On Friday, Graham Spanier, the former Penn State University president was convicted by a jury in Pennsylvania of a single count of child endangerment in connection to covering up a 2001 case involving disgraced coach Jerry Sandusky.
The good news was a charge of conspiracy was dropped, as was a second misdemeanor of child endangerment.
There was no piling on. Spanier still faces five years in prison. His lawyer says there will be an appeal.
But this is a meaningful juncture, as it allows all of you in higher ed to formally learn the Spanier lesson, akin to maybe something the Catholic Church should have learned a long time ago.
When it comes to sexual abuse, or anything sexual that smacks of criminality, you report it to police. You don’t cover it up. You don’t think of the institution you represent first.
The obligation is to the people involved. An alleged perp(s). Or the victim(s).
And then you think of the people of your community and state, and turn over what you know to those trained to find the truth and deliver justice.
