Penn State Tries to Move Forward Without Abandoning Paterno

[91Joe95]

Trouble is they are your potential customers and business partners and donors and workers etc.

No, they're not.

 

[BlueBand]

Exactly! They are not your customers who cares what they think. It's nothing that has not been written or said before by the media trying to control the narrative. Focus on your customers and healing those wounds.

The larger university cares what many of those people think. That's what you're not getting. Athletics and football, like it or not, is the public face of the university to many people. People the larger university community cares about. Like lawmakers, potential research and development partners, potential students and their parents, potential employers of students, accrediting agencies, potential new hires for professors, deans and administrators, etc.

 

[bwifan]

Trouble is they are your potential customers and business partners and donors and workers etc.

They are not your current core customers, like many who are walking away so do not be concerned with them. As was stated 2-3 days later it will all be forgotten and people will go back to their daily lives and move on.... (see what I did there)

 

[91Joe95]

The larger university cares what many of those people think. That's what you're not getting. Athletics and football, like it or not, is the public face of the university to many people. People the larger university community cares about. Like lawmakers, potential research and development partners, potential students and their parents, potential employers of students, accrediting agencies, potential new hires for professors, deans and administrators, etc.

That's not true, they don't care. More importantly, they are not making up the massive losses suffered from your real customers.

 

[elvis63]

You two are pretty thick. There's a class of new freshmen every year and Joe Paterno matters less and led to more people each year .
Vendors , suppliers, donors the same . Young athletes with coaches , parents , teachers etc.
Yeah it's not as simple as some here think.

 

[91Joe95]

You two are pretty thick. There's a class of new freshmen every year and Joe Paterno matters less and led to more people each year .
Vendors , suppliers, donors the same . Young athletes with coaches , parents , teachers etc.
Yeah it's not as simple as some here think.

Sandy said they need donations to compete. What about that simple economic concept do you not understand?

 

[fairgambit]

You two are pretty thick. There's a class of new freshmen every year and Joe Paterno matters less and led to more people each year .
Vendors , suppliers, donors the same . Young athletes with coaches , parents , teachers etc.
Yeah it's not as simple as some here think.

There are new freshmen every year at Alabama as well, and yet Bear is still ubiquitous on campus. The same is true at UCLA where Wooden remains a big deal. Legends are like that. To deny it is to deny reality. As for donors, generally the biggest contributions come from older alums. Nearly all of them have deep ties to Joe Paterno and a lot of them are still pissed off. Is Penn State still raising money? Of course. Could they raise a lot more if they honored Joe in a meaningful way? Absolutely.

 

[eloracv]

Penn State Tries to Move Forward Without Abandoning Paterno

• By ralph d. russo, ap college football writer
• http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/penn-state-move-forward-abandoning-paterno-41736314

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Aug 30, 2016, 2:23 AM ET
Legends tend to linger in college football even after they are gone. At Penn State, getting out from under Joe Paterno's shadow is more complicated than the typical transition from a coaching giant.

After being the most stable — in many ways stagnant — football program in the country for nearly five decades, Penn State has been awash in change in the five years since Jerry Sandusky became infamous and dragged down Paterno with him.

Moving forward has required Penn State's new leaders to perform a most difficult maneuver: Distancing the school from a child sexual-abuse scandal that drew worldwide attention and shook Happy Valley, while not appearing to abandon the memory of the coach who many Penn Staters believe gave the university an identity for which they can still be proud.

"I think that is the ultimate challenge here," Penn State coach James Franklin told The Associated Press. "How do you balance the history, the traditions, all the wonderful things that are deep rooted here and have been here forever, (while) also making moves that you need to be progressive and to be moving towards a healthy present and a healthy future."

Franklin is entering his third season at Penn State. For the first time this season, Franklin will have the full allotment of 85 scholarships available when the Nittany Lions open at home against Kent State on Saturday. Penn State has gone 7-6 each of Franklin's first two years.

Moving forward at Penn State, though, is not just about getting past NCAA scholarship sanctions and bowl bans.

For Franklin, the 44-year-old first African-American football coach in Penn State history, one challenge is trying to get former players to actively support a program that no longer feels like home.

