A Thank You Letter to the Board of Trustees

– especially for those of you who will soon be leaving….

Thank You – For demonstrating how your lack of understanding of human nature and underestimation of alumni loyalty led to the organization of alumni groups willing to challenge you and unlike all of you, willing to fight for the reputation of this university. 

Thank You – For your complete lack of regard/lack of protection for the young athletes at Penn State. By signing/agreeing to a ludicrous NCAA consent decree, you allowed the football team to be punished for whatever mistakes were made by adults. You allowed coaches from other universities to come to our campus and with promises of “being able to go to a bowl game” lured or attempted to lure athletes to universities with weak or weaker academic records. 

Thank You – For showing the world that deceit, obfuscation and slight of hand will not work. By stating that if sanctions were not accepted, the result would be the “death penalty.” You believed that you had a rationale to force alumni to swallow a bitter pill. Instead you found out that Penn State alumni and their friends, well almost anyone outside the BOT, were not willing to accept your convoluted rationale. 

Thank You – For demonstrating the true meaning of the word “cowardice.” Although there are numerous examples, one will make the point. One anonymous bully with an airplane either forced you or gave you an excuse to take down the statue of the man who contributed so much to this university. 

Thank You- For pulling together the Nittany Nation. 
Thank You- For allowing us the opportunity to right these wrongs. 
Thank You- You won’t lead on the Clemente Report but we will. 
And we, the Alumni, along with the students, parents and friends of this university, will once again show the world, the meaning of the phrase WE ARE PENN STATE. 

And by the way – we are voting in record numbers.

-by Deborah Beidel

A Tale of Two Suheys (with apologies to Charles Dickens)

It was the best of times,
In 1948, Penn State was to play in the Cotton Bowl against Southern Methodist University.

it was the worst of times,
In 2011, Penn State was rocked by the disclosure of the actions of a former football coach.

it was the age of wisdom,
Wally Triplett, one of only twenty black students at Penn State, was the football team’s first black starter.

it was the age of foolishness,
The Board of Trustees cannot figure out how to arrange a meeting with its head football coach.

it was the epoch of belief,
SMU wanted to meet with Penn State to ask the team not to bring its black players.

it was the epoch of incredulity,
A football coach of 61 years is fired late at night via a one sentence telephone call.

it was the season of Light,
“We are Penn State” Football Team Captain Steve Suhey said. “There will be no meetings.”

it was the season of Darkness,
“We did not fire Joe Paterno” Trustee/Football Letterman Paul Suhey said. “We only retired him three weeks early.”

it will be the spring of hope,
The Alumni rise up and retire Paul Suhey. Steve Suhey’s words ring out over Happy Valley.

or

it will the winter of despair
Apathy, dissention, and vote splitting occur. Paul Suhey’s re-election is the death knell for Penn State.

VOTE. AND COMMIT TO GETTING 5 OTHER PENN STATE ALUMNI TO VOTE TOO.

-by Deborah Beidel

We are “Penn State”

We are: “Penn State:”

The “We are” are two words that are used as the initial trigger words that start that proud chant we shout out many times when we are at various sports events or in a crowd of our peer’s somewhere.

This reaction is there because they mean so much to us, and possibly now more than ever. Maybe now for what has transpired over the last several months, we should reflect on them a little more as we try and cope with this whole tragic scenario of blame we are presently going through.

We have really changed or evolved over the last several months, as we have come closer together, we have bonded under a travesty of injustice, the likes of which no University or College has ever experienced before, and hopefully will never have to go through again.

However these changes we are experiencing will never allow us to forget the Victims in this tragedy as they are a major focus for all of our future efforts.

Yet it is hard to understand, to fathom, to experience an injustice of this magnitude against so many young people as well as fans, faculty, alumni, and the many stakeholders, who have had absolutely no part in any of this ongoing saga.

Within this whole tragedy, and the change it carries with it, we still maintain all of our core values, all the elements and pieces are still there, the pride, the passion for what is right, that foster character and integrity in all that we do, aligned around a dignity that displays itself through the honor of being true to our belief’s, and what is important to us.

