As an alumni and child welfare worker, this situation really hits home for me. The general public has no idea about Paterno's actual "role" in everything. As a mandated reoprter in academia (which is different than any other mandated reoprting), they are supposed inform their administrators and it is up to the administrators to take action by contacting the appropriate government agency. PATERNO REPORTED IT, AS HE KNEW HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO, to his athletic director, somewhere as it traveled up the chain of command it was dismissed, THE CONSEQUENCE SHOULD NOT FALL ON HIM, rather, it should fall on the administrators that failed to report it to the appropriate government agency. His only other option at the time was to report it himself (but he probably didn't know who the appropriate gvt. agency shold be) and be found insubordinate, by the school administrators for going against school policy regarding mandated reporting. If anyone should have gone against school policy, it should have been McQueary who actually witnessed it. Why isn't he being blamed? Everyone just wants to pick on an 84 year-old man who has done remarkable things for the University. His legacy will forever be tainted. It is sad, very, very sad.
In closing, Penn State is my alma mater and I will always be proud of that, but the sad truth is that abuse of the Sandusky-type goes on all over the place and action doesn't get taken by the administrators. It is a big hype because it is the biggest school in the sate. Laws need to change regarding mandated reporting in the academic realm.. A faculty or staff member should never be afraid to lose their job for reporting to the appropriate government agencies directly (when their administrators don't) when there are children at risk....
Just for the record Paterno was 75 years old when this was brought to his attention. Then he stood next to a child raper [Sandusky]afterwards.....his image / legacy would have been great if he stepped down years ago!
When you do NOTHING! You condone this behavior. He knew his buddy Sandusky like doing bad thing to yooung kids and continue to hang around him, support him, etc. What is wrong with you? Paterno screwed-up MAJOR and now his is receiving the consequences of his actions. It is always easier to place BLAME on someone else when thing go BAD. It takes a real MAN to own up to his mistakes...Paterno has NOT done that! Lack of TRUE CHARACTER!
So you're good with keeping quiet and allowing the rape of kids to go on without ceasing... and Paterno should be proud of being part of that cover-up?
Ok... do you feel the same way about the Catholic Priests who transferred child molesters instead of having them prosecuted? because it was a higher-ups decision that cover-up was perfectly reasonable and only one or two people ever should have been in trouble and not he whole organization?
Or is it just that this is different because you like football?
He might have lost his job; so he close to keep his job and allow a child rapist to keep a position to rape more kids... and you're good with this?
Well I guess letting kids get raped is a small price to pay to keep a job... how many kids would you let be raped to keep your job?
Oh well, this sort of thing happens everywhere as you say? Then how many kids have YOU ALLOWED raped to keep your job? I mean this happens all the time and it wouldn't be your fault, right?
Thank you for your comments concerning the blaming of Joe Paterno in the Sandusky sexual abuse scandal! I am associated with another major U.S. University and know about the Chain-Of-Command you must follow in reporting sexual abuse incidents. You DO NOT step outside that chain of command! To do so, would be signing your firing papers! If he had gone to the police, and subsequently been fired, what good would it have done? Because of the Penn State School Board's lack of action, at the time Paterno went to them, I am sure they would have covered up any report against Sandusky. After all, if the abuse of these young boys had been more important to the School Board than the school's reputation they would have alerted the police. THAT WAS THE PENN STATE SCHOOL BOARD'S RESPONSIBILITY! Instead, the Board of Trustees are now willing to ruin the reputation of an 84 year old man in order to cover up their wrong doing! All I can say is SHAME ON YOU PENN STATE BOARD OF TRUSTEES! I, for one, have lost respect for Penn State and will NEVER look at the University the same way again!
Cyndie Yocham your part of the problem. You worry about a job over some child or some who cannot defend themselves. Obviously you probably take the easy road whereever you go! Watch the movie "A FEW GOOD MEN" see what it is like when you are afraid of do the RIGHT THING! GOOD LUCK staying in your SHELL!
how very accurate you are. Joe P. is a very caring and moral person as is evident by his players. I don't see how he could be held responsible at all. Seems like a witch hunt. How about the DA at the time who heard the conversations with Sandusky and the complaining parent and dismissed the case. seems like this was eethe root of it and could have been the end of it. Perhaps he should be arrested. Also, these were not Penn State students, as I believe some people may have that impression based on some of the media headlines. The three people who have been arrested deserve it. Paterno should not be victimized.