"The ones that have come back and been around us and spent time with us and come to practice have been really good," the former Vanderbilt coach said. "But there's been a group of guys that haven't been back because once again there's a fracture. There's still hurt feelings. It's not as just simple as the new coach."

Paterno coached at Penn State for 46 seasons. He was fired by the school's board of trustees days after Sandusky, his longtime defensive coordinator, was arrested in November 2011 for molesting and raping boys. Paterno died two and a half months later of lung cancer.

The statue of Paterno was removed from outside Beaver Stadium on July 22, 2012. Paterno's name is still on the campus library built in part by his donations, but highly visible and university sponsored signs of him are hard to find.

"I think Penn State needs to embrace Joe Paterno for who he was, for what he did at Penn State, unequivocally and without hesitation," said Anthony Lubrano, a Penn State alum and elected member of the board of trustees.

Lubrano said the university at minimum needs to apologize to Paterno's wife, Sue, display the statue again and rename the stadium Paterno Field at Beaver Stadium.

While juggling wishes of ardent supporters like Lubrano, university leadership is also trying to convey to those for whom Paterno will never be completely redeemed that Penn State's values were not tied directly to one man.

Splits in the relationship between Penn State and its supporters can take a practical toll on the university and athletic department's ability to compete with Michigan and Ohio State in the Big Ten. According to a university report, private support and donations to Penn State have seesawed widely since the scandal, from a high of $274.8 million in 2011 to $226 million in 2015.

Penn State's average attendance the last four seasons is 98,685, among the best in the country. But Beaver Stadium seats 107,000-plus and 9,000 empty seats per game costs the athletic department millions.

Athletic director Sandy Barbour and her team are considering a massive facilities upgrade, including either a renovation or a rebuild of the 56-year-old stadium. Donors will be needed, but the mere suggestion of taking down the stadium was not well received by some fans, Barbour said.

Barbour and Franklin try to stress that they will protect the things Paterno left behind that Penn Staters value most: Continuing Paterno's so-called Grand Experiment of prioritizing academics and character and winning the right way.

"Depending on their position people may look at him differently, but it doesn't change that he created that here. Or helped to create that here," said Barbour, the former California AD.

As outsiders trying to lead an athletic department that had the same face for nearly 50 years, Barbour and Franklin understand full support and acceptance will take time. Winning more football games would help, but there's a chicken-and-egg relationship between support and winning.

"I think we are still going through a healing process. I think what made Penn State successful for so long, and I think if you look at the programs across the country that were having success at the highest levels, everybody's aligned," Franklin said. "The head football coach, the athletic director, the president, the board and the alumni. That's what Penn State was for a long time. We need to get back to that to be the program that everybody wants us to be."

Many in the Penn State community are not yet ready to let go of how the school and Paterno were blamed and punished for the crimes of Sandusky, who is serving a 60-year prison sentence.

"And what many Penn Staters believe that the entirety of the Penn State community was accused of is really difficult for them to process," Barbour said. "That as a Penn State alum, as a Penn State employee, they're being painted with that brush."

The Paterno family and their staunchest supporters, including some of Penn State's most famous football alumni such as Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris, have dug in on redeeming the coach.

"Since Joe Paterno died, a lot of people suddenly got brave and said a lot of things about him that weren't true because he couldn't defend himself," Jay Paterno, Joe's son and a former Penn State assistant coach, said in a recent speech to the Lake Erie Alumni Association.

The latest round of allegations came in May from unsealed court documents, with an alleged Sandusky victim saying he complained to Paterno about Sandusky in 1976 and was rebuffed. University President Eric Barron responded with a carefully worded defense of the school and Paterno.

"None of these allegations about the supposed knowledge of university employees has been substantiated in a court of law or in any other process to test their veracity," Barron said.

But Barron, Barbour and Franklin can only go so far in their recognition of Paterno.

The 50th anniversary of Paterno's first game as Penn State coach is Sept. 17, when the Nittany Lions host Temple. There is a celebration in the works and a dinner being planned for family members, friends and former players in the State College area the night before the game. No event is scheduled yet to acknowledge the anniversary at Beaver Stadium.

