immediately reported it to the athletic director of the college.”</p>
<p>Grad student should have called the police, not the football coach.</p>
<p>the more I read about this story, the more sickened I become. How can the University president possibly stand behind his actions or the the actions of the other two? HIs protestations that he didn’t know there was an allegation of sexual abuse is completely ludicrous. Understanding that he may not have known the whole story, the ultimate point is that he refused to turn this matter over to the police. As to the grad student - maybe he should have gone to the police as well. No, he definately should have gone to the police as well. But I am assuming he was a younger student faced with being alone in a sea of Penn State athletics and possible impact to his graduate career. I am more sympathetic to how overwhelming that must have been to the young man. There is no excuse for the college administration and the head “public safety” officer.</p>
<p>As a parent, do any of you think that faced with a sexual assault by a player or coach against your daughter (or son) that the administration would properly investigate, report and handle that charge? I for one have NO confidence. Thus, I think it would be a cold day before I send either of my children to this university. how sad. for all of us. And I am sending a letter to the board of trustees and the governor’s office with my feelings.</p>
<p>no school will investigate criminal activity on its campus the way the police will investigate. I don’t know why people believe that they will. The primary job of the school and those who work for the school is to protect the institution.</p>
<p>If you witness criminal activity or are the victim of criminal activity on a college campus, you need to go to the local police.</p>
<p>I don’t think this has a whole lot to do with Penn State or any of its students. It clearly does have something to do with the Penn State football program and its culture, but even then not necessarily all that much. And as loathe as I am to let Graham Spanier off the hook for anything connected with Penn State football, I can’t imagine a world in which a university president is supposed to be the one responsible for reporting an assistant football coach to the police.</p>
<p>Anyway, this guy was a fairly revered assistant coach, and I think his program for at-risk kids was widely admired. I understand why everyone tried to give him the benefit of the doubt before running to the police with previous allegations, and why there was a lot of buck-passing going on. </p>
<p>But the story as told makes absolutely no sense. And what really makes no sense is the free pass Paterno seems to be getting. He, not the AD, not the VP for finance or the university president, was the guy’s boss. (And make no mistake about it – he was the AD’s boss, too. And in some ways Spanier’s also.) So he reported an allegation to the AD. Did he follow up? Did the AD tell him the allegation was baseless? Did he have a talk with his assistant about it? How not? And how much did this have to do with the assistant’s resignation (without another job) not much more than a year later? This was one of the guys considered a serious candidate to replace Paterno when he retired, and even ten years ago that was considered imminent. (That, or a run for political office.) He just walked away, and it had nothing to do with this? I bet.</p>
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<p>There is a scathing column on the [front</a> page of today’s Washington Post sport section](<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/if-jerry-sandusky-allegations-are-true-penn-state-and-joe-paterno-deserve/2011/11/05/gIQAYIucqM_story.html?hpid=z1]front”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/if-jerry-sandusky-allegations-are-true-penn-state-and-joe-paterno-deserve/2011/11/05/gIQAYIucqM_story.html?hpid=z1).</p>
<p>Thanks 12 for posting this. Very disturbing :mad:</p>
<p>I cannot believe that Joe Paterno is being given a free pass on this!!! His responses are shameful and unforgivable. </p>
<p>Reading the 23-page Grand Jury report made me sick to my stomach. </p>
<p>Joe Paterno should resign from the Honorary Board if he had even an inkling about this. This is absolutely chilling!!!</p>
<p>And look at this letter from the President of Second Mile on the Second Mile website.</p>
<p>ABOUT US—a letter from the President of Second Mile</p>
<p>Bullying often flies under adult radar, taking place in situations where adults arent directly supervising. That makes it especially important that adults are alert to the signs that students are being bullied or are bullying.</p>
<p>Young people who experience bullying may have trouble eating and sleeping and often experience physical symptoms, like stomachaches and headaches that cause them to miss school. They may identify few classmates as friends and spend an increasing amount of time alone. They tend to shy away from activities and social events and are usually fairly uncommunicative about whats happening at school. School attendance and performance usually suffer as bullying escalates.</p>
<p>Our stereotypical picture of a bully has been of a bigger and clearly aggressive kid. More recent research identifies bullying behavior as a way for students in the mainstream to improve their status with peers. As students get older, the bullying is less likely to be physical and more often involves ostracizing and belittling others, spreading rumors often in cyberspace by computer or, increasingly, via cell phone and placing others in embarrassing situations. Students who bully are generally disinterested in the needs and feelings of others.</p>
<p>If you think your child may be bullying others, make an appointment to gather information from school staff. Model respect, empathy, and kindness at home and steer clear of games and programs that make light of violent behavior. Let your child know that bullying behavior in any form is unacceptable and establish clear consequences.</p>
<p>If your child is being bullied, work together on strategies to deal with bullying, such as simply walking away or using humor or hanging out in a group. Promote activities that connect your child with others socially. But most importantly, work with the schools to intervene if the bullying does not stop. We need to protect children from its consequences.</p>
<p>Dr. Jack Raykovitz
President and CEO
The Second Mile</p>
<p>Where can you find the grand jury report?</p>
<p>I agree that Joe Pa shouldn’t get a pass. I am more sympathetic to the grad asst who surely knew what he was up against by even raising the issue with higher-ups. I think that took guts. The admin’s total support for the two staff people is sickening.</p>
<p>GRAND JURY REPORT</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/uploadedFiles/Press/Sandusky-Grand-Jury-Presentment.pdf[/url]”>http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/uploadedFiles/Press/Sandusky-Grand-Jury-Presentment.pdf</a></p>
<p>Should we take some time to see what facts come out? (Duke Lacrosse) It is possible that the University and Joe Paterno have conducted themselves in a manner that deserves the harshest criticism but maybe they/he are not worthy of our scorn on what they did or did not do.</p>