Dear Penn State Board of Trustees from November 2011:
You blew it. You truly, completely blew it.
Just the other day, CSA survivor advocacy group @Darkness2Light spoke out against your narrative. So, now what? Where you at?
On a personal note, I remember giving Rodney Erickson and the #PSUBoT the benefit of the doubt for as long as I could... figured his apology tour was coming from a place of good-faith and that he was telling the national audience what everyone needed to hear ("PSU does not condone child rape"). Figured he and the #PSUBoT knew more than any of us wanted to know. Kind of took their word for it... until Rodney Erickson's bullshit line in USAToday (12/11/11) about "the new great experiment."
Once again, I'll re-state my prediction: Jim Clemente's report will be the one that weathers the test of time. He's the only one who's actually tried to educate the public about the dangers of the Preferential Child Sexual Offenders ("nice-guy predators," like Jerry Sandusky).
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It’s Not About Football: Why the discussion around Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno, and Penn State needs to change
by D2L on
April 20, 2015 | 16:31 pm Tags: Centre County, Centre County YMCA, Cindy McElhinney, D2L, Happy Valley, Howard Long, Jay Paterno, Jerry Sandusky, Lyndon Haviland, matt sandusky, Penn State, Pennsylvania, Regina Benjamin
Last year, the documentary “Happy Valley” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. This award-winning film examines the abuse scandal at Penn State, the environment in which it happened, and the emotional aftermath felt by the community. Aside from offering a ground level view of the events and attitudes surrounding an event that shook the foundation of the Centre County community, the film offers a tremendous opportunity to talk openly about child sexual abuse.
On April 16, Darkness to Light (D2L) and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) held a special screening of “Happy Valley,” followed by a discussion panel including Dr. Regina Benjamin, 18th U.S. Surgeon General, Jay Paterno, son of the late Joe Paterno, and Howard Long, CEO of the Centre County YMCA.
Over 200 people gathered on the MUSC campus to view the film and learn about Centre County’s prevention efforts over the last four years.
Highlights from the event include:
Prevention Highlight
Jay Paterno said that before this experience, the Centre County community was naïve to the reality of abuse. Now, he says he talks to kids about the proper roles of adults within their lives. He learned the signs, and he looks for them. As an advocate, he champions the role of child sexual abuse prevention within organizations that serve youth.
Training Highlight
One of the most compelling stories of the night came from Howard Long of the Centre County YMCA. Following an early Stewards of Children training facilitated by the Y, seven teachers disclosed stories of sexual abuse as children. Howard says that experience provided a strong reminder of why training is necessary and says if he could tell all communities one thing, it would be get trained to prevent, recognize, and respond to child sexual abuse.
Response Highlight
Before the Sandusky scandal, Centre County had no child advocacy center. Children who were abused were put through a gauntlet of interviews, required to share their trauma five separate times to five separate entities. Now there is an advocacy center that is trained to work with families and legal entities to ensure children are protected while justice is served.
Takeaway
“Happy Valley” portrays a community that was ill-prepared to handle the issue of child sexual abuse – one that through its naivety created an environment that allowed Jerry Sandusky’s actions to go unchecked. However, the film concentrates on the “football culture” of Penn State, nearly to the exclusion of the actual abuse.
Throughout the documentary, child sexual abuse is positioned as either a product of hero worship by an athletics-focused community, or something that is inevitable and unavoidable. In truth, it is neither.
While Jerry Sandusky certainly exploited the hero worship of the community, that story is hardly unique to the Penn State or athletics communities. One in 10 children are victims of child sexual abuse. It is everywhere, and serial perpetrators are skilled at finding the niche that allows them unrestricted access to children. This is why it’s vitally important to have the knowledge, tools, and empowerment to both prevent and respond to abuse.
Child sexual abuse can be prevented, it can be stopped, and it can be overcome. Following Sandusky’s 2012 conviction on 45 counts of child sexual abuse, the Centre County community made a decision to learn from the past. County-wide, training initiatives are thriving and growing.
Unfortunately, the Jerry Sandusky story is not new – it is a story among thousands that play out on a much less public stage. In 90% of cases, child sexual abuse victims are victimized by someone they know and trust. This issue exists far beyond Penn State, Centre County, and certainly football. This is a universal issue. And the only way to truly make an impact is to follow the example of Centre County and place the focus where it really needs to be – on protecting kids and preventing history from repeating itself.
For more information on preventing child sexual abuse in your community, visit The 5 Steps to Protecting Our ChildrenTM, or take D2L’s award-winning Stewards of Children® prevention training.
- See more at: http://www.d2lblog.com/2015/04/20/i...eeds-to-change/#sthash.7L4K9xFH.dOjZVWwU.dpuf
You blew it. You truly, completely blew it.
Just the other day, CSA survivor advocacy group @Darkness2Light spoke out against your narrative. So, now what? Where you at?
