Pennsylvania State University used to represent the pinnacle of morality in college athletics. In an instant, that illusion shattered into a million pieces. Joe Paterno, head coach of a football dynasty, was unceremoniously fired by a late-night phone call. The university’s president was forced to resign. Several administrators face perjury charges all because these men exhibited gross indifference toward former coach Jerry Sandusky, who allegedly used his authority to abuse countless children.
This negligence underlies a point that has been lost amidst all of the chaos — namely the diffusion of responsibility by everyone involved. Some people, such as assistant coach Mike McQueary and Paterno, attempted to absolve themselves of responsibility by reporting to their superiors and subsequently pleading ignorance. Others, such as Tim Curley, the athletic director, and Gary Schultz, a university vice president, attempted to deny wrongdoing by claiming the information they received didn’t implicate Sandusky in a crime. The actions of all of these men are reprehensible. All of these men indirectly condoned the alleged sexual abuse and rape of underage boys. In not reporting the alleged abuse to the police, they enabled Sandusky to continue this behavior, unhindered, for almost nine years. Regardless of their legal culpability, these men all are guilty of violating basic tenets of human morality.
It’s easy to look at the actions perpetrated by PSU students and write them off as childish and immature. After all, how insensitive must a person be to care more about the firing of a football coach than the heinous acts committed by a man who used his position to allegedly sexually abuse countless at-risk children?
PSU’s head coach, once considered infallible, failed in his moral responsibility to protect these children. The university failed in its legal responsibility to report Sandusky to the police. This community has been rocked to its foundations, and students have discovered the trust they put in a revered leader and respected administration was sorely misplaced.
With their belief systems so thoroughly shaken, how can students feel safe in a community whose supposed leaders turned a blind eye to one of the most heinous acts a person can commit? How can they trust the university to preserve safety and well-being when the same people value the reputation of a football coach over the safety of young children? With all of this turmoil, students need an outlet to voice concern and anger. Paterno’s firing was an obvious rallying point, as he selfishly played the part of a guiltless old man being unjustly punished by an administration wrongly trying to diffuse some responsibility to him.
Stop passing judgment on the Penn State students. Blaming them ignores the underlying issues that led to this unrest and only serves to further shift responsibility from the people who are truly to blame. Can anyone really say students at any other university would have reacted differently?
Nathan Pasmanter, mathematics junior
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