If we think about it, we are really going through an extension for what was started as the “Grand Experiment,” maybe changing from what was an experiment, to what has evolved into becoming a way of life, that seems to manifested itself through a “Love” of teaching and caring of young people, allowing and encouraging them to envision all that they can become though learning, growing, as well as creating an empathy for what surrounds them.

We might have brought aboard some new “Leader’s” in various places and responsibilities, but we still seem to have the fire and passion that exemplifies the “Icon”, who is now up looking down from above, encouraged by what he sees, thinking “I knew they would keep it going.”

The “We Are” has evolved into a group of apostles for the change we are going through, where our young people have rigorously followed and adapted well for what needs to happen to go forward into this new era.

We need to recognize that we all have a significant opportunity before us, that if we work together we can be an example for how we can take some unwarranted adversity, and change it into meaningful process, that can be the envy of every university in the country, just as the “Grand Experiment” has been.

In this process we are creating some new “Leadership” for these opportunities, as we had when we began the “Grand Experiment” beginning with the football program and Coach O’Brien his staff, as well many of his senior players. It is encouraging to note that they have exemplified the values and principles, as well as the character and conduct for what is required to go forward and address the challenges that are before us.

These opportunities we have in front of us carry with them the responsibility we need to reflect on, with the many others of our great University who are mentoring, coaching as well as teaching, who also have also been an important and integral part of the “Grand Experiment.”

However, in all of this we must also do our part, and because we are “Penn State,” we must support our school and its young people through responsible “Followership.”

Responsible followership carries with it the character and integrity required for influence of responsible Leadership, as well as those that are in stewardship roles and positions.

There is an old quote that says “Life has taught us that love and caring does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction toward opportunities for what is possible.”

It is sort of mind boggling that there are those that cannot not see, or maybe don’t want to see how successful the “Grand Experiment” has been. It has been the envy of the whole academic society, creating the top student athlete graduation rate, as well as being one of the most sought after academic institutions by the business community in the country.

When we think off it, the “Grand Experiment” has built a solid foundation for a total educational and a learning process founded on the concepts, of creating Honor and Pride in all that we do.

“The most important human endeavor is striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only if we face morality in our actions can we give beauty and dignity to those who we have followed in the past, as well as those we follow now.”

Here then is the direction of our opportunities, let us all gab them in our in our thoughts and priorities and run with them.

“Good men prefer to be accountable.”

The real sins and problems of the world come from those that under difficulties and trying times do nothing, we cannot afford to be indifferent, we have a legacy to protect!

Bill Boynton a Penn State Blue Blood

Open Letter to the Penn State Board of Trustees

This letter was featured as an advertisement in the November 16, 2012 Centre Daily Times

The booing that occurred at the Ohio State game when Rodney Erickson and Dave Joyner were introduced at halftime certainly was an emotional display of the lingering sad state of affairs at Penn State.However, it should have enlightened each and every board member as to how Penn State fans, students and alumni alike, feel about the actions of the Administration and the Board over the last year.Make no mistake about it -those boos were also for most of you, too.Those overwhelming and spontaneous sounds of disapproval should have acted as a wake up call to each and every member of the Board that you have been functioning in a vacuum, blocking out the reality of the feelings of a majority of Penn Staters.The members of the Board have helped each other to maintain the misperception that there are just a few individuals or groups of individuals who just cannot “move forward.”I heard more than just a few angry individuals on that Saturday night.

