Penn State

cindyn9178 · November 2011

So I was curious about your opinions concerning the Penn State scandal going on?

TripleJTobe · November 2011

To say I'm completely disgusted, is putting it mildly.

DoubleAS · November 2011

Horrified. My fiance and his brother are both alum, with an athletic background, from the school. They're extremely shocked and disgusted. What a way for Joe Pa to go out after making such a name for himself, the school, and the football organization.

At the same time, I've come to see that PSU is more than their football team, more than a school, they're seriously like family. It's a shame that 2 people's actions can tarnish such a reputation.

cindyn9178 · November 2011

It is pretty sad that Joe Pa has more power in that school than the president of the university, so to say the school is about much more than football is kind of silly.. people make a big deal out of PSU, but it is just a university just like many other good ones out there.. and a HUGE HUGE part of PSU is their football - you really can't deny that. If it wasn't, Joe Pa, the athletic director and anybody else involved would've been immediately fired.. it is obvious that they don't want to jeopardize the football team by doing anything yet.
I cannot comprehend how people saw a child getting raped or was told about it, and basically did nothing about it, yet they are still employed at the university. I strongly feel that if these people were not involved with the football team, they would've been fired by now. THAT is the most disgusting thing about it. (aside from the accusations of course). And anybody that continues to attend the football games until these people are fired, including Joe Pa, should be ashamed of themselves - because in effect, they would be supporting them.

agu101 · November 2011

I am a Penn State alum, and I am still proud to say that. While I am horrified at the events that have taken place my my school, it should not impact the university's reputation as a whole. Football is only one part of our institution, and should not overshaddow the excellence of our academics. Did you know Penn State students have raised over $78 million to help pediatric cancer over the past 40 years, with $7.8 million raised last year alone? And that the Wall Street Journal named PSU the #1 college that businesses recruit from? These are recent PSU accomplishments that the university is also proud of- do either of these have anything to do with football?

Those who are currently on the Penn State football team are simply students playing the game they love- please do not take anger and frustration out on these young men. Be angry at anyone involved in this crisis, from Sandusky to administrators to the GA to JoePa, as this was a situation handled completely wrong. But do not take your anger out on the student athletes who had no involvement in the disturbing events that took place.

On Satuday I will be at my local Penn State bar, ready to cheer on my team. WE ARE PENN STATE and we WILL get through this crisis.

cindyn9178 · November 2011

If this happened somewhere else, like a high-school, or somewhere less popular than Penn State, or if this didn't involve the iconic Penn State Football team, I bet people would feel very differently about this, and about supporting their school and football team.

Let's say you had a son in high-school, and one of the his coaches from the past was being accused of molesting little kids.. and someone had caught him doing that years ago, told the principal, but basically nothing was done about it. The guy continued to work there, along with the person who saw him and the principal who knew about it. If the people who attend the school, the parents, etc continued to support that school's teams - that these people were in charge of - they are in fact supporting those people.

I completely understand that the students on the Penn State football team have nothing to do with this, but it is being RUN by these people who IGNORED a child molester. These people are MAKING MONEY by being involved with this football team. So to continue attending the games and/or watching them while these people are still employed by the university, is in fact, supporting them.

If the President of the University was informed about Sandusky, and still nothing was done, then they should be fired as well - and that DOES reflect on the reputation of Penn State, unfortunately. I know I wouldn't attend a school, nor would I allow my children to attend a school where the President of the University allowed an accused child molester to continue working there in some way. And if I were an Alum, I certainly would NOT continue supporting the football team or the SCHOOL itself UNLESS all of these people are fired, ASAP.

I am an alum of FDU, I can tell you for certain, that if this happened at FDU, I would NOT be supporting the school or the team, regardless of how "proud" I am to be an alumni.

And P.S. - why is Joe Paterno being given the opportunity to retire??! That is ludicrous. He should be fired along with the rest of them. I don't care how successful of a coach he has been, or how long he's worked there. Since when should your career determine how you are punished? I can tell you that if any one of us regular people were in this situation, we'd be fired from our jobs immediately.
And what happened to the graduate student who reportedly saw the rape taking place? I might've missed the story about it (if there was one), but did they say something and try to stop the rape? Or they just let it happen and told Joe instead??! And if so, are they being held accountable for not doing more??