I hope you are not really a child welfare worker; you appear to be unwilling to stand for abused children.
For those who say that academics are at risk for going outside the chain of command, you are wrong. Freedom to speak one's mind is part of academic freedom, and is protected by tenure. I have been in academics for over 40 years. To claim one puts one's job at risk by going outside the chain of command indicates to me that you are not, in fact, in academics. Especially in this case, as Sandusky was not a University employee and the victim was not a university student at the time of the rape. Given McQueary did not call 911 when he witnessed the crime and didn't tell anyone till the next day, going through the chain of command was not inappropriate...but not going outside of the chain of command when nothing was done was a failure on every single level. Those who did not report this violated standards of human decency, violated their position of trust, violated their obligation to stand for the core values of the institution, and violated their obligation to the People of Pennsylvania...who, by the say, pay their salaries. The "chain of command" is NOT Penn State, and it is not sacred...either at Penn STate or at any other reputabel institution.
If the head football coach, athletic director, one of the vp's, and the president of the university are being held accountable, then why not others including the board of trustees? For more than a decade the board did not know? I find that hard to believe. They are just as accountable as the 4 listed above. The students and alumni of the pennsylvania state university, instead of just random acts of rioting, should unify around removing the board of trustees. If they're going to clean house at PSU, then they should clean house. The board members NEED TO GO AS WELL.
Firing Joe with a phone call in the middle of the night like they did will now and forever make the name Paterno synonymous with "child molester". That's just wrong.
The actions of the Penn State Board of Trustees gives the appearance that Joe is the head master of some pedophile sex ring when we all now that every level of administration responsible for handling these matters who did nothing is to blame and should be terminated immediately. I would like would know who on the board of trustees knew about this and did nothing. Joe acted appropriately and did what any teacher would do in the same situation - report the incident through the proper channels and to his superiors. Without first hand knowledge as in witnessing the assault what more could Joe have done? What would him calling the police at that juncture have done? Mike McQueary witnesses the rape, calls his dad, goes home, and reports what he saw to Joe the next day. Higher levels of the administration are solely to blame for not acting in a timely and appropriate manner - it was their job. They make Joe the goat in the end to save their own tails, protect their jobs. They fire him with a phone call expecing him to act as a janitor policing the restrooms. The Board of Trustess have turned this into a Paterno problem instead of and rightly so a Penn State problem (which we all know it is) without giving the man an opportunity say to his side of the story and without the benefit of an investigation to allow him to leave with dignity. Nobody questions the atrocity of what happened to the victims, but making Paterno a victim as well is disingenuious to everyone.
I am a little disturbed by your comment Cjames375. Most crimes, especially ones as heinous as rape/child molestation, don't have witnesses. Criminals that commit these types of violations don't like to be bothered with pesky witnesses that could possibly testify against them, in case you didn't know. Joe did follow the legal chain of command, but what about the moral responsibility, as an educator/mentor, to ensure that his complaint was handled properly? If one of the victims had been your son, would Joe's actions be enough? Would you stand by your comment that Joe did everything possible. Probably not. McQueary should be fired as well! How do you witness the rape of a child and not alert the police? But I guess you are okay with McQueary's handling of the situation too, because at least he told his dad. Then he went home and got comfy cozy under his sheets and had great nights sleep!
I am disturbed by Chasbery's comment. Paterno did what he was supposed to do. The administrators did not. How dare YOU be the judge, jury and executioner chasbery.
There was absolutely no reason to fire Paterno. He did not commit the sexual crimes. What is wrong with you people that you can not see this? Disgusting lynch mob tactics always backfire. Be careful lynch mob. The next person will probably be YOU in the hot seat and then YOU'LL wish that Americans would honor our ideal of due process of law.
L.A. CA...Get a Clue! He supported a Pedophile, this has been going on since 1994...Your wonderful JOE PATERNO was his boss! JOE put his friend, employee, winning - ahead of Childern's Wellbeing! He is old enough to no right from wrong and he was WRONG and is paying minimumly for the DAMAGE that was created. He did not physically harm the childern, but he let it happen and continue - an enabler. He is SELF-CENTERED and is not going to change...So BYE-BYE...Finally, someone is doing something about he injustice.
Paterno has shown he true self, an honorable man would have banned Sandusky from the campus and went to the police. Paterno, was the boss at Penn State, he could have stopped that repugnant activity with just a word.
For SEVEN years, Joe Pa stood on the sidelines next to Sandusky, as he surrounded himself with children, knowing that the man was a predator and did nothing.