In telling us to “move forward,” you are telling us to completely forget what you have done to destroy that which we hold dear.Believe me; it is not in our nature to stand idly by, while horrific wrongs are committed right before our eyes.You see, you are not asking us to move forward.You are asking us to step aside while you continue the work of justifying your vindictive acts of November 9, 2011.You want us to forget about 61 years of dedication and decency from Joe Paterno and believe that he would jeopardize the well-being of a child.As you are well aware, this is not how he lived his life.You want us to stay silent while we watch our beloved football team, a group of young men who possess courage and maturity beyond their years, suffer the consequences of NCAA sanctions, which you did not have the moral fiber to appeal.You want us to accept and defend the Freeh Report, an incomplete document which was irresponsibly written by a man with questionable integrity and which lacks hard evidence to back up its slanderous claims against good and decent men. You want us to forget a dramatic, nationally televised press conference by Mr. Freeh which does not match the contents of his report, but which sadly serves as the basis by which Penn State is judged by the nation.(By the way, I was present at that press conference.I saw no official representative of Penn State in attendance.As far as I could see, it appeared that Mr. Freeh was allowed to run rampant in his accusations, while tons of television cameras were fixed on him.)

I cannot, and will not move past these injustices.It is not in my nature.I have always defended what is right and worked against that which is not fair.I will not stand down on the issues, which have hurt my fellow Penn Staters and me.You have not comprehended that there are many, thousands of people who feel exactly as I do.You should have defended our University from the very beginning. Do you honestly believe in your heart that anyone at Penn State knowingly covered up for Jerry Sandusky to protect the football program?I believe that Penn State has proudly maintained one of the most balanced, honest football programs in the nation.This has been proven time and time again, and yet the Board of Trustees has allowed the nation to believe otherwise.

I think I can speak for many other Penn Staters when I ask that you begin to take steps to restore dignity to Penn State.A good way to start this process would be to carefully review the Freeh Report and publicly acknowledge its obvious flaws and faulty conclusions.If you do not feel comfortable doing this, then I would recommend that you consider stepping aside and afford someone else the opportunity to do so…for the Glory of Old State.

Ceil Masella – Class of 1972

Letter to the NCAA

PS4RS Member Deborah Casamassa Beidel, PSU Alumna, Class of 1976 wrote the following letter below to the NCAA

Dear NCAA

So, how you doing? Did you watch the Penn State game last Saturday? We were just wondering what you thought about your efforts to destroy a school and a football program based on inaccurate information and the assent of a few individuals who could not find the definition of the word Trustee if they had all the T words in the dictionary handed to them.

There’s going to be a big game on October 27th in State College, PA. We were thinking that you might want to attend. When you get there, go to the side of the stadium where there are some newly planted trees. You won’t have any trouble finding it. There will be a lot of people there honoring a man who had more integrity in the tip of his little finger than you can ever hope to display in your lifetimes. If you like, we’ll put some lawn chairs there for you so you can witness the thousands of people who will come by.

Then we suggest that you go to the entrance where the team will arrive. The first person off the bus will be Bill O’Brien. In case you have not been paying attention, Mr. O’Brien understands that you can honor the past and build a future. He’s lifted up the team and the university by his behavior. He’s known from the beginning that pretending events didn’t happen or that other people did not exist was not a winning strategy.

After the coach, the team will exit the bus. Don’t you dare look any of them in the eye. You don’t deserve that privilege. You tried to destroy this team, you tried to destroy the dreams of these young men who had nothing to do with the events that occurred in Centre County. Remember that expression “There is no I in Team?” You are looking at the definition. Your actions did not break the team – led by their coach and enveloped in the arms of their Penn State community, these young men are a credit to themselves, their families, their coach and their university. To you, they should be a symbol of your ineptitude. You see, it was never about WINNING. Football, like many other activities, teaches life lessons. Among its lessons:

• The whole is always greater than the sum of its parts.
• Hard work and discipline will yield rewards
• Winning is fun but dishonesty is a hollow victory

Once you enter the stadium, which I can assure you will not be half-empty as you had hoped, you will notice the banners that honor the past and celebrate the present. See how that works? Now, you might be a little depressed because the crowd will be spirited and noisy. Oh, and they know how to count – so if you see the number 409, it is not an advertisement for a cleaning product.

In short, we just thought that you might like to Come to Penn State (in the words of Joe Paterno) and see the fruits of your misguided labor. You tried to kill us but you only made us stronger. Perhaps now you can understand the meaning of the words “We Are Penn State.”

