Running head: PENN STATE SCANDAL

Penn State Scandal: All Wrapped Up in Paterno Debbie Park SDAD 576 Dr. Jeremy Stringer Seattle University 11/29/2011

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A good friend recently flew in and crashed on my couch for the weekend. Exhausted from the time difference and his days traveling, he drifted off and I too fell fast asleep. Bright and early the next morning, I used my laptop to blast Elton Johns Circle of Life through the living room speakers. Shouts of laughter burst from my mouth as I heard my friend startle awake and scream. This is what I think of when I hear the term horsing around used in conversation. The phrase conjures up images of grade school shenanigans, good-natured pranks, and April Fools Day. It is not normally used to talk about rape. According to Pennsylvania State University (PSU) athletic director Tim Curley, this is how graduate assistant Mike McQuery, described what happened between a naked child and Jerry Sandusky in a locker room shower (Sandusky Grand Jury Report, 2011). My focus here is the misuse of power and the message that is being sent about Americas values and the use of athletics for financial gain as our nation handles charges of sexual assault and allegations of a cover-up. Sandusky alone must be held accountable for any alleged sex acts and I will reserve judgment against Sandusky until December, when all sides have been presented and the judicial process has been upheld in a court of law. However, measures could have been taken to prevent additional actions from continuing and the men who failed to take these measures should be held accountable. On March 1, 2002, McQuery entered the locker room in the Lasch Football Building. At 9:30pm, he heard sounds from the shower that he believed to be those of sexual activity (Sandusky Grand Jury Report, 2011, para. 13) and saw Sandusky engaging in sexual conduct with a boy he thought to be around ten years old. Both Sandusky and the boy witnessed McQuery. McQuery left the locker room and called his father, who advised McQuery to come

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home and waited until the following day to report what was seen to head coach, Joe Paterno (Sandusky Grand Jury Report, 2011). McQuery was a nonresponsive bystander, which can be defined as an individual who remains passive while witnessing a crime (Porpora, n.d.). Rational, psychological, cultural, and social structural factors may have contributed to his inaction (Porpora, n.d.). I believe that McQuery rationally weighed the benefits of protecting the victim against the cost of action to himself. He may have been afraid to speak out against the former defensive coordinator due to the power Sanduskys reputation afforded him. 60% of all sexual assaults go unreported and as such, it is one of the most underreported crimes (RAINN, 2009). I feel that McQuery should have immediately intervened on the childs behalf and then reported the crime to the police and proper authorities. Paterno waited another full day before informing Curley and senior vice president of business and finance, Gary Schultz. Legally, he followed protocol and is not being charged of any wrongdoing in court. However, as a leader and crusader of moral values, scholastic achievement, and high graduation rates for his players (Solomon, 2011, para. 2), one must wonder whether he did enough to positively influence the outcome of the situation. Albert Yates, a former Colorado State University president, says, People in positions of power, authority, and responsibility incur an awesome obligation to others- an obligation that must be acknowledged and accommodated (2006, p.112). Paterno failed to fulfill this obligation when he simply informed Curley and Schultz without bothering to follow up. He has since issued a statement urging Penn Staters to continue to trust in what the name represents (as cited in Solomon, 2011, para. 12). That makes me question what the PSU name does represent and whether four hundred and nine victories were worth it.

PENN STATE SCANDAL Curley brought this information to the executive director of the Second Mile

organization, which Sandusky founded in 1997. Sanducky was banned from bringing youth onto the campus (Sandusky Grand Jury Report, 2011), which to me signifies the unwillingness of PSU to bear any responsibility for the alleged assault. I feel that this sent a message that Sandusky could do what he wanted as long as PSU did not have to deal with the mess. Curley chose not to speak with any police agencies about the alleged incident but notified president Graham Spanier. It has also come to light that in 1998, university police became aware of sexual acts involving minors firsthand and never pressed charges (Wolverton, 2011). Alison Kiss, the executive director of Security on Campus, a national watchdog organization based in Wayne, Pa., says that when a university culture demands silence, the campus police come under great pressure to follow suit whether or not they become involved (as cited in Bernstein, 2011). Attorneys representing Curley and Schultz are currently denying any wrongdoing even though Pennsylvanias Child Protective Services Law states otherwise (Sandusky Grand Jury Report, 2011). Finally, Spanier must accept some responsibility for sitting on this knowledge for nine years without holding any of the parties accountable. Rather than attempting to correct the past, Spanier has made one statement offering Curley and Schultz unconditional support hav[ing] complete confidence in how they have handled the allegations (CBSSports.com, 2011, para. 3). Since then, he has grown strangely silent. Farrington states, In an event of any kind of magnitude, there really is no substitute for the president in terms of setting the tone and stating clearly the values and principles that are involved (2006, p. 61). I feel that Spanier sent a message that the institution and athletics department would be protected regardless of the cost while vulnerable children became more and more powerless. According to Howard Bryant, a