"No matter what position as leadership you take on the continuum, there are others that are going to criticize," Barbour said. "Those that think that Penn State's not been stood up for enough. There are those that think Coach Paterno has not been stood up for enough. There are those that think Coach Paterno has been stood up for too much. It's all along the continuum. For leadership, really for anybody, that's a challenge."

Penn State football will never be the same, but there is hope for those who believe some things should never change.

"Have these times been difficult?" senior offensive lineman Andrew Nelson said. "Yeah, sure. But Penn State is defined by the tradition, you know? It's defined by the academics. It's defined by the type of guys that come play here. It doesn't matter exactly who's sitting in that head coaching position, we have special things here. After a while, Coach Franklin really helped us buy into that. And he bought into that, too. What makes Penn State special will always be here."

"But Barron, Barbour and Franklin can only go so far in their recognition of Paterno."
Really? They could say/do more to support Joe if they valued their integrity as much as they do their big salaries.

 

[ChiTownLion]

At least Tom Corbett admitted it was wrong to fire Joe Paterno.
And the OAG said they never understood why JVP was fired in the first place.
And Frank Fina himself said he had no reason to believe Joe Paterno was covering for Jerry Sandusky and that he did in fact take action against Jerry.
These are the points that need to be hammered home with all the critics.

 

[BobPSU92]

You and many other Penn Stater's don't give a flying f*** what the rest of the country thinks. Unfortunately when Barbour or Franklin speak, they have to.

I'm pretty sure they would love to be able honor Joe and talk about him in a way that helps fundraising, brings alumni together, and doesn't cause them to walk a tightrope lest they incur a shitload of bad publicity for the program and the university as a whole. But they can't. Yet. Frustrates the hell out of me, but I under and why.

If that is what barbour and franklin are thinking, then they need to confront the bot for making this mess.

 

[BBHorn86]

This is the part so many of you don't seem to understand. As far as much of the country is concerned, Freeh provided the evidence. Until that narrative is proven false BEYOND what Penn Staters think, this is the reality.

Franklin and Barbour's audience is not just Penn Staters. If it were, it works be much easier to praise Joe, etc. But as the public face of the A.D. AND in many ways the face of Penn State as a whole, right or wrong, they have a much broader audience. And that audience thinks Joe covered up.

Now, it would be nice if they could use their platform to correct a lot of misperceptions. However, in doing so, they risk a big backlash and being labeled JoeBots. UNLESS they can provide more information in sound bite fashion that people get... OR, the courts do it for them. None of us know exactly happened, so until we get there, or get closer than we are...

Unfortunately, until the court cases are resolved and people can talk, and evidence produced, they are walking a tightrope. The time for leadership of the sort you're looking for has long since passed. Spanier exhibited it, and got canned. The BOT all but put their hands up and said guilty as charged. It's too late to but the genie back in the bottle, and control the narrative. Now we need actual facts to refute with, because people have made up their minds and nothing short of proof and putting Freeh under a microscope is going to do that. And at this point, I seriously doubt it happens until the court cases are done, and/or the A9 complete their review, and present a COMPELLING repudiation that the press can't ignore.

Thanks for your opinion and insight. I am so incapable of understanding all the nuance in what you just laid out on my own. Until just this moment I had NO clue the current administrators and coach are walking such a tight rope... yada, yada, yada... My dollars stay in my pocket until they get it right. That remains the bottom line for me. A true leader would speak to the falsities of the Freeh report not let it sit there until the legal process bails them out. But I get it we are in a politically correct world where nobody stands for anything.

 

[elvis63]

There are new freshmen every year at Alabama as well, and yet Bear is still ubiquitous on campus. The same is true at UCLA where Wooden remains a big deal. Legends are like that. To deny it is to deny reality. As for donors, generally the biggest contributions come from older alums. Nearly all of them have deep ties to Joe Paterno and a lot of them are still pissed off. Is Penn State still raising money? Of course. Could they raise a lot more if they honored Joe in a meaningful way? Absolutely.

I'm not talking sports but the whole university. There's more to this university than Joe.

 

[Aoshiro]

You two are pretty thick. There's a class of new freshmen every year and Joe Paterno matters less and led to more people each year .
Vendors , suppliers, donors the same . Young athletes with coaches , parents , teachers etc.
Yeah it's not as simple as some here think.