Deborah Casamassa Beidel, PSU Alumna, Class of 1976

Letters to Dr. E. Gordon Gee at Ohio State addressing “I’d rather shower at Penn State than……!”

Members of Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship prepared letters to Ohio State University President Dr. E. Gorgan Gee in response to the Ohio State t-shirts and images which read “I’d rather shower at Penn State than root for Michigan!” or “I’d rather shower at Penn State than Cheer for the Wolverines”

A link:http://jezebel.com/5938687/ohio-state-fans-kick-off-football-season-with-horrible-shirt-mocking-penn-state-victims?utm_campaign=socialflow_jezebel_twitter&utm_source=jezebel_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow
The image below is an example of the images that are being distributed.

Letters Encouraging the BoT to Table to Vote on the NCAA Decree

A public BoT meeting is scheduled for Sunday, August 12 at 5pm via conference call. The foundation of this call is a historic decision for Penn State – the board can vote to table the decision on the NCAA consent Decree. A total of 15 votes (there are currently 30 voting members) is needed to table the vote which is the current preferred option. If the Board votes in favor of the NCAA decree, (16 votes) even though they were told this power lies with Dr. Erickson, there would be no legal standing to move forward with the Appeal that Ryan McCombie filed this week.

The following are the letters written to the Board of Trustees to encourage them to Table the vote.

In Response to Karen Peetz

PS4RS Members respond to BoT Chairman Karen Peetz’s message to alumni on July 18, 2012 on the Freeh Report

Dear Ms. Peetz,

I read your recent letter to alumni which says in part, “I am certain that many of you have read or heard about the report’s findings…” Your statement last Thursday that Coach Paterno’s record of service to Penn State has been “marred” indicates to me that you read no more than the findings before you made this irresponsible and, were Coach Paterno still alive, possibly defamatory statement to the news media. This is also not the first but rather the second time you have done something like this; the first was on 11/9 when you joined your colleagues in an equally irresponsible and reckless rush to judgment based on incomplete evidence.

I know that the report was released on the morning of the July 12 meeting, and that neither you nor your colleagues had a chance to go through the 200-plus page report to identify its multiple deficiencies, omissions, and contradictions of its own findings. This is not however an acceptable excuse for anybody in a managerial or leadership position. The truth is that the report’s own contents show that Coach Paterno, President Spanier, Tim Curley, and Gary Schultz exercised due and responsible diligence—exactly the kind of diligence that the Board has now failed to exercise on at least two occasions—in dealing with the allegations against Mr. Sandusky. Other alumni and I are now however doing your jobs for you, and here are some of our discoveries.

(1)  The report stipulates (page 51) that Paterno objected to the presence of Second Mile children on campus for any purpose whatsoever. “Is this [Sandusky’s access to Penn State athletic facilities] for personal use or 2nd Mile kids? No to 2nd Mile. Liability problems.” Freeh nonetheless blames him for not keeping Sandusky and/or the 2^nd Mile children off campus.

(2)  Even though the report blames Penn State for not keeping Sandusky off campus, or out of the Lasch Building, it admits (page 81) that University counsel (Cynthia Baldwin) said that the University could not legally revoke Sandusky’s access to the athletic facilities because of his Emeritus status, and because he had not been convicted of a crime. Page 106 reiterates this stipulation. Page 107 adds that Baldwin said “his access could not be eliminated without the University being sued.” The report therefore condemns Penn State’s administrators for not doing something their attorney said could get them sued.

(3)  The report also stipulates (page 69) that Schultz asked Attorney Wendell Courtney for legal advice on the subject of reporting suspected child abuse. The Freeh Group admits that it could not find out what advice Courtney provided, but it nonetheless accuses Schultz and others of a cover-up without having this information in hand. The bottom line is however that Schultz exercised what appears to be due diligence by asking an attorney what obligations the University had regarding the 2001 shower incident.

(4)  The report admits that Curley told the Executive Director of the 2^nd Mile about the 2001 shower incident, and the Director then told two 2^nd Mile Trustees. They concluded that it was a “non-incident,” but Freeh’s press release and findings do not carry a single word of blame for the 2^nd Mile.