kristen8040 · November 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_penn-state?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:b2f01003-20d4-476d-974e-f6361c000924Post:b57bbc1c-2e59-4b2d-b443-192bb9cc6991">Re: Penn State</a>:
[QUOTE]I I am an alum of FDU, I can tell you for certain, that if this happened at FDU, I would NOT be supporting the school or the team, regardless of how "proud" I am to be an alumni.
Posted by cindyn9178[/QUOTE]

<div>I agree, I don't get the big "college love" thing. </div>

cindyn9178 · November 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_penn-state?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:b2f01003-20d4-476d-974e-f6361c000924Post:7e9688ec-cf2c-4eea-8627-fb41d8e803cf">Re: Penn State</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Penn State : I agree, I don't get the big "college love" thing.
Posted by kristen8040[/QUOTE]

I don't think I'd feel that way if I had gone to a school like Penn State either.. it is just a school.. unless they did something for me so spectacular that was different from what another school could've done.

cindyn9178 · November 2011

Here is a LINK to an article/timeline that clears up some questions, and makes me even more disgusted.

What I gathered from this:

- in 1998, Victim 6's mother contacted the UNIVERSITY police. That was the #1 wrong thing that started all of this. If my child came home from and I suspected he was being abused I would contact the REAL POLICE.

- Sandusky then admits what he did to the mother, and the cops hear the conversations, yet NOTHING is done about it. He continues to work for the school with NO CONSEQUENCES!! All of those police involved should be FIRED and the victim's mother should be ashamed of herself for not pressing the issue further.

- Fall 2000, the Janitor sees Sandusky raping a boy and tells his supervisor, Jay Witherite, who tells him to report it to someone else. WRONG. Jay Witherite (if still employed there) should be fired, and charges should be held against him. Charges should also be held against the janitor who failed to report it to anybody else.

- March 2002, the grad student sees Sandusky raping a boy. He tells Joe Pa the next morning. WHY didn't the grad student step in and try to STOP THE RAPE?! Charges should be held against the grad student for not doing more.

- Joe Paterno waits until the following day, after being informed of the rape, to report it to the Athletic Director. Why did he wait?? So more little boys could be raped in the meantime??

- Later in the month, the grad student is called to a meeting. Why did this take so long? Again, so more little boys could be raped in the meantime? This "meeting" should've taken place immediately after the report was made. The senior VP and Athletic Director say they will look into it. Sandusky's keys are supposedly taken away and he has been reported to the Second Mile.
So let me get this straight, someone has witnessed a rape, and you just take his keys away? WHY was he not reported to the police again?? I feel this is grounds for the Athletic Director and Senior VP to be fired immediately, and charges pressed against them.

-2005, Sandusky is still involved with the Second Mile, which means either he wasn't really reported to them, or they didn't care/did nothing. If they were informed and ignored it, then anybody was informed/aware of it should have charges pressed against them for allowing an accused rapist to continue "working" with the Second Mile without being investigated.

-He was reported to police in 2008 by a school district, but isn't arrested until 2011. What took 3 years?

It seems like NOBODY involved with this tried to do anything more about the situation aside from telling somebody else, and even the police let it slide.
And the only reason I can see for that is because this was happening at PENN STATE and people didn't want to tarnish their reputation.

Bebsy · November 2011

charges cannot be pressed against individuals if there is no law currently on the books that states people MUST report incidents.

generally speaking, states DO NOT have laws that obligate people to report crimes/help an individual in the middle of being victimized.

i don't practice law in pennsylvania, and i am not a criminal attorney, so i have no idea if there is a law that exists or not that would allow prosecutors to charge the above individuals who failed to report these incidents. but i wouldn't be surprised if none of these people face criminal charges whatsoever, let's just say.

the victims could probably sue the individuals and the school in civil matters, though.