You are delusional if you think that young alumni in their 20s who are still carrying a mountain of student loans can make up for the loss of donations from alums in their 50s and 60s who are pissed off by how the university treated Paterno.

 

[Aoshiro]

The larger university cares what many of those people think. That's what you're not getting. Athletics and football, like it or not, is the public face of the university to many people. People the larger university community cares about. Like lawmakers, potential research and development partners, potential students and their parents, potential employers of students, accrediting agencies, potential new hires for professors, deans and administrators, etc.

Since Day One of this mess it has been the university that has shaped people's thinking. It was university trustees who fed anti-Paterno information to the press, it was trustees who fired him, it was trustees who overtly encouraged Freeh to find Paterno "guilty" and condemn our "culture."

The university shaped public perception one way; and now it is the university's obligation to fix the mess that it created.
Otherwise, wallets will remain firmly shut.

 

[crm114psu]

You are delusional if you think that young alumni in their 20s who are still carrying a mountain of student loans can make up for the loss of donations from alums in their 50s and 60s who are pissed off by how the university treated Paterno.

There will be a downward trend in donations, no doubt. At some point that will turn around and most likely exceed the peak of 2011. Like it or not the university is moving on. Individuals may make their own decisions about their support.

 

[fairgambit]

I'm not talking sports but the whole university. There's more to this university than Joe.

Nor am I. Even his worst critics will acknowledge Joe's monumental fund raising efforts for the entire university. It's not called the Paterno library for nothing. Perhaps this article will enlighten you.

http://www.pennlive.com/specialprojects/index.ssf/2012/01/joe_paterno_a_life_-_a_fundrai.html

Among the highlights.
No one knows the exact amount of money he's donated and raised. Some at the university say it's well above $1 billion.

His popularity and iconic status got him through the doors of potential donors that might have been impenetrable to others. His charm often led to the promise of fists full of cash supporting the university. "He [was] one of the strongest weapons Penn State [had] in that regard," former Penn State President Joab Thomas said.

Paterno could attract attention from a broader spectrum of potential donors than almost anyone you could name. Banking on that, and the success of the university's first campaign back in the 1980s, Paterno played a leading role in setting $1 billion as the goal for Penn State's second capital campaign that ended in 2003. "I would needle 'em all the time, ‘We're not setting a goal high enough,'" Paterno had said. "Let's go for a billion, a billion sounds great. Nine hundred ninety million wouldn't be as impressive. I think your alumni when they hear their university can raise a billion dollars and go out and get it done, it makes them proud."
That second campaign raised $1.4 billion.

First and foremost, Paterno led by example. He and his wife have given the university more than $4 million for scholarships, endowed faculty positions and assorted building projects, most notably the library wing at the university's main campus that bears their name.

 

[Aoshiro]

There will be a downward trend in donations, no doubt. At some point that will turn around and most likely exceed the peak of 2011. Like it or not the university is moving on. Individuals may make their own decisions about their support.

This will negatively affect donations for decades. How is this good for the university?

 

[Bob78]

You two are pretty thick. There's a class of new freshmen every year and Joe Paterno matters less and led to more people each year .
Vendors , suppliers, donors the same . Young athletes with coaches , parents , teachers etc.
Yeah it's not as simple as some here think.

Joe only matters less now because the PSU leadership (ha!) has allowed that to happen. They are doing a huge disservice to PSU by allowing/hoping/helping Joe's memory to fade. JVP helped tremendously to set the table for a lasting legacy for academic excellence and future fund-raising. He was the greatest goodwill asset an athletic dept. ever gave to its school.

By involving Joe's legacy and the Paterno family, the fundraising would remain strong for decades. Trot out past players and faculty and staff who have benefited by JVP's vision and goals for the entire school in front of fundraising events and see how people reach for their checkbooks then and for decades to come.

By re-visiting JVP's philosophies around Success With Honor and The Grand Experiment and the Paterno Fellows program and on and on, then Joe continues to matter tremendously.... and the whole school - academics, research, Innovation Park, alumni relations, and finally, athletics all benefit greatly.

We are missing as good an opportunity as possible by ignoring JVP's legacy and allowing Joe to matter less and less. It's short-sighted and petty and just plain dumb from a business point of view. And it sits at the feet of the OGBOT and those currently controlling the power.