The Second Mile, the Department of Public Welfare (which should have told the 2^nd Mile about the 1998 incident even though Sandusky was not prosecuted), and Governor Corbett are all conspicuous by their absence from the Freeh Group’s harsh findings. As Attorney General, Corbett delayed prosecution of Sandusky so he could “gather more evidence” (http://www.yardbird.com/Freeh_report_ignores_Corbett_inaction.htm and http://www.fox43.com/news/dauphin/wpmt-corbett-defends-length-of-sandusky-investigation-20120625,0,467687.story), i.e. allow Sandusky to keep doing what he was doing in the meantime. When Mr. Corbett became a Trustee ex officio, he then withheld from his fellow Trustees knowledge of the problem with Sandusky until he pretended to be surprised by it on November 9. He also apparently accepted campaign contributions from 2^nd Mile leaders while he was investigating Sandusky, and approved a state grant to the 2^nd Mile.

The Freeh Report’s failure to even mention these organizations’ and Governor Corbett’s roles in allowing Sandusky to continue his activities taints the entire work product with a perception of incomplete work at best. The only things that have been “marred” by this report are therefore the Freeh Group’s brand name, and also Trustee Peetz’s own record of service to Penn State for accepting its findings without (apparently) reviewing the information presented above. To recap:

(1)  On 11/9, the Trustees turned the Sandusky scandal into the Penn State scandal by effectively accepting blame on Penn State’s part for Sandusky’s activities.

(2)  The Trustees then brought in the Freeh Group to deliver what is, in my opinion as supported by the facts above and others, an incompletely researched product that does not support its own conclusions, and even contradicts its own conclusions.

(3)  Trustee Peetz, without apparently reading and assessing the report’s contents as shown by her statement to the press, accepted the Freeh Report’s defective conclusions on Penn State’s behalf.

Regards,

–Bill Levinson B.S. ‘78

My Penn State – Not What You’ve Heard

I felt the need to write this and share. I’m sharing with all of you. Enjoy. Greg DeVoir

My Penn State – Not What You’ve Heard

Here’s my Penn State story. I was a a so-called weather weenie and band geek from Andover, MA (also coincidentally the home town of new PSU Head Football Coach, Bill O’Brien, with whom I went to Andover West Junior High). My top college choice was Penn State due to its top-rated Meteorology program. Penn State also happened to have a pretty darned good (marching) Blue Band, as well. It was as simple as that…I’d found my new home for the next 4 years.

As a devoted Red Sox, Celtics and Patriots fan, I looked forward to experiencing Division 1 intercollegiate athletics as well. Other than seeing an occasional picture of Mount Nittany and Joe Paterno and his coke-bottle glasses in Sports Illustrated and watching the 1986 Fiesta Bowl win over Miami, I knew little else about the school, except that I couldn’t wait to get there.

After arriving in Happy Valley, I quickly discovered how it had earned its name. While feverishly working through the rigorous science curriculum at Penn State, I made 260 new friends in the Penn State Blue Band, proudly marching alongside chemical, aerospace and civil engineers and assorted science majors in the saxophone section. The friendly, welcoming family environment of the Penn State family and gently rolling hills of central Pennsylvania had me calling this place home mere months after arriving. Penn State football notched its first losing season in over 30 years that autumn. We even lost to Rutgers (shudder). The media called for Paterno’s head. He was too old. Too conservative. Nonsense. He was molding men, graduating his players at rates far beyond those at most large college football programs, and setting a bar of excellence for all Penn Staters to emulate. Paterno wasn’t going anywhere…Penn State’s “football culture” valued academics over football every day of the week, and even on Saturdays.

In my years at Penn State, I had the privilege of studying under Dr. Gregory Forbes (now the Severe Storm Analyst on The Weather Channel), Dr. Craig Bohren (Distinguished Professor Emeritus and author or several books on Atmospheric Science and Optics) and Paul Knight (PA State Climatologist and long-time Weather World host on PA PBS) among others. I graduated and followed my dream of becoming a Meteorologist in the National Weather Service. I am thankful every day for the education I received at Penn State, the life-long friends I made and mentors who influenced and challenged me. Penn State was a special place.

