<p>To even suggest other schools have a problem anywhere near the scope of the PSU situation is well beyond any sort of rational basis and wishful unfair thinking.</p>
<p>The students and professors and most of the staff at PSU had nothing at all to do with this. They have been impacted by this already. I don’t think it helps anyone to malign the whole university and contribute to any negativity for the young men and women who are students there or for the faculty who are likely just like us, disgusted by this all. While we have our opinions about those who could have done more, we should not throw the baby out with the bath water. </p>
<p>The victims need to heal. I hope the students, faculty and alumni push the university to come clean and move forward. Then the students and faculty can heal as well.</p>
<p><<to even="" suggest="" other="" schools="" have="" a="" problem="" anywhere="" near="" the="" scope="" of="" psu="" situation="" is="" well="" beyond="" any="" sort="" rational="" basis="" and="" wishful="" unfair="" thinking.="">></to></p>
<p>barrons - I have no idea if other schools have a time-bomb ticking in their locker rooms or administrative offices. I certainly hope not, but who knows. A year ago, I don’t think anyone could have imagined Penn State being caught up in this horrid situation. I would never wish this situation on any school, but to think that every other university is completely free from any sort of problem (or potential problem) is naive.</p>
<p>myturnnow - excellent points.</p>
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<p>How about starting with a call to the district attorney’s office with the information they had?</p>
<p>That is a good point. I agree that PSU is no different than many other universities and we will never know if the same situation were to occur at another school, that it would be handled differently. There is a conspiracy of silence on many college campuses. Look at the way that many schools handle sexual assault among students. They want to handle it internally. If there is an accusation of date rape, many schools will hold an internal investigation and never bring the police into it. Do you think they are doing that for the sake of the victim? No, they are doing it to protect the school. In fact, after this scandal hit the news in November, I spoke to my D who goes to another large university and told her that, God forbid, she is ever the victim of a crime or if one of her friends is, she should call the town police rather than campus police. Or call both.</p>
<p>Football, in and of itself, did not cause these crimes. I don’t think shutting down the football program makes any sense at all.</p>
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<p>How much money and reputation did Penn state get because of it’s football program. To pretend the university and paterno were not intertwined is naive. </p>
<p>So if football isn’t that big a deal at Penn, then gee, who cares if they put it on probation.</p>
<p>Every player, every student, ever prof, all benifited from the football program. They should all carry some of the responsibility of this mess. You can’t have it both ways.</p>
<p>Please tell me we are not going to argue the Football is the Root of All Evil thing again. Penn State is known for football nationally, as in “Ever heard of Penn State?” Yeah, they have a football team that’s always on TV". That’s not the only thing it does, and when you say it is, you only display a lack of knowledge.</p>
<p>Yes, the football revenues fund the rest of the athletic program. I’m dumbfounded by the contention that because adults in the program, and adults in admin kept a secret — a secret — that all students and faculty should “pay”. What good does that do? Demonstrate penance? Okay, I get that one. Demonstrate a better balance? I’m with you on that. But to assign BLAME to them, to make them co-conspirators or complict, is so unfair and pointless. </p>
<p>As much as you’d like to believe it Seahorse, other departments do not depend on football. They get grants from esteemed foundations based on their own excellent work. Like every huge university, PSU students don’t have a heckuva lot in common with each other, college to college. Athletics can be a common bond. So is THON, so is the Collegian, so is Into The Streets, so is the Greek system…</p>
<p>We are ashamed. We are grieving. We are broken, and we are standing–too late —with the victims. But we are still Penn State. (And that’s from a non-alum who has never been to a football game. Lacrosse, yes! Basketball, yes! Concerts, yes! But not football)</p>
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<p>Barf.</p>
<p>I think it’s that statement that sums up what is so off-putting about this whole affair – that clique-ish, ‘we are holier than thou’ attitude of all things Penn State.</p>
<p>Ashamed, grieving, and broken don’t sound ’ holier than thou’ to me.</p>
<p>If I were a victim, that sentence “But we are still Penn State” would make me want to throw up. “We finally figured out we have to express some sympathy for victims! Rah rah!”</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120625/COLUMNIST0202/306250015/David-Climer-Jerry-Sandusky-should-cost-Penn-State-football-too?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Sports[/url]”>http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120625/COLUMNIST0202/306250015/David-Climer-Jerry-Sandusky-should-cost-Penn-State-football-too?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Sports</a></p>
<p>Interesting take from our local columnist.</p>
<p>All that’s missing is a fist pumped in the air, and a “Yes, We Are Penn State, and as God is our witness, we shall never be broken again!”</p>
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<p>I agree with Seahorse rock on this one. The first thing one sees when approaching Penn State is the enormous football stadium that dominates the skyline for miles around and over shadows all the academic buildings. This monument to stupidity will remind everyone of Sandusky and his victims for years to come.</p>
<p>You can tell a lot about a society by seeing which building are the largest and for Penn State it’s all about football.</p>
<p>[Penn</a> State tries to move focus back to football - Rolla, MO - The Rolla Daily News](<a href=“The Rolla Daily News”>The Rolla Daily News)</p>
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<p>"These days, nearly everyone agrees that the more time people spend talking about who is going to play quarterback, the better for Penn State.</p>
<p>Holtz said O’Brien’s message to his players should go something like this:</p>
<p>“There’s been a lot of great things here, but they have been marred by an individual. But it’s time for us to move on. You can’t let one man tarnish the tradition of Penn State.”</p>
<p>[Penn</a> State tries to move focus back to football after Jerry Sandusky trial - NCAA Football - Sporting News](<a href=“http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-06-24/jerry-sandusky-guilty-penn-state-tries-to-move-focus-back-to-football#ixzz1yoe8A9LB]Penn”>http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-06-24/jerry-sandusky-guilty-penn-state-tries-to-move-focus-back-to-football#ixzz1yoe8A9LB)</p>
<p>This message is only going to add fuel to the fire. One man didn’t tarnish the reputation, one man assaulted children in Penn State showers. The other men enabled it. </p>
<p>If I was a Penn State parent I would be calling to share my perspective. While I don’t hold students, parents, faculty or alumni at all responsible for what happened, I would hope they are taking an active role in at least trying to shape the response Penn State takes. It’s not looking good.</p>
<p>MOWC – excellent article, thanks for the link.
Last year and I don’t remember which team but several of the players sold their championship memorabilia on eBay or Craigslist or somewhere. I believe the coach was fired and the team received conference and NCAA sanctions. Somehow a college player selling his ring or plaque or whatever pales when compared to what the PSU admin turned a blind eye to.</p>
<p>^^ That would be Ohio State. Go Big Ten!</p>
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<p>Unfortunately, at least in some places, if you call the town police, they’ll just turn it over to the campus police.</p>