Penn State abuse case hits home on campus

joe paterno, Joseph Marlitt, penn state, sexual abuse, Sports - By Joseph Marlitt on Thursday, November 17, 2011 - 04:16

The Jerry Sandusky case has taken the sports world by storm, as one of the most well regarded coaches in college football, Joe Paterno, resigned after Sandusky was indicted on sexual abuse charges against underage children. Paterno was the longest tenured head coach in college football and had served as the Penn State head coach for 45 years and was the all-time leader in wins in Division-I football with 409. He is the only coach to reach the 400-win mark. Whittier students have been thinking on the subject as well.

“I mean obviously if true it is a tragic scenario,” junior Eddie Beckerman said. “I think it is tragic, as a sports fan for the school and for college football in general. Coaches were always my best friends in highschool so I can imagine the trauma of the situation for everyone involved.”

For some it has shaken the fabric of trust that is usually associated with the education community, those that work hand-in-hand with students. But some others are not very convinced that such a rare incident really has an effect on our lives.

“I think it has been blown way out of proportion,” sophomore Simon Dzhaparidze said. “I mean it is an important subject but it really has little real effect on our lives.”

As the events unfold regarding the trial of accused the sex offender and former Penn State Assistant Coach Jerry Sandusky, college students and football fans alike are seeking answers to the scandal. Celebrities such as Sarah Palin have called for Sandusky to “hang from the highest tree” during a Fox News interview were he to be found guilty of molesting children that attended his non-profit foundation, The Second Mile.

The foundation was created to help nurse children that had been subjects of abuse, complicating the allegations of sexual abuse that now swirl around Sandusky. On Saturday, Nov. 5th Sandusky was arrested after a grand jury had indicted him on more than 40 accounts of sexual abuse from 1994-2009. The indict-ment includes statements by a former graduate assistant Mike McQueary who says he witnessed Sandusky sodomizing a young boy in the showers on the campus of Penn State. McQueary claims to have told Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz, both of who were fired by the university after they were charged with not coming forward to the police with the incident.

“I think that it is terrible that it happened and that people at the college didn’t do more to stop it,” Beckerman said. “They were some of the most trusted people on campus so obviously it is a glimpse at some of the worst sides of people.”

Penn State released a statement regarding the incident saying, “Penn State has always strived for honesty, integrity and the highest moral standards in all of its programs. We will not tolerate any violation of these principles.”

While the incident is certainly uncommon, it does bring up the debate over the effectiveness of self-regulation within college sports.