Following graduation, Penn State joined the Big Ten. I moved around the country for nearly 10 years before luckily ending back up in State College, PA in 1999 after the NWS office in Harrisburg relocated, and I moved back after living in Boise, ID and La Crosse, WI. I met my future wife on a downtown elevator in the building in which we both worked. Life was good, but not just mine. Through the 1990s and 2000s, Penn State’s academic ratings soared. The campus grew. Joe and Sue Paterno funded construction of the Paterno Library. “Without a great library, you can’t have a great University,” he said. It opened in the fall of 2000. During this time, President Graham Spanier oversaw incredible growth of University facilities , greatly enhancing University research and science programs through construction of the Information Sciences and Technology building, Chemistry Building and Millenium Science complex, among others. My teenage daughters had a blast at Penn State’s summer science camp. My 5-year old enjoyed Saturday art classes on the Penn State campus in the same building I’d attended lectures more than 20 years ago.

When the Jerry Sandusky scandal erupted in November of 2011, like many, I was shocked and appalled to hear the allegations, and waited patiently to hear the truth. Since then, a nearly steady diet of media sensationalism, speculation, half-truths and an unceasing lynch mob mentality seeking to blame and punish those “responsible” for “allowing” Sandusky to perpetrate his crimes have superseded all common sense and rational thinking before facts and truth are revealed in a court of law. Penn State’s “football culture” has been blamed for ”allowing Sandusky to continue raping innocent children.” Joe Paterno and other Penn State Administrators have been portrayed as evil enablers, accused of turning a blind eye while “knowing” what Sandusky was doing. I wait for the truth to be revealed, knowing the Penn State that’s been portrayed in the media is not the one I grew to know and love for the past 20 years.

For Mark Emmert, NCAA President, I have this to say. Basing sanctions on an extremely faulty and fact-deprived Freeh report is a travesty – you are punishing innocent people who had nothing to do with Sandusky’s crimes. For Louis Freeh, while the list of recommendations to improve internal processes at Penn State was clearly needed, your damningly-worded report states “reasonable conclusions” as solid fact, upon which the NCAA has implemented unprecedented sanctions before the full truth has been revealed in a court of law. Furthermore, key witness testimony was not included in the findings of your report, either because they died (Paterno), were not consulted (Paterno family), were asked by the PA Attorney General to not be interviewed (McQueary, Schultz, Curley) or information gathered in your interview was completely ignored (Spanier), as we heard late Sunday in his letter to the Penn State Board of Trustees.

To those of my Facebook friends who wish for this to be out of the news (and my Facebook page) with the announcement of NCAA sanctions, I along with my fellow Penn State alums can’t allow that to happen – we merely want the truth to be revealed and will continue to push for that. Grave injustices have resulted from the clouding of truth thus far, irreparably harming innocent people, a wonderful community and a great University. Now, already reeling and struggling to uncover the truth of the last 13 years while enduring the endless scrutiny and hateful rhetoric over the past 8 months, Penn State is being brought to its knees by NCAA sanctions of an unprecedented nature, handed down without due process and punishing only the innocent.

I don’t blame you for being sick of hearing about this…Sandusky’s abuses are sickening. While it’s difficult to fathom how someone can evade detection while perpetrating such heinous crimes, it’s even more inconceivable to me that any good man could knowingly turn a blind eye to abuse, as has been widely accepted from the Freeh report without factual basis. That as many as four such men are accused of having done so (and the public at large believes this without a shadow of a doubt) with limited to no factual basis supporting it is baffling beyond words.

In short, at my Penn State, the one I came to know after growing up in Andover MA, it wouldn’t happen…football or no football…Paterno or no Paterno. This is what the general public fails to understand about Penn State University and Penn State grads in general. We didn’t drink the Kool Aid. We’re not members of NAMBLA. We went to a University where the values and principles of a great man, Joe Paterno, would never have KNOWINGLY allowed Sandusky’s crimes to continue. That crimes continued is not evidence of a cover up…it’s proof that despite concerns and suspicions, efforts and failed investigations into inappropriate behavior, Sandusky continually evaded detection due to failures in human judgment rather than willful enabling, neglect and disregard.