 

[NittPicker]

"But Barron, Barbour and Franklin can only go so far in their recognition of Paterno."
Really? They could say/do more to support Joe if they valued their integrity as much as they do their big salaries.

Franklin has talked numerous times in the past about his respect and admiration for Joe Paterno. He can't be expected to open every press conference with a Paterno tribute. Ultimately he has very litle say so about when or if Joe's contributions will be recognized. Barbour obviously has more authority but I can't imagine her doing anything to rock the boat. As for Barron, he's still busy with his Freeh review.

 

[Bobpsu]

You and many other Penn Stater's don't give a flying f*** what the rest of the country thinks. Unfortunately when Barbour or Franklin speak, they have to.

I'm pretty sure they would love to be able honor Joe and talk about him in a way that helps fundraising, brings alumni together, and doesn't cause them to walk a tightrope lest they incur a shitload of bad publicity for the program and the university as a whole. But they can't. Yet. Frustrates the hell out of me, but I under and why.

Just who the fvck do you think you are?

 

[91Joe95]

I'm not talking sports but the whole university. There's more to this university than Joe.

Donations are still down to the point Barron changed his big school wide fundraiser. Its a simple concept really, fictitious potential customers do not donate while real customers do. The real customer is the one any good business will target if it wants to succeed.

 

[91Joe95]

Franklin has talked numerous times in the past about his respect and admiration for Joe Paterno. He can't be expected to open every press conference with a Paterno tribute. Ultimately he has very litle say so about when or if Joe's contributions will be recognized. Barbour obviously has more authority but I can't imagine her doing anything to rock the boat. As for Barron, he's still busy with his Freeh review.

Franklin has pushed the boundary many times without any negative consequences. The public and his customers did not turn on him, nor did his bosses. Sandy and Frau Barron could do the same, they choose not to.

 

[fairgambit]

There will be a downward trend in donations, no doubt. At some point that will turn around and most likely exceed the peak of 2011. Like it or not the university is moving on. Individuals may make their own decisions about their support.

No doubt, at some point, they will exceed past donation records, but that could be achieved much sooner, and in much larger numbers, if Penn State had effective leadership.

 

[elvis63]

And

Nor am I. Even his worst critics will acknowledge Joe's monumental fund raising efforts for the entire university. It's not called the Paterno library for nothing. Perhaps this article will enlighten you.

http://www.pennlive.com/specialprojects/index.ssf/2012/01/joe_paterno_a_life_-_a_fundrai.html

Among the highlights.
No one knows the exact amount of money he's donated and raised. Some at the university say it's well above $1 billion.

His popularity and iconic status got him through the doors of potential donors that might have been impenetrable to others. His charm often led to the promise of fists full of cash supporting the university. "He [was] one of the strongest weapons Penn State [had] in that regard," former Penn State President Joab Thomas said.

Paterno could attract attention from a broader spectrum of potential donors than almost anyone you could name. Banking on that, and the success of the university's first campaign back in the 1980s, Paterno played a leading role in setting $1 billion as the goal for Penn State's second capital campaign that ended in 2003. "I would needle 'em all the time, ‘We're not setting a goal high enough,'" Paterno had said. "Let's go for a billion, a billion sounds great. Nine hundred ninety million wouldn't be as impressive. I think your alumni when they hear their university can raise a billion dollars and go out and get it done, it makes them proud."
That second campaign raised $1.4 billion.

First and foremost, Paterno led by example. He and his wife have given the university more than $4 million for scholarships, endowed faculty positions and assorted building projects, most notably the library wing at the university's main campus that bears their name.

And the jury is still out on what Joe knew when . If it is shown he had more knowledge here than some believe it's a PR nightmare . Again . And it looks worse for the university.
If nothing worse comes to pass the university can honor Paterno down the road .
But many here are greatly overestimating Joe's influence now. He's not fundraising anymore .

 

[91Joe95]

No doubt, at some point, they will exceed past donation records, but that could be achieved much sooner, and in much larger numbers, if Penn State had effective leadership.

