Post record fine, Barron pledges to further "culture of compliance" at Penn State
A day after Pennsylvania State University was slapped with a record fine for failing to report crimes on campus, President Eric Barron didn't address the specifics of the violations but promised to continue creating a better "culture of compliance" at the state's flagship university.
"The university recognizes that the Clery Act compliance cannot be an end on to itself but rather part of a broader culture of compliance," Barron told the university's board of trustees who met on campus Friday. "We will continue our numerous vigorous efforts to create a culture of reporting, of safety and accountability and integrate compliance at every level of this university."
Barron said the university will conduct a thorough review of the 239-page report by the U.S. Department of Education and then comment in more detail on its findings. The department is seeking to fine the university $2.4 million for 11 areas of violation of the Clery Act from 1998 through 2011, including the university's handling of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. The university has until Nov. 25 to accept the fine or request a hearing to contest it.
Under the Clery Act, colleges and universities are required to disclose all sexual assaults, murders, robberies and other crimes that occur on campus and in the surrounding community that are reported each year. They also must issue timely warnings if there is an ongoing threat to students and staff.
He noted that the university has made vast improvements in its crime reporting since the former football coach was indicted in 2011 for abusing young boys on and off campus, rocking the flagship university and forcing out its president and iconic football coach Joe Paterno.
The university has hired a Clery compliance officer, trained thousands of employees on the law, instituted programs to fight sexual assault and misconduct, created new positions focused on the issue and established a hotline.
Several other board members, including Chairman Ira Lubert, declined to comment on the report after the meeting, saying they need to review it.
Trustee Anthony Lubrano said the education department appears to have "relied a little too much" on information in the investigative report on the university's handling of the Sandusky matter by former FBI director Louis Freeh, who faulted former Penn State leaders including Paterno for covering up Sandusky's abuse.
In other business at the meeting:
The board agreed to table a proposal that would discourage trustees from talking publicly about a university matter outside of a board meeting without prior approval of the chairman. Some trustees were critical of the proposal, saying it would stifle the free exchange of ideas typically considered a cornerstone of a university.
Lubert said the proposal requires more discussion and would come up again in February.
In another matter at the end of the meeting, Lubrano made a 17-minute statement about the impact of the Sandusky scandal on the university. Lubrano, who came onto the board after the scandal, has been highly critical of the university's handling of the scandal, including its acceptance of the Freeh report and sanctions by the NCAA, most of which have since been rolled back.
He repeated many of those concerns and asserted that Paterno and former President Graham Spanier, who raised Penn State's profile, were not treated fairly by the university. The university and its former leaders have unfairly been made the scapegoat for Sandusky's crimes, he said.
Spanier continues to face charges of failure to report child abuse and child endangerment, along with two other former administrators. Paterno died in 2012 and was never charged.
Lubrano reiterated a call for the university to honor Paterno's 61 years of service. The university in September held a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Paterno's first game as Penn State's head coach during a football game at Beaver Stadium.
Lubrano said that's not enough.
"We ought to commemorate the 61 years that he gave us," Lubrano said after the meeting, "not just in athletics, but in academics. We should embrace all he's done for this university."
He envisions an event in Beaver Stadium involving all of the university's colleges where everyone talks about Paterno's contributions, academic and athletic.
"I think you'd have 107,000 people in Beaver Stadium in a heartbeat," he said.
Lubert adjourned the meeting after Lubrano's statement. No other board members commented.
After the meeting, Lubert said he understands that Lubrano is passionate about his views of how the Sandusky scandal unfolded and wanted to remind people on the fifth anniversary of Sandusky's indictment.
"I believe most everybody else is looking to move forward," Lubert said.
Asked whether the university should honor Paterno further, Lubert noted the celebration that took place in September and said "I believe at some point we should over time."