The Freeh report was commissioned BY Penn State FOR Penn State to uncover and learn from such failures in judgment. I believe the facts will ultimately show that willful neglect was not part of the equation, but it will take time for the media hysteria and drum beating to cease and the truth to be revealed. Ironically, the NCAA sanctions are perhaps the best thing to happen at this time, because for the first time in months, Penn State can start its new beginning as the media jackals grow more silent. Calmer heads can prevail as tabloid journalists tire of picking over Penn State’s bones. The Schultz and Curley trials will take place, and in this environment, I’m hopeful that the truth can come out. It has to, doesn’t it? Because for me, what we have now still doesn’t make sense in any rational way, shape or form. I only wonder…will anyone listen then?

For those of you who’ve read this in its entirety, I thank you. There is no need to post comments of agreement or disagreement…since all of the facts and their worthy conclusions have yet to be uncovered. Speculation on top of speculation helps no-one. Rest assured, if/when the truth is revealed and if I’m found to be dead wrong, you’ll see my retractions. Until then, this University has been and will continue to be a great place. It is not what you’ve heard portrayed in the media. It is not a small group of drunken fools reacting in raw emotion at 1030 pm after Paterno’s abrupt firing last fall. Penn Staters care about Sandusky’s victims and will continue to support them while striving to prevent additional predators from victimizing innocent people. We’re proud of our University, although we are extremely disappointed in its leadership which has allowed the media to run rampant and frame the arguments and story from day one. Penn State was a great place before this happened. And Penn State will once again be a great place…a greater place. More than that, those who have made this community our home LOVE our town and cannot think of anyplace else we’d rather live. That now includes my former Andover, MA classmate, Coach Bill O’Brien.

Please bear with us as we clean up the mess and pull ourselves together after this unspeakable tragedy on so many levels. You’ll see us again in the not too distant future showing our Penn State pride. Don’t misconstrue this for what it’s not. It’s not misplaced. It’s not about football. It’s who we are. We are Penn State.

Abuse of authority proves your lack of fitness to run the NCAA

PS4RS Members respond to BoT Chairman Karen Peetz’s message to alumni on July 18, 2012 on the Freeh Report

-William A. Levinson, PSU B.S. ‘78

Dear Mr. Emmert, copied to PSU alumni,

Most people learn—let’s say in elementary school if they are on a safety patrol—that their authority covers very specific rules that everybody knows and recognizes. Somebody who uses his or her authority to make up rules, and also to act without due process and due diligence as you have just done with regard to Penn State, soon loses his authority if the organization values its credibility. You enforced a rule that is not in the NCAA’s list of rules, without proof that the rule you made up has even been broken—the Freeh Group is known for slipshod investigative workmanship (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1265466-ex-fifa-presidential-candidate-has-ban-annulled-and-how-it-connects-to-penn-st) and you also sidestepped the NCAA’s own disciplinary process. You also vacated Penn State’s wins without any evidence whatsoever that Penn State won the games by cheating (e.g. use of ineligible players, payments to student athletes, or whatever) which further underscores your arbitrary, capricious, and totally irresponsible use of your authority.

Henry Ford knew your kind quite well, and he wrote of them in “My Life and Work:”

“…a foreman knows as well as he knows his own name that if he has been unjust it will be very quickly found out, and he shall no longer be a foreman. One of the things that we will not tolerate is injustice of any kind. The moment a man starts to swell with authority he is discovered, and he goes out, or goes back to a machine.”

The Ford Motor Company enjoyed unprecedented success because, among other reasons, it did not tolerate your behavior even in a straw boss, the lowest supervisory position. Now the NCAA needs to apply Henry Ford’s advice to you before you destroy its ability to regulate college athletics in any way, shape, and form.