It’s Not About Football: Why the discussion around Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno, and Penn State needs to change http://www.d2lblog.com/2015/04/20/i...eeds-to-change/#sthash.7L4K9xFH.dOjZVWwU.dpuf
On a personal note, I remember giving Rodney Erickson and the #PSUBoT the benefit of the doubt for as long as I could... figured his apology tour was coming from a place of good-faith and that he was telling the national audience what everyone needed to hear ("PSU does not condone child rape"). Figured he and the #PSUBoT knew more than any of us wanted to know. Kind of took their word for it... until Rodney Erickson's bullshit line in USAToday (12/11/11) about "the new great experiment."
- "That would become the new great experiment. Can you properly position athletics and not compromise academics?" link
Once again, I'll re-state my prediction: Jim Clemente's report will be the one that weathers the test of time. He's the only one who's actually tried to educate the public about the dangers of the Preferential Child Sexual Offenders ("nice-guy predators," like Jerry Sandusky).
- Jim Clemente report: http://paterno.com/Expert-Reports/Jim-Clemente-2.aspx
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
It’s Not About Football: Why the discussion around Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno, and Penn State needs to change
by D2L on
April 20, 2015 | 16:31 pm Tags: Centre County, Centre County YMCA, Cindy McElhinney, D2L, Happy Valley, Howard Long, Jay Paterno, Jerry Sandusky, Lyndon Haviland, matt sandusky, Penn State, Pennsylvania, Regina Benjamin
Last year, the documentary “Happy Valley” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. This award-winning film examines the abuse scandal at Penn State, the environment in which it happened, and the emotional aftermath felt by the community. Aside from offering a ground level view of the events and attitudes surrounding an event that shook the foundation of the Centre County community, the film offers a tremendous opportunity to talk openly about child sexual abuse.
On April 16, Darkness to Light (D2L) and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) held a special screening of “Happy Valley,” followed by a discussion panel including Dr. Regina Benjamin, 18th U.S. Surgeon General, Jay Paterno, son of the late Joe Paterno, and Howard Long, CEO of the Centre County YMCA.Over 200 people gathered on the MUSC campus to view the film and learn about Centre County’s prevention efforts over the last four years.
Highlights from the event include:
Prevention Highlight
Jay Paterno said that before this experience, the Centre County community was naïve to the reality of abuse. Now, he says he talks to kids about the proper roles of adults within their lives. He learned the signs, and he looks for them. As an advocate, he champions the role of child sexual abuse prevention within organizations that serve youth.
Training Highlight
One of the most compelling stories of the night came from Howard Long of the Centre County YMCA. Following an early Stewards of Children training facilitated by the Y, seven teachers disclosed stories of sexual abuse as children. Howard says that experience provided a strong reminder of why training is necessary and says if he could tell all communities one thing, it would be get trained to prevent, recognize, and respond to child sexual abuse.
Response Highlight
Before the Sandusky scandal, Centre County had no child advocacy center. Children who were abused were put through a gauntlet of interviews, required to share their trauma five separate times to five separate entities. Now there is an advocacy center that is trained to work with families and legal entities to ensure children are protected while justice is served.
Takeaway
“Happy Valley” portrays a community that was ill-prepared to handle the issue of child sexual abuse – one that through its naivety created an environment that allowed Jerry Sandusky’s actions to go unchecked. However, the film concentrates on the “football culture” of Penn State, nearly to the exclusion of the actual abuse.Throughout the documentary, child sexual abuse is positioned as either a product of hero worship by an athletics-focused community, or something that is inevitable and unavoidable. In truth, it is neither.
While Jerry Sandusky certainly exploited the hero worship of the community, that story is hardly unique to the Penn State or athletics communities. One in 10 children are victims of child sexual abuse. It is everywhere, and serial perpetrators are skilled at finding the niche that allows them unrestricted access to children. This is why it’s vitally important to have the knowledge, tools, and empowerment to both prevent and respond to abuse.
Child sexual abuse can be prevented, it can be stopped, and it can be overcome. Following Sandusky’s 2012 conviction on 45 counts of child sexual abuse, the Centre County community made a decision to learn from the past. County-wide, training initiatives are thriving and growing.
Unfortunately, the Jerry Sandusky story is not new – it is a story among thousands that play out on a much less public stage. In 90% of cases, child sexual abuse victims are victimized by someone they know and trust. This issue exists far beyond Penn State, Centre County, and certainly football. This is a universal issue. And the only way to truly make an impact is to follow the example of Centre County and place the focus where it really needs to be – on protecting kids and preventing history from repeating itself.
For more information on preventing child sexual abuse in your community, visit The 5 Steps to Protecting Our ChildrenTM, or take D2L’s award-winning Stewards of Children® prevention training.
- See more at: http://www.d2lblog.com/2015/04/20/i...eeds-to-change/#sthash.7L4K9xFH.dOjZVWwU.dpuf
