Most Recent Penn State Ruling

When is enough enough?

Today, news broke that the Middle States Commission on Higher Education has warned Penn State that it's academic accreditation is in danger. Before anyone gets all riled up, I do agree that what Jerry Sandusky and some other administrators and coaches did was wrong. The truth should have come out long, long ago.

The part that I have a problem with is all of the sanctions that have come down since. Should there have been some sort of penalty? Yes. But not against the players. There were certain individuals that should have been punished. $60 million and a bunch of scholarships? All that does is hurt the student-athletes; many of whom will never have the chance to play the sport the love at such a competitive level again.

It is my personal opinion that the sanctions against the team were entirely too harsh. Why hurt the players that had nothing to do with the heinous crimes that were committed years ago? Punish the defendant (which happened) not the innocent players.

But that is not really my point here. The sanctions that were handed down before have been generally accepted; nothing will change those now. But to say that the university's academic accreditation is in jeopardy because this scandal is absolutely ridiculous. Why should the university shoulder the burden of one man's crimes?

The university's research labs had nothing to do with this. Nor did the law school. Or the engineering department. Or the college of business. Not a single academic part of the university can be held responsible for the crimes that were committed at Penn State. Not one.

Yet, the Middle States Commission is putting Penn State's academic accreditation right in the thick of things. Almost 45,000 students on Penn State's University Park campus have put time, money, and energy into a degree program that is in danger of losing its accreditation. Although through no fault of the academic side of the university. Does this make sense?

It seems to me that the Middles States Commission is just adding to the pain, suffering, and rebuilding of the Penn State family. How can they reasonably back up their decision here? At this point, they are punishing the academic side of the institution for something that a few individuals are responsible for. You could liken this to the the family of a convicted murderer being punished by the court for spending time with the felon prior to any crime being committed.

Maybe I'm over-reacting, maybe not. But in my eyes this decision makes no sense. Let the university focus on the things that it needs to right now. And believe me, the university doesn't need to focus on it's academic accreditation. They should be worried about the victims of the crimes and their future; not some nit-picky ruling that is doing nothing but adding to the stresses of every single member of the Penn State family.