The Fall of Penn State

[Livewire]

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The Penn State sex abuse scandal centered on former Pennsylvania State University football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky's sexual assault of at least eight underage boys on or near university property. After an extensive grand jury investigation, Sandusky was indicted on 52 counts of child molestation dating from 1994 to 2009, though the abuse may date as far back as the 1970s.[1]

Per the findings of the investigation, several high-level school officials were charged with perjury,[2] suspended, or dismissed for allegedly covering up the incidents or failing to notify authorities. In the wake of the scandal, school president Graham Spanier was forced to resign, and head football coach Joe Paterno was fired late in the season, while Sandusky maintained his innocence.[3] The trial of Jerry Sandusky on 52 charges of sexual crimes against children started on June 11, 2012, at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.[4][5] Four of the charges were subsequently dropped, leaving 48 counts remaining. On June 22, 2012, Sandusky was found guilty on 45 out of 48 counts of sexual abuse.[6] Sandusky faces a minimum sentence of at least 60 years — at his age, effectively a life sentence.[7]

The discovery of Sandusky's crimes triggered a criminal investigation by the local United States Attorney, as well as a Department of Education probe into Penn State's response.[8][9] As of July 2012, both investigations are ongoing. The report of an independent investigation conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh and his firm stated that Spanier and Paterno, along with athletic director Tim Curley and school vice president Gary Schultz, had known about allegations of child abuse on Sandusky's part as early as 1998, and were complicit in failing to disclose them. In so doing, Freeh said, the four men "failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade"

What should become of Penn State and the people complicit in the coverup of the Jerry Sandusky rapes? Should Penn State wipe the Paterno name off of its library & tear down the Paterno statue? what sort of discipline should fall upon the university from the NCAA?

Thoughts?

 

[Sydian]

It's a sad thing that once something bad happens to a good person or group, that tends to be all they're remembered for. When most people think of Clinton, they think of the sex scandal. When people think of Nixon, they think of that scandal. And what about Germany? Hitler, Holocaust, World War II. That normally comes to mind. But with all these examples, notice none of them end up getting wiped from history.

Now why am I giving you a history lesson? Because it's a similar case, though of course, not government or war related. I think that, although Paterno apparently knew that was going on, his statue should remain. Penn State probably wouldn't even be as well known had it not been for him. Why would you remove that now? Why would you remove his name from anything Penn State related? Aside from that, he's not the main culprit in the scandal. If this were a Jerry Sandusky statue, then I think it would need to come down. But Paterno isn't even here anymore to give his piece on the whole story, and I hate that he passed away in the midst of all this. It really makes me sad.

Of course, that's not to say "oh keep statues of hitler and bin laden" and things. Though they may have at one time put they countries on the map and made it a name, they still were ultimately the downfall, and should have been taken down as such.

Maybe I should come back when I'm not tired and sick. This probably makes no sense and I probably just cornered myself into something I don't wanna deal with.

tl;dr non bs version: Keep the statue.

 

[Esper]

The people personally responsible for failing to notify authorities need to be brought to court, but the school itself should have some kind of equivalent to community service. Since the only things that last in a school are its buildings and its money it isn't fair to punish people who happen to be at the school now who had no part any of this. But as an institution a school still needs to recompense and should offer up some of its money as donations to charities that help abused kids and do other things like that.

 

[Livewire]

The NCAA needs to get involved and it needs to come down hard to avoid angering the public anymore with its hypocrisy and inaction. Penn State could/should use some of its Billion dollar endowment for charities for abused kids, assuming they'll have any left after the mountain of civil lawsuits.

 

[razorraron]

Wow, I didn't even hear about this. Penn state and NCAA should be lockign down o this for sure.

 

[Livewire]

I still don't think the penalties were hard enough. The 'Death penalty' (suspending the program for 4 years) probably should happened. Then again, the money they have to give up goes to good causes, so at least they can right a few wrongs now. Still doesn't excuse the horrible coverup, though.