PSU on trial: Forget Paterno; let the trustees do their jobs

Many of the alumni calling for change in Penn State's board of trustees are doing so because they're upset over the firing of Joe Paterno.

They need a refresher course in why the legendary coach had to go, but that doesn't mean the board doesn't need its own attitude adjustment.

Let's deal first with Mr. Paterno. When his longtime assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, was charged with sexually abusing boys whom he brought to Penn State functions and university facilities, it drew attention to a football program where employees were afraid to speak up about misdeeds. Mr. Paterno was at the top of that hierarchy and had been for generations.

When young assistant coach Mike McQueary went to Mr. Paterno with details of an assault he said he'd witnessed in a university shower, he was reluctant to get into graphic sexual details out of respect for Mr. Paterno.

In a wide-ranging interview published in Saturday's Washington Post, Mr. Paterno said he didn't know what to do other than forward the report to university officials. He said he'd been reluctant to inquire further for fear of appearing to throw his weight around.

His power -- perceived or otherwise -- had grown beyond his ability to exercise and control it for good.

Penn State needed a change and the university's reputation would have suffered all the more if it had allowed its beloved, longtime coach to remain at the helm through the season or beyond. In removing him and forcing a resignation from former university president Graham Spanier, the trustees acted in Penn State's best interest.

Could the trustees have moved sooner? Perhaps. Last week, Penn State's new president, Rodney Erickson, said Mr. Spanier had briefed the board about the grand jury investigation of Mr. Sandusky months before his arrest. Still, it's not known how much detail they had at that time.

Once Mr. Sandusky and two other administrators were charged, the trustees wasted no time making changes in the offices of president and head football coach, as they should have.

Going forward, they must demand that university administrators conduct a thorough investigation into what was known or done in response to allegations against Mr. Sandusky, and they must disclose the results.

This will mean a change in the approach of a university that has been all too willing to hide behind its exemption from the state's open records law and its quasi-public status. The best that Penn State alumni can do is give the current board leaders a chance to prove they are up to the task.

First published on January 18, 2012 at 12:00 am

Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12018/1204118-192.stm?cmpid=opinion.xml

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