LADY324 · November 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_penn-state?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:b2f01003-20d4-476d-974e-f6361c000924Post:cd9faf91-92cd-4cde-93e0-f2059a2a45d6">Re: Penn State</a>:
[QUOTE]Here is a LINK to an article/timeline that clears up some questions, and makes me even more disgusted. What I gathered from this: - in 1998, Victim 6's mother contacted the UNIVERSITY police. That was the #1 wrong thing that started all of this. If my child came home from and I suspected he was being abused I would contact the REAL POLICE. - Sandusky then admits what he did to the mother, and the cops hear the conversations, yet NOTHING is done about it. He continues to work for the school with NO CONSEQUENCES!! All of those police involved should be FIRED and the victim's mother should be ashamed of herself for not pressing the issue further. - Fall 2000, the Janitor sees Sandusky raping a boy and tells his supervisor, Jay Witherite, who tells him to report it to someone else. WRONG. Jay Witherite (if still employed there) should be fired, and charges should be held against him. Charges should also be held against the janitor who failed to report it to anybody else. - March 2002, the grad student sees Sandusky raping a boy. He tells Joe Pa the next morning. WHY didn't the grad student step in and try to STOP THE RAPE?! Charges should be held against the grad student for not doing more. - Joe Paterno waits until the following day, after being informed of the rape, to report it to the Athletic Director. Why did he wait?? So more little boys could be raped in the meantime?? - Later in the month, the grad student is called to a meeting. Why did this take so long? Again, so more little boys could be raped in the meantime? This "meeting" should've taken place immediately after the report was made. The senior VP and Athletic Director say they will look into it. Sandusky's keys are supposedly taken away and he has been reported to the Second Mile. So let me get this straight, someone has witnessed a rape, and you just take his keys away? WHY was he not reported to the police again?? I feel this is grounds for the Athletic Director and Senior VP to be fired immediately, and charges pressed against them. -2005, Sandusky is still involved with the Second Mile, which means either he wasn't really reported to them, or they didn't care/did nothing. If they were informed and ignored it, then anybody was informed/aware of it should have charges pressed against them for allowing an accused rapist to continue "working" with the Second Mile without being investigated. -He was reported to police in 2008 by a school district, but isn't arrested until 2011. What took 3 years? It seems like NOBODY involved with this tried to do anything more about the situation aside from telling somebody else, and even the police let it slide. And the only reason I can see for that is because this was happening at PENN STATE and people didn't want to tarnish their reputation.
Posted by cindyn9178[/QUOTE]

I agree with everything that you said. The whole thing is just disgusting how he was able to get away with this for years. Those poor boys are going to be traumatize for the rest of their lives.

cindyn9178 · November 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_penn-state?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:b2f01003-20d4-476d-974e-f6361c000924Post:61a09b20-2004-4f94-957f-7b81af82ce93">Re: Penn State</a>:
[QUOTE]charges cannot be pressed against individuals if there is no law currently on the books that states people MUST report incidents. generally speaking, states DO NOT have laws that obligate people to report crimes/help an individual in the middle of being victimized. i don't practice law in pennsylvania, and i am not a criminal attorney, so i have no idea if there is a law that exists or not that would allow prosecutors to charge the above individuals who failed to report these incidents. but i wouldn't be surprised if none of these people face criminal charges whatsoever, let's just say. the victims could probably sue the individuals and the school in civil matters, though.
Posted by Bebsy[/QUOTE]
Makes sense, and it is sad that isn't a law in all states.. but they should all be held accountable in some way. Do we know what job that grad student has now? I am curious if he has any kind of position that involves kids.. I know I personally wouldn't want my kids to be supervised in any way, shape or form by someone who walked in on a rape and did nothing to stop it.

TripleJTobe · November 2011

Let me be clear...in my opinion...ANYONE who had ANY knowledge of this incident taking place..even once...even if it's "just touching" ...has a moral obligation to report it, otherwise they are condoning it. Anyone that isn't seriously disturbed by child molestation, I personally find sketchy. I know I'm being blunt, but no matter how you cut it, in my opinion, these stories aren't flying. JoePa as well as everyone else who knew and failed to report this to the Police, not a school official, but an officer of the law, should face consequences as well. I have no tolerance for abuse, especially when it is aimed at a child. In terms of having a Big School pride mentality, I can understand that to an extent. I have an incredible amount of loyalty to my university and I did go to a large school. However, my loyalty only goes as far as supporting the positive. No matter how loyal I am, or how ingrained my university is in me, if this situation had happened here, I would NOT support anyone or anything that had any involvement in it......let alone show up at the football coaches house to tell him how great he is. JoePa's past accomplishments have NOTHING to do with the issue at hand. Stusent Mob mentality, plain and simple.

