Give The Ohio State University officials credit for handling a sex abuse scandal the way it ought to be done — openly, with apparent concern for victims, and an intensive effort to get the whole truth.
One wonders why that approach does not seem to appeal to everyone.
A few months ago, it came to light that a now-deceased doctor is alleged to have been involved in sexual misconduct against Ohio State student-athletes and perhaps others on campus. His name was Richard Strauss.
Last week, The Associated Press learned Strauss had worked at five other institutions during a period of about a decade before 1978. Then, he moved on to Ohio State University. He committed suicide in 2005 in Los Angeles.
AP reporters contacted officials at the five other schools — Harvard and Rutgers universities and the universities of Pennsylvania, Washington and Hawaii.
At least Rutgers officials were willing to talk. They told a reporter they had no record of Strauss working there and were not aware of any concerns raised about him.
The University of Pennsylvania did not even bother initially to return calls from the Associated Press. The universities in Hawaii and Washington and at Harvard claimed they could not provide information about Strauss. They would not address questions about whether they were looking into his time at their institutions.
