Health & Fitness
Why Does the Association Between Disgraced Graham Spanier and Penn State University Continue?
It is Long Past Time for Penn State University to Cut Loose Its Disgraced (and Rich) Former President
Penn State University Rodney Erickson has taken many highly visible steps in laudable efforts to move the institution past the horror that was inflicted on it by monster Jerry Sandusky and others in positions of authority and trust.
One area in which Erickson has a blind spot is the University's association with disgraced former President and State College titan and mogul Graham Spanier.
It did not require the mind of a brilliant person to conclude that from the time of Sandusky's indictment, and particularly after the comprehensive and damaging Freeh report, that Spanier was in line to be criminally charged. Despite this, the president was permitted to "resign", then to become an inactive, but tenured faculty member. Even now, in the face of his indictment, he is classified simply as being "on leave".
Placing on leave the individual that is responsible for steering the institution into a gigantic iceberg is interesting and confounding, given its contrast to the status of former Coach Mike McQueary. McQueary, one of the few individuals who took at least a small step to do the right thing by reporting Sandusky's actions, was "rewarded" by being notified that his contract would not be renewed, permanently severing ties.
Adding to public suspicion of the University is McQueary's lawsuit allegation that the school paid for the legal defense of accused felons Curley and Schultz while letting McQueary hang out to dry.
Why has President Erickson not been willing to end the love affair between the University and Graham Spanier once and for all? Spanier took the University and the students to the cleaners, sucking resources dry to become one of the richest men in the region as he received at the end of his period of service a compensation package worth close to one million dollars per year. He should not continue to derive any benefit or prestige by virtue of a continuing relationship with the University of any sort. How could this pariah ever return to position of stature at Penn State, and without regard to the final disposition of the grave criminal charges lodged, how could the school ever permit him to do so?
