Editorial: university acts inappropriately in sex abuse matter
He flat-out got it wrong and, in the process, materially harmed the entire student body at his national university.
Although a recent editorial goes far beyond that narrow and pointed condemnation, the single sentence above conveys quite accurately the central gist of criticisms levied against the president of Penn State University for a letter he recently wrote discussing sexual abuse.
That letter, penned just last week by PSU President Eric Barron, takes the low road in the message it delivered regarding aspects of the notorious child sex abuse scandal that played out on the campus for decades, states the editorial board of a Pennsylvania newspaper. Moreover, notes the board, it “demonstrates a complete disregard for sexual assault victims.”
As has been widely reported in California and nationally, the PSU debacle concerned the long-time predatory behaviors of a former assistant football coach, who is now in prison. Barron’s written communication, posted on a university website, defends head coach Joe Paterno — now deceased — against allegations that he had knowledge of abuse and did not pass it along, despite evidence to the contrary. Barron tells PSU students not to be influenced by “media’s sensationalized accounts.”
And that is wrong, contends the board, which states at the outset that Barron shouldn’t even be weighing in on the matter at all.
Moreover, notes the editorial, the missive is blatant for “disregarding the validity of a survivor’s story.” That is inherently damaging because many college students who are sexually abused might reasonably conclude from the letter that they will be shamed and ridiculed if they come forward with a personal story of sexual abuse.
We should “applaud the courage of survivors who are brave enough to come forward,” not chill them, states the board.
Barron acted wrongly, his critics say, with his letter essentially condoning and even promoting “the toxic pressure to stay silent” when powerful figures act in abusive ways.
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