Staff Editorial: Crisis at Penn State

One of the nation's most notable universities has found itself in the midst of serious controversy over the last week.

At Penn State, a sexual abuse scandal that is more than a decade in the making has led to the firings of both the University president and the legendary football coach. The outcome sparked a strong reaction among students, many of whom proceeded to riot and protest.

According to The New York Times' timeline of events, the scandal began to unfold on Nov. 5 when Jerry Sandusky, the Penn State football team's ex-defensive coordinator was arrested and charged with the sexual abuse of as many as eight boys over a 15-year time frame, beginning as early as 1996. Sandusky had founded an organization for underprivileged children called Second Mile.

He often brought the children to Penn State's campus and allowed them behind-the-scenes access to the university's famous football scene.

In May 1999, amid allegations of sexual abuse that ultimately weren't pursued, head football coach Joe Paterno told Sandusky that, contrary to what the plan had apparently been, he would not be hired as the next head coach of the team. Sandusky later retired from his position, but maintained an office in the athletics department and access to the locker rooms.

On two separate occasions after Sandusky's retirement, a janitor and a graduate student reported seeing him sexually abusing victims in the locker room shower. The janitor told a fellow employee what he had witnessed, but no report was filed.

The graduate student told head coach Joe Paterno, who told the athletic director and university officials, who ultimately told the graduate student that they would investigate. No thanks to university officials, an investigation began in 2009 when one of Sandusky's victims told the police.

After the scandal emerged, Coach Paterno announced that he would retire at the end of the school year. However, university officials made the decision for him by terminating his employment, sending the campus into an uproar. Many students toppled news vans and protested Paterno's firing because they believed that he was being made into the scapegoat for a crime that Sandusky committed.

They objected to the destruction of Paterno's 62-year legacy of powerhouse Penn State football. Other students held candlelight vigils in honor of the sexual abuse victims.

Clearly, the people of Penn State have dropped much more than the football here. Every student who is disgusted over the possible damage to their football record needs to worry more about their humanitarian and administrative one. Every single "W" they obtained while a child was being raped under their watch is really a loss times infinity.

While Paterno may not have been the one to actually sexually abuse the children, he did not do everything in his power to investigate or stop the abuse. Instead, he simply distanced himself from the problem by not choosing not to promote Sandusky.

Adults played a dangerous game of telephone with children's fates, passing the message along to everyone except the police and the people who could actually do something to help them.

Our View: The tragedy at Penn State is a shameful example of what happens when people do not take an active stance against wrongdoing.