Three Penn State students decided it would be productive for them to set up a tent by the Paterno statue late Wednesday night, with a sign that said "Protect the Paterno statue."
Despite today’s revisionist history, Vicky Triponey was not a crusader against the Penn State administration's entrenched culture of secrecy. On the contrary, she was its enforcer, and virtually her first act upon assuming her position was to threaten its most vocal critic using the power of the purse.
It would be insensitive for me to claim that the good that Paterno did outweighed the bad. It certainly isn't any solace to all the boys who were abused by Sandusky over the last 14 years after Paterno and the other three let him off the hook. I'm just asking Penn Staters to find a middle ground when trying to explain Paterno's legacy. It is possible to be a good man and make a tragic mistake. But don't make a fool of yourself and try to defend that mistake with the illusion that Paterno is something that he wasn't.
Last night, at approximately 7:50 p.m, it was announced that Paternoville would be changing its name to Nittanyville. The announcement was met with several overreactions and begs the question: How much does a name really matter?
In light of the release of the Freeh Report last week, the once squeaky-clean name and reputation of Joe Paterno has been further tarnished. Penn State is not the only institution distancing itself from the late coach. The Providence Journal is reporting that Paterno’s alma mater, Brown University, has revoked Paterno’s name from a yearly student award presented to the year’s outstanding freshman male athlete.
Damon Sims, the Vice President for Student Affairs at Penn State, sent a letter to Penn State students last night, which emphasized the commitment of student affairs to move forward from the findings in the Freeh Report. Sims took over the position in 2008 after the controversial Vicky Triponey resigned -- a woman who has recently gained national attention for her criticism of Joe Paterno.