It's mid-March, which for Penn State can only mean one thing -- it's UPUA election season.
Campaigning kicked off today at 7 a.m., and you have no doubt already received a barrage of Facebook invitations from various campaigns. With current UPUA President T.J. Bard announcing his intention to not seek re-election, three executive tickets qualified for the ballot and have their sights set on replacing him.
The Penn State Board of Trustees issued a statement using the mass Penn State listerv and the new Penn State Openness website regarding their decisions to fire former President Graham Spanier and former football coach Joe Paterno. The statement can be found in its entirety below:
A pre-trial hearing has been set for 11 a.m. today in Bellefonte, where Jerry Sandusky's defense team will argue for a more specific Bill of Particulars. Last week, upon the order of Judge John Cleland, the prosecution released a Bill of Particulars that included a list of the identities of the ten alleged victims, as well as the dates, times, and locations where the alleged crimes were committed.
A bill of particulars was released this afternoon by Attorney General Linda Kelly, which outlines the date and location of the alleged sex-abuse crimes committed against ten minors by Jerry Sandusky, as well as the age of the alleged victims. This comes after Sandusky's attorney, Joe Amendola, requested that this information be released so that the defense could prepare for the upcoming trial, which has a tentative start date of May 14.
It was supposed to signify the beginning of the end. When it broke last night that President T.J. Bard would not be running for re-election, I anticipated a Presidential address for the ages, complete with tears, reflection, and nostalgia. What happened next, however, is symbolic of the altruistic nature of Bard's presidency.
Penn State couldn't repeat their 65-45 victory over Purdue from January 5, as they fell 80-56 last night to Purdue in West Lafayette. The Nittany Lions trailed only 37-32 at the half, but Purdue 5th-year senior Robbie Hummel finished with 26 points and Purdue shot 57% to pull away from Penn State early in the second half.