The Trustee Chronicles Part III - Lies and Contradictions

Voices of the Board of Trustees - Deceptions, Contradictions and Failure.                By Linda Berkland - SMSS FREEHdom Fighter

 

       For the past year, Penn State’s Board of Trustees has promised a new culture of openness and transparency.  As part of this new era, the Board has; allotted time at their meetings for public comments and questions, spoken openly to student groups and organizations and held several press conferences.  

Despite these initiatives (or perhaps because of them), a significant portion of the Penn State community continues to feel misled and deceived. What they have is a failure to communicate and a serious case of foot in mouth disease brought on by an inability to rationally justify decisions that are wholly unjustifiable. 

Serious questions have been raised by the people who are paying attention:

1.  When did the board first learn of investigations into Jerry Sandusky
2.  How did they fail to see the damaging impact of firing of Joe Paterno, 
3.  Why and how was Louis Freeh hired to conduct his investigation, and 
4.  Why was the Freeh report authorized as the basis for the NCAA Sanctions without a basic review of the legitimacy of the "evidence" and conclusions?

What was the Board thinking and what were they protecting? Why do these questions continue to be asked on a near daily basis as the board asserts that they have been answered time and again? This video supplies the obvious answer.  

Peetz and Frazier

This compilation of video clips from various press conferences, board meetings and public gatherings reveal the answers that have been given to questions surrounding the Freeh report. Consider these responses back to back from different members, and it becomes increasingly clear why many in the Penn State community still feel we lack believable answers to these very important questions a year after the investigation of Jerry Sandusky became public knowledge.  

If the board wishes to hold out any hope that the community will move forward, it will have to begin by giving real, honest answers, instead of self-serving responses that only serve to anger, obfuscate, and confuse. 

Editors note: Linda Berkland has assembled a stunning array of video clips of PSU BoT members attempting to explain the inexplicable. This video of statements from the leaders selected to protect the best interests of Penn State University is a stinging indictment in their own words and voices. One bad decision has led to another compounding the initial mistake of failing to stand behind a good and decent man who gave a life of service to the university. 

The leaders of this board, particularly John P. Surma, Karen Peetz, Ken Frazier, and Gov. Tom Corbett sought the expediency of sacrificing Joe Paterno and the football program in order to satisfy their own conflicted self-interests creating a conflict that will have no end until they acknowledge their failure and resign. Warning: viewing this video can cause significant discomfort and anger - please take the necessary precautions to protect your equipment from self inflicted damage.