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columnist for ESPN.com, the response focused not around the children who most needed the adults to be grown-ups, but around protecting the power (as cited in Wolverton, 2011, para. 38). Institutions are being valued over human beings (Whitlock, 2011, para. 3). When delving into the reasons surrounding why the sexual assaults may have been allowed to continue, one must think about what these men were protecting. In my opinion, the scandal began when PSU began focusing on its football program and a legendary coach rather than the well being of students and community members. The institution is important because corporations offer money and benefit financially from the success of college athletes (Branch, 2011). Chris Dufresne, writer for Los Angeles Times Sports, argues, There's a lot more money at stake now and the games are in HD. There are television contracts and football is a huge revenue producer (2011, para. 17). These gains overshadowed the events that may have taken place and have replaced the symbolism and ideals that Paterno and PSU were said to represent. According to Kiss, Paternos failure to take further action in the Sandusky case did not surprise her. For years, she has dealt with complaints of sexual assault against football players at big sports schools. In many of these cases, disciplinary result is often a brief suspension or probation, rather than expulsion (as cited in Bernstein, 2011). As a further result, the focus of the investigation has been entirely lost and shifted to Paternos dismissal and what it may mean for the remaining football season. Shannon Ritter, who works in undergraduate admissions and recruitment for Penn States School of Theatre, says that media coverage has greatly escalated the furor by making the story about Paterno and not Sandusky (as cited in Grasgreen, 2011). The media and many citizens are choosing to view upholding justice as synonymous with taking down PSU and its football team, although some speculate that students are protesting a loss of community as two leaders have been forced to step

PENN STATE SCANDAL down (Grasgreen, 2011).

The university can only choose to move forward from this tragic mishandling of events. I believe the Board of Trustees has taken an appropriate first step in firing Paterno and Spanier in order to show the ethical consequences that educational leaders face. I believe the next step lies in acknowledging to the victims and their families that these events may have occurred. Third, counseling and support should be offered to the students, staff, and community members to come to terms with these events and learn from them. Ritter states that she is focusing on positive outcomes like students holding vigils for the alleged victims, faculty throwing out their lectures so that students can ask questions about whats going on, [and] campus organizations sending out e-mails saying where people can go to talk (as cited in Grasgreen, 2011, para. 11). Students need an outlet to reconcile their emotions and resentment towards Paterno and also question their duty and moral obligations as citizens (Grasgreen, 2011). Lastly, as new legislation moves forward regarding the mandatory reporter law (Friedman, as cited in CNN, 2011, para. 19), staff members need to be educated and versed in using correct procedures to prevent misconduct in the future.

References

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Barker, J. F. (2006). A response to President Dubois essay: Clemson and South Carolinas Confederate Flag Controversy. In D. Brown (Ed.), University Presidents as Moral Leaders (63-65). Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Bernstein, N. (2011). On campus, a law enforcement system to itself. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/12/us/on-college-campuses-athletes-often-get-offeasy.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 Branch, T. (2011). The shame of college sports. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1969/12/the-shame-of-college-sports/8643/ CNN. (2011). Pennsylvanias governor: Change law after Penn State scandal. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/13/justice/pennsylvania-coach-abuse/?hpt=hp_t1 Dufresene, C. (2011). Penn State scandal is major topic of inquiries among readers. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-1112-dufresne-mailbag20111112,0,5992487.column?page=1 Farrington, G.C (2006). The importance of values and principles: A response to President Dubois essay. In D. Brown (Ed.), University Presidents as Moral Leaders (59-62). Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Grasgreen, A. (2011). Reflecting on a riot. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/11/11/experts-analyze-riot-penn-state John, E. & Rice, T. (1994). Circle of Life [Recorded by Carmen Twillie & Lebo M]. On the Lion King [CD]. Santa Monica, California: BOP Recording Studios. (1993). Porpora, D.V. (n.d.). Genocide and crimes against humanity. Retrieved from http://www.enotes.com/genocide-encyclopedia/bystanders Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. (2009). Reporting rates. Retrieved from

PENN STATE SCANDAL http://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/reporting-rates Solomon, M. (2011). Penn State scandal: The story so far. Retrieved from

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/09/penn-state-joe-paterno-jerry-sandusky Spanier, G. (2011). Penn State president Spanier releases statement. Retrieved from http://eye-on-collegefootball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/24156338/33115448 Thirty-Third Investigating Grand Jury. (2011). Jerry Sandusky grand jury report. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/documents/sandusky-grand-juryreport11052011.html Whitlock, J. (2011). Penn St. scandal should force Paterno out. Retrieved from http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/Jason-Whitlock-Penn-State-sex-scandalJerry-Sandusky-blame-Joe-Paterno-Nittany-Lions-110711 Wolverton, B. (2011, November 18). Penn State begins painful struggle to recover from scandal. The Chronicle of Higher Education, pp. A1, A3, A4, A6. Yates, A.C. (2006). Virtue and leadership: Good leaders must first be good people. In D. Brown (Ed.), University Presidents as Moral Leaders (107-123). Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.