cindyn9178 · November 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_penn-state?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:b2f01003-20d4-476d-974e-f6361c000924Post:e0249bfc-17ad-4345-8c4d-a29fe81f0b05">Re: Penn State</a>:
[QUOTE]Let me be clear...in my opinion...ANYONE who had ANY knowledge of this incident taking place..even once...even if it's "just touching" ...has a moral obligation to report it, otherwise they are condoning it. Anyone that isn't seriously disturbed by child molestation, I personally find sketchy. I know I'm being blunt, but no matter how you cut it, in my opinion, these stories aren't flying. JoePa as well as everyone else who knew and failed to report this to the Police, not a school official, but an officer of the law, should face consequences as well. I have no tolerance for abuse, especially when it is aimed at a child. In terms of having a Big School pride mentality, I can understand that to an extent. I have an incredible amount of loyalty to my university and I did go to a large school. However, my loyalty only goes as far as supporting the positive. No matter how loyal I am, or how ingrained my university is in me, if this situation had happened here, I would NOT support anyone or anything that had any involvement in it......let alone show up at the football coaches house to tell him how great he is. <strong>JoePa's past accomplishments have NOTHING to do with the issue at hand. </strong>Stusent Mob mentality, plain and simple.
Posted by TripleJTobe[/QUOTE]
I agree with you 100%... especially the bolded part. Did you see the press conference? Joe Pa and the University President have been fired, thank goodness. Still no update on the athletic director and VP....

I also find it funny that alum keep saying that we shouldn't let this affect our opinions of the school, and it is just a handful of administrators, and Penn State is much more than that.. yet those same people keep saying "My heart is broken over this" and "I'm devastated". If the school is more than this, then why does this bother you SO much? If something like this happened at the school I went to, I certainly wouldn't be "devastated" by it. Unless I personally knew the people directly involed with it!

Just because you may have done everything LEGALLY required in a situation like this, doesn't mean you did what is MORALLY right, and that's pretty sad.

Swazzle · November 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_penn-state?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:b2f01003-20d4-476d-974e-f6361c000924Post:bf449e27-4faf-4c3e-a980-20c30d70080e">Re: Penn State</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Penn State : Makes sense, and it is sad that isn't a law in all states.. but they should all be held accountable in some way.<strong> Do we know what job that grad student has now?</strong> I am curious if he has any kind of position that involves kids.. I know I personally wouldn't want my kids to be supervised in any way, shape or form by someone who walked in on a rape and did nothing to stop it.
Posted by cindyn9178[/QUOTE]

<div>The grad student (Mike McQueary) that walked in on Sandusky with the child in the shower is currently an assistant football coach (wide receivers coach & recruiting coordinator) at Penn State. </div><div>
</div><div>Also wanted to add that I pretty much agree with everything you have said in this thread. I'm really bothered by the people on my TV, facebook, twitter saying how sad it is that Joe Pa was fired. Where's your sadness for the boys whose innocence was stolen & lives were completely changed forever because of the actions, or lack of action, in this situation?</div><div>
</div><div>ETA: McQueary will be on the sidelines, doing his job like normal this weekend. I'm not sure how I feel about that. </div>

cindyn9178 · November 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_penn-state?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:b2f01003-20d4-476d-974e-f6361c000924Post:9e434039-976d-43a3-857a-d17757935718">Re: Penn State</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Penn State : <strong>The grad student (Mike McQueary) that walked in on Sandusky with the child in the shower is currently an assistant football coach (wide receivers coach & recruiting coordinator) at Penn State</strong>. Also wanted to add that I pretty much agree with everything you have said in this thread. I'm really bothered by the people on my TV, facebook, twitter saying how sad it is that Joe Pa was fired. Where's your sadness for the boys whose innocence was stolen & lives were completely changed forever because of the actions, or lack of action, in this situation? ETA: McQueary will be on the sidelines, doing his job like normal this weekend. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
Posted by rdr716[/QUOTE]
Yeah I realized this last night after I posted...it is disgusting that he continues to work there, after witnessing a rape and not trying to stop it.

Some people on FB have been saying they were crying over this and they are devasted. I just don't understand why the alums are so distraught. This kind of thing happens all over (unfortunately), and if they don't want it to reflect badly on the school, then the alums should stop acting like it is the end of the world and get over everything to do with Joe Pa and the other administrators.

Phoenixashes · November 2011

What really upsets me about these people who are saddened over Paterno being fired or the tarnished reputation that Penn State now has, is the fact that these people are forgetting the victims who had to and have to live with this.

Any victim of rape suffers a great deal of trauma, let alone a young child who may not fully understand what is actually happening, It is a betrayal of trust on the surface. The irrepairable damage caused by this, one can only guess what the long-term consequences are.

Sandusky should face a firing squad...forget the trial and Paterno, though not physically guilty, should face severe punishment as well as all the others who turned a blind eye.

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