<p>I think of Sandusky as a vile subhuman monster.</p>
<p>On the other hand, in a way it’s a mistake to think like that. While what Sandusky did was vile and monstrous, calling him a monster deceives us into imagining that only subhuman monsters, not real, upright citizens, are child molesters. And so then, when we see a real, upright citizen accused of child molestation or rape, we might not believe the accusations. We might think, no, no, this pillar of the community, who does so much good, couldn’t possibly be guilty of those terrible crimes.</p>
<p>But Sandusky looked like an upright citizen and pillar of the community before the accusations were made public. He didn’t seem like a monster. We have to stop imagining that child molesters and rapists look different than other people.</p>
<p>I know someone who, as it turned out, had been molesting a very young child for several years. I knew the molester, the victim, the molester’s family and the victim’s family. Before the truth came out, I would never have suspected.</p>
<p>In the universities that I have been part of - this was always a result of a lack of students to support the program. Yes, there were faculty/students impacted, but the numbers were generally small. And, in most cases, the faculty moved into other departments and the students were either allowed to complete their degree or were assisted in transferring to another.</p>
<p>An example of shutting down a sport: University of Maryland is shutting down its men’s and women’s swimming programs. If a student has a swimming scholarship, too bad for him or her; it’s gone next year.</p>
<p>Answered my own question. This is a financial decision based on budget cuts, not based on moral responsibility. And the teams being cut will not mean financial loss for the school, rather cutting the teams will improve finances. So not quite the same thing being recommended. </p>
<p>A few years ago, Rutgers shut down swimming, fencing, tennis, and some others for budgetary reasons. Around the same time, they hired a big name football coach and spent other money in an attempt to raise the program to the “elite” level. I guess something had to go…</p>
<p>They’re shutting down Maryland swimming for the same reason other schools are eliminating sports, namely money. </p>
<p>My point is, the students at these other schools are equally blameless, and yet they are nevertheless losing their sport and their scholarship. Their innocence did not prevent them from having their sport yanked from under them. Current Penn State student-athletes are innocent, but equally, their innocence should not be enough to prevent the football program from being razed and sown with salt, if other considerations say it should be.</p>
<p>AND, all sorts of student services are curtailed in times of budgetary constraints, due to NO FAULT of the people who are running the program and NO vile conducts done to protect the program.</p>
<p>Again, no massive soul searching on this. </p>
<p>Yet, a football program which ended up sullying the reputation of the entire institution for years to come is not a subject matter of even temporary curtailing (not even removal)? How do you explain this mind set other than, again, the football above everything attitude? That, protecting football trumps everything else that the institution stands for. So, you would rather not compromise ANYTHING when it comes to football, even if that may protect the interest of the majority of the students by jump starting the process of refurbishing the tarnished image?</p>
<p>And that is absolutely unfair. I believe the schools owe it to these recruited athletes to come up with money so they can continue their education. They should at least make up for it with some sort of work study program.</p>
<p>Peirce is right. The ostentatious public prayer before the Penn State-Nebraska game was a nauseating spectacle. Praying on TV and in front of a huge crowd, so everyone can see your prayerful wonderfulness, is sickening.</p>
<p>Sorry, but this is far bigger than the interests of cheerleaders, band members, and dance team members.</p>
<p>Whenever a program is penalized or even shut down (think SMU death penalty), there is always collateral damage to innocents. Usually when a program is penalized for NCAA violations, it is students several years down the line who actually feel the brunt of the punishment, as students involved with the violations have typically already left. </p>
<p>I would be beyond amazed if the Penn State football program either shut itself down voluntarily or was shut down by the NCAA. I just don’t see it happening. Football is just too big.</p>
<p>Well, I don’t know about that, but my husband did mention that the moment of silence was kind of ironic, considering that silence is what allowed victimization of innocent children to continue after it had been brought to the attention of the Administration.</p>
<p>Cardinal, I saw Franco Harris interviewed on a news show yesterday and I was a bit embarassed for him. Not very intelligible. I have a bad feeling that Harris, along with Paterno’s own children are going to be sick when all the facts about what Joe Pa knew come out.</p>
<p>“Peirce is right. The ostentatious public prayer before the Penn State-Nebraska game was a nauseating spectacle. Praying on TV and in front of a huge crowd, so everyone can see your prayerful wonderfulness, is sickening.”</p>
<p>I agree, especially when you consider this went on:</p>
<p>I am as horrified as anyone else at what has happened at Penn State and I do believe Paterno and the clout of the football program there contributed to the great harm that was allowed to occur and continue. However, I AM a fan of college sports (football a ways down my list) and don’t think every NCAA program needs to be condemned, as some posters seem to believe. This provides a handy excuse for all the “college sports are evil” folks to get on the ol’ soapbox. </p>
<p>I don’t know what the answer is. The Penn State program is tarnished and many heads need to roll, which will not help the victims anyway. I don’t know what eliminating football there would do, and it won’t happen anyway. The recruiting will be impossible after this situation, and losing games will be the result. Losing will cause students and alums to lose interest and withdraw support, so it may all take care of itself.</p>