Perhaps now Americans can look at colleges and money and get the priorities straight again. A small boy was raped by the Assistant Football Coach at Penn State and report of it did not involve removal of the perpetrator or garner safety for that boy and countless others after that.
The rich and the powerful on college campuses are the athletic directors and coaches. At a time when academic departments are cutting staff and slashing programs, many athletic programs around the country are actually growing – even in the smaller, less known sports. The name of the game is compete to win.
No eight year-old boy was important enough to stand in the way of one of the nation’s most successful teams. The late father of a wealthy girl who married a friend of mine had the tail of his large private plane painted with the Penn State mascot. That is how potent the fame of that team was among its alumni. This eastern most member of the “big ten” was raking in the money for its stellar football team.
The U.S. Department of Education said it will launch an investigation into whether Penn State failed to comply with an act requiring colleges and universities to disclose the number of reported criminal incidents on campus each year. “In addition, in certain cases, the institution must issue a timely warning if a reported crime represents a threat to the campus community,” it said in a statement.
“If these allegations of sexual abuse are true then this is a horrible tragedy for those young boys. If it turns out that some people at the school knew of the abuse and did nothing or covered it up, that makes it even worse,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a statement. “Schools and school officials have a legal and moral responsibility to protect children and young people from violence and abuse.” [NY Times]
Penn State is one of our finest institutions of higher education. What do these unholy events happening there say about us as a people – as a society – as a nation? They are reprehensible. As in corporate America, the responsibility should ultimately rest with the president.
James Crawford
November 13, 2011
I’ve always wondered what causes grown men to become so emotionally invested in watching other, bigger, brawnier, talented men play with balls. The revelation that Penn State was able ton raise such massive donations by pimping you boys to wealthy male donors that they would enable the pedophilia certainly confirms my low opinion of the entire professional and collegiate sports fetish.
Perhaps doing away with college sports, or al least the big money makers, might enable the colleges to refocus on teaching useful skills to students such as Science and engineering.
blackwatertown
November 24, 2011
Perhaps college sport will unravel like the priesthood of the Irish Catholic church?