Considering they've been raising STEP prices, and that is by far the biggest component of the "donations," and yet they keep losing ground should be highly concerning to them. STEP is predicated on tickets being hard to get, and they are not because of the damage they have done to both the product and the customer base. Real customers are choosing not to donate, and their fictitious potential customers are not making up the difference.

 

[91Joe95]

And

And the jury is still out on what Joe knew when . If it is shown he had more knowledge here than some believe it's a PR nightmare . Again . And it looks worse for the university.
If nothing worse comes to pass the university can honor Paterno down the road .
But many here are greatly overestimating Joe's influence now. He's not fundraising anymore .

Your fictitious potential customers aren't donating either way.

 

[fairgambit]

And

And the jury is still out on what Joe knew when . If it is shown he had more knowledge here than some believe it's a PR nightmare . Again . And it looks worse for the university.
If nothing worse comes to pass the university can honor Paterno down the road .
But many here are greatly overestimating Joe's influence now. He's not fundraising anymore .

You greatly underestimate it. As an attorney, I have clients who have removed Penn State from their Wills, and ceased their annual donations, because Joe has not been meaningfully honored. I personally have not given a dime (other than to THON) since Joe's firing. I am not a mega donor, but at one point I was donating more than $1,000 a year. I know I am not alone. You can argue that Penn State should not honor Joe, or should move on, but to deny his past, and present, influence over donations is to deny reality.

 

[Aoshiro]

And

And the jury is still out on what Joe knew when . If it is shown he had more knowledge here than some believe it's a PR nightmare . Again . And it looks worse for the university.
If nothing worse comes to pass the university can honor Paterno down the road .
But many here are greatly overestimating Joe's influence now. He's not fundraising anymore .

It is absolutely ridiculous to believe that Paterno knew that Sandsuky was a pedophile. It is asinine. To believe that, you have to believe that Paterno allowed HIS OWN CHILDREN to be in the company of a pedophile.

If you want to believe something so COMPLETELY STUPID there is no point in having any discussion with you.

 

[delcoLion]

And

And the jury is still out on what Joe knew when . If it is shown he had more knowledge here than some believe it's a PR nightmare . Again . And it looks worse for the university.
If nothing worse comes to pass the university can honor Paterno down the road .
But many here are greatly overestimating Joe's influence now. He's not fundraising anymore .

Not sure how it can be worse. Any article in a newspaper or on-line that addresses CSA always - always - references PSU, Sandusky, and usually Paterno. It sucks, man.

PSU doesn't deserve a f*&%&^% penny from the alums. Let the f'n BoT donate to the place.

 

[Victor E. Bell]

"And what many Penn Staters believe that the entirety of the Penn State community was accused (BY OUR OWN HIRED GUN) of is really difficult for them to process," Barbour said. "That as a Penn State alum, as a Penn State employee, they're being painted with that brush."

I have to admit, this is the first time I recall somebody from PSU acknowledging this instead of ignoring this glaring truth. This has been my bitch and complaint all along, independent of whatever corrupt or pure motives may or may not be in play by whatever party. Independent of anyone's perception of what Joe Paterno knew, didn't know, ignored, said, or didn't say, this paragraph describes the 800lb gorilla in the room. The so-called leadership denigrated everyone who ever went to school here by their actions and approbation of published reports and opinions that have heretofore gone unchallenged. So at least on some level Barbour understands, or at least pays lip service to the notion which is a step. Penn State can call its entire alumni base a bunch of soulless bastards but they can't then claim surprise when the soulless bail out and say "EFF U." Donations are down? Shocking. Some alumni players have removed themselves from the fold? A stunning development. Never could have envisioned such a thing. They should embrace PSU's scolding blame and just write more checks.

 

[lein]

You mean there is a bigger shitload of bad publicity than what has already been dumped on the program and university? At this point they are already Mt. Nittany deep in bad publicity so who cares if they get any more?! Do what is right and honor the man!

Exactly. Franklin and Barbor are outsiders, they come to the university and have been exposed to the full story. They don't need to walk a tightrope, they need to take a stand. Sure the media will initially go nuts but giving thoughtful, factual responses changes the narrative for anyone that matters.

They say they are going flak no matter what, so get off the damn fence and do the right thing. The CBS knucklehead in Chicago isn't gonna support you no matter what, regardless.