I'm glad he's gone but is that true. The first time Sandusky's prediliction reared it's ugly head was in 1998. For some reason just after that, Sandusky was gone right at the height of his career to become unemployed. It'll be interesting to find out who knew what when but it sure looks like once he found out about Sandusky, he siimply banished him from the team but blythely let him carry on with his awful conduct.
There is a reason America is different from an anarchistic third world country: due process. Joe Paterno has done enough good for some many people for so many years, that he at least deserved that.
If he ends up charged with a crime or named in a civil suit, he'll get due process. He was not fired for committing a crime, he was fired for not living up to professional performance that is expected from a powerful, well-paid, long-term university employee. He did not stand for the child, for the University, or for the People of Pennsylvania; he did not stand for the core values of an educational institution. And so, they are within their right to sever the connection. And if he doesn't like it...due process in a University means he can file a grievance.
I'm sure there are individuals at Penn State who did not follow through as they should have. I believe blaming those who acted appropriately, like Joe Paterno, is as despicable, on the part of the board, as the original crime of the highest administrator not following through to stop the abuse. Head hunting down the ranks for scapegoats speaks volumes about the boards lack of understanding about how not following "chain of command" can lead to career suicide. The "chain" is in place to insure issues are handled appropriately by administrators who should know what is right. When issues are not "handled" correctly, blame those who were hired to deal with this level of issue.
AAAAAAMEN! AAAAAMEN!! AMEN!!! This is exactly what the general public doesn't realize and needs to!!! The Mandated reporting laws NEED TO CHANGE!! Stop picking on the old man! Why didn't McQeary report it??!! HE IS THE WITNESS, not Paterno!!!!
You are wrong. As an academic, I am absolutely sure the chain of command is no where near as powerful as you make it out to be. Further, as one of the longest term, highest ranking, and highest paid faculty members at Penn State, Paterno was near the top of the chain of command. And notice...the President is gone, too. Neither stood for the University, or for the People of Pennsylvania.
If you see someone take a pencil you might look the other way, but if you know of a sexual deviant your only action: REPORT IT to the proper authorities. (LAW ENFORCEMENT)
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In closing, Penn State is my alma mater and I will always be proud of that, but the sad truth is that abuse of the Sandusky-type goes on all over the place and action doesn't get taken by the administrators. It is a big hype because it is the biggest school in the sate. Laws need to change regarding mandated reporting in the academic realm.. A faculty or staff member should never be afraid to lose their job for reporting to the appropriate government agencies directly (when their administrators don't) when there are children at risk....
Ok... do you feel the same way about the Catholic Priests who transferred child molesters instead of having them prosecuted? because it was a higher-ups decision that cover-up was perfectly reasonable and only one or two people ever should have been in trouble and not he whole organization?
Or is it just that this is different because you like football?
He might have lost his job; so he close to keep his job and allow a child rapist to keep a position to rape more kids... and you're good with this?
Well I guess letting kids get raped is a small price to pay to keep a job... how many kids would you let be raped to keep your job?
Oh well, this sort of thing happens everywhere as you say? Then how many kids have YOU ALLOWED raped to keep your job? I mean this happens all the time and it wouldn't be your fault, right?
So how many?
For those who say that academics are at risk for going outside the chain of command, you are wrong. Freedom to speak one's mind is part of academic freedom, and is protected by tenure. I have been in academics for over 40 years. To claim one puts one's job at risk by going outside the chain of command indicates to me that you are not, in fact, in academics. Especially in this case, as Sandusky was not a University employee and the victim was not a university student at the time of the rape. Given McQueary did not call 911 when he witnessed the crime and didn't tell anyone till the next day, going through the chain of command was not inappropriate...but not going outside of the chain of command when nothing was done was a failure on every single level. Those who did not report this violated standards of human decency, violated their position of trust, violated their obligation to stand for the core values of the institution, and violated their obligation to the People of Pennsylvania...who, by the say, pay their salaries. The "chain of command" is NOT Penn State, and it is not sacred...either at Penn STate or at any other reputabel institution.
There was absolutely no reason to fire Paterno. He did not commit the sexual crimes. What is wrong with you people that you can not see this? Disgusting lynch mob tactics always backfire. Be careful lynch mob. The next person will probably be YOU in the hot seat and then YOU'LL wish that Americans would honor our ideal of due process of law.
Scum.
A farewell to bad rubbish.
You're sick.