Skill Building Assignment #2: Research the Penn State University sex abuse scandal (see: http://thefreehreportonpsu.com/).

Imagine the entire board resigned in the wake of this scandal, and you have just joined the board. And you have just been elected as the Chair! In about 1000 words, describe the changes you would make to the organization relating to its bylaws; board formal and informal policies; communication with stakeholders; relationship to the university president, other staff, and other stakeholders; and what you might try to accomplish with respect to changing the board's culture.

This question comes at an interesting time as my place of work has just been affected by a sex scandal on a smaller scale. Kevin Clash, also known as the voice of Elmo, was recently excused by a 23-year-old man of having a sexual relationship when the man was only 16-years-old (Moore, Elmo puppeteer accused of underage relationship, 2012). The alleged victim later recanted his story (Moore, Man recants story of teen sex with Elmo puppeteer , 2012), however, the damage to Clash's name had already been done. Whereas Clash's name has been cleared, there is now word as to when he will be back on the set of Sesame Street. There is juxtaposition in the stories of Kevin Clash and Gerald Sandusky. Both men are leaders in their field, revered by their colleagues, and loved by the community. The separation of their narratives, however, does not fall solely upon one's guilt and the other innocents. It is defined by how the senior leadership of their organizations handled this situation and subsequent community relations that also sets these two scenarios apart. In the Sandusky case, the Board of Trustees allowed the four most powerful men in the University (President Graham Spanier, Senior Vice President-Finance and Business Gary Schultz, Athletic Director Timothy Curley, and Head Football Coach Joseph Paterno) to operate unchecked, and without oversight (Freeh, 2012). Because of this

lack of governance or leadership, these four men allowed countless children to be assaulted by a person known to them to be a pedophile by allowing him unrestricted access to University facilities. Upon reading the Freeh Report, I gained the impression that 1) the President of the University and the Football Coach Paterno were more concerned about the University's football program than the wellbeing of the children that were assaulted and 2) the Board of Trustees thought taking the ostrich strategy in this situation would make everything go away; they had no desire to pursue justice, because then they would have to acknowledge what had occurred and their own shortcomings in the matter. When we compare this to the way Sesame Street senior leadership handled allegations against Kline, we see very different institutional priorities. In June of 2012, The Sesame Street Workshop received documentation from the lawyer of Clash's accuser. Without hesitation, The Workshop launched an investigation about the charges and discovered that whereas Clash had inappropriately used his company email, the claims of the accuser were unsubstantiated. Clash never denied the relationship, but insisted that it took place after the other man was of legal age (Moore, Man recants story of teen sex with Elmo puppeteer , 2012). Despite having his accuser recant his story of inappropriate conduct; Clash has still decided to step away for the set of Sesame Street to clear his name. The actions of senior leadership in this situation not only display the traits of organization that is concerned about its reputation and maintaining its standings in the community, but also of a leadership team that, regardless of the popularity of the individual accused, wants to make sure that the right

thing is done. Personally, I don't find their morals or course of action at all surprising given the nature of the show that they produce. If I were placed in the scenario mentioned for this exercise, I like to think that I would have the ethical and moral convictions to take a lesson from The Sesame Street Workshop. At such a high profile institution, like Penn State, the role of the Board of Trustees is not only providing fiduciary guidance, but also to be stewards of the organization within the community. A University does not merely exist because of its football program, or to educate students, it is there to enlighten the community. Education is the ultimate "greater good"; education helps to elevate members of society, education is a means of lifting oneself out of poverty, it provides medicine, research, enlightenment. It is clear that the previous board had lost sight of what Penn State offered to its community outside of numbers on a scoreboard. As president of the board, the first task I would undertake would be revising the school's mission and vision statements. These two documents are intended to serve as the heartbeat and the soul of the institution, but clearly along the way, the ceased to be relevant. At this point, Penn State has fallen so far from grace that it needs to redefine its role in the community so that it may move past this ugly chapter. By rewriting the mission and vision statements, the Board is acknowledging that this sex scandal is a symptom of a larger problem. If a board is apathetic to the dealings of its senior leadership, an organization is bound to derail eventually; the Sandusky Scandal is clearly the worst case scenario of that occurring. Not only was Penn State's reputation damaged, but innocent children were hurt in the process. While rewriting the mission and vision statements, I believe it is

crucial to engage the University's stakeholders in the process. People are bound to be angry by what occurred, and I feel they should have a voice in reshaping the direction of the school. In doing this, hopefully the message will be communicated to the President's office that s/he is not only answering to the Board of Trustees, but to the community as a whole. As a survivor of sexual assault, I personally find it appalling that the football program was not required to fully participate in the Clery Act. This important piece of legislation is there to protect all members of the community by disclosing all crime statistics on a campus. The only way to send a clear message that no one on the campus is above the law is to ensure that everyone is help to the same standards. Because of the complete and udder disregard to the Clery Act, and the subsequent effects it had on the rest of the school, I would suspend all financial aid and scholarships to the football department for no less than four years. I know that this decision would anger many alumni and prospective students, but again, we need to make a statement that no one is above the law, and if a department chooses to allow this sort of thing to occur, there will be consequences. I would like to point out that this action is not without precedent. In 2003, the University of Washington pulled financial aid from all members of the Kappa Sigma fraternity for failing to report a rape that took place in their fraternity house the previous year (Coalman, 2003). Penn State is now in a rebuilding period, and instead of running from this ugly chapter of their past, it is important that it gets brought into the conversation on how to make things better. By revisiting the University's mission and vision statements, bringing the stakeholders into the conversation on redefining the University's mission, sending a

message of accountability to the President's office, and delving out consequences to the perpetuators of unacceptable behavior, I feel Penn State in time will be able to reclaim its standing in the community as a place of enlightenment and higher education.

Works Cited
Coalman, R. (2003, March 25). President's Offiec Takes a Stand on Rape. The UW Daily. Freeh, L. (2012). Report of the Special Investigative Counsel Regarding The Actions of The Pennsylvania State University Related to the Child Sexual Abuse Committed by Gerald A Sandusky. Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan, LLP. Moore, F. (2012, 11 12). Elmo puppeteer accused of underage relationship. Seattle Times. Moore, F. (2012, 11 14). Man recants story of teen sex with Elmo puppeteer . The Seattle Times.