 

[Royal_Coaster]

And

And the jury is still out on what Joe knew when . If it is shown he had more knowledge here than some believe it's a PR nightmare . Again . And it looks worse for the university.
If nothing worse comes to pass the university can honor Paterno down the road .
But many here are greatly overestimating Joe's influence now. He's not fundraising anymore .

And the reason for that is because any yahoo can come along, talk to a local reporter, claim he told Joe Paterno that Jerry Sandusky put a finger up his butt in front of every letterman who ever played football for PSU and it's given instant credence. And then tools like you start to shriek about "victims" any time someone here notices just one of the thousands of inconsistencies in their fabrications.

Nobody gets to show what Joe knew when because everyone is too afraid to challenge the story of a "victim" who doesn't know if he was in Eisenhower Auditorium, Hammond Building, or walking on the bottom of the pool at the Natatorium when he supposedly told Paterno about being abused. For all we know, he might have been at Shippensburg or Clarion.

So thanks to people like you, the narrative is that we can't talk about those stories. Then in the next breath you say we haven't provided proof that Paterno didn't know and that PSU culture isn't all about not caring for victims or CSA. Leave the building, elvis, once and for all.

 

[elvis63]

Your fictitious potential customers aren't donating either way.

http://news.psu.edu/story/311758/20...eeds-goal-raises-2158-billion-private-support

"Corporate philanthropy has totaled more than $400 million during For the Future.
-- Past and present members of Penn State’s Board of Trustees have given more than $110 million to the campaign."


Explain to me about customers . You have no idea what you're talking about .

Corporations aren't the customers you're talking about. Trustees old and current as of 2014 donated 100,000,000.

 

[ChiTownLion]

Remember when Guy Gadowski was blindsided in that radio interview about the 409 stickers enabling child rape? The U needs to come up with a solution to such situations and so far the easiest solution has been, simply, "don't go there."

 

[kgilbert78]

Had the JVP 'transition' happened naturally instead of via the Sandusky/TSM mess, we all would have moved on long ago. We would hear talk about JVP without hesitation, we would hear comparisons to things other coaches do to make an impact on their teams and schools and how JVP's influence is felt over a wide area, etc. We would feel the pride we should be 'allowed' to feel without knowing we would run into some angry opposition, etc.

Maybe. By that I mean that any transition would have been challenging--and it takes a while to get to the new normal. That's true of any prominent leader. It takes time to find one's way. We would not have escaped that.

Mind you, I understand what you are saying. You may be right. But at this point, I'm just hoping to get the truth out on the table. Someday.

 

[BobPSU92]

This will negatively affect donations for decades. How is this good for the university?

We don't need no stinkin' money.

 

[91Joe95]

http://news.psu.edu/story/311758/20...eeds-goal-raises-2158-billion-private-support

"Corporate philanthropy has totaled more than $400 million during For the Future.
-- Past and present members of Penn State’s Board of Trustees have given more than $110 million to the campaign."


Explain to me about customers . You have no idea what you're talking about .

Corporations aren't the customers you're talking about. Trustees old and current as of 2014 donated 100,000,000.

That's it? Where are all these fictitious potential customers making up the difference for the real customers who aren't donating?

 

[91Joe95]

Maybe. By that I mean that any transition would have been challenging--and it takes a while to get to the new normal. That's true of any prominent leader. It takes time to find one's way. We would not have escaped that.

Mind you, I understand what you are saying. You may be right. But at this point, I'm just hoping to get the truth out on the table. Someday.

Would fundraising be this challenging? What about STEP if the bot hadn't gutted the product on the field? I just don't see it being even remotely as challenging to what it is now.

 

[fairgambit]

http://news.psu.edu/story/311758/20...eeds-goal-raises-2158-billion-private-support
"Corporate philanthropy has totaled more than $400 million during For the Future.
-- Past and present members of Penn State’s Board of Trustees have given more than $110 million to the campaign."
Explain to me about customers . You have no idea what you're talking about .
Corporations aren't the customers you're talking about. Trustees old and current as of 2014 donated 100,000,000.

I'm sure you know (others may not) that this Campaign started in January, 2007, and by April, 2010, 50 percent of the 2 billion dollar goal had been reached. By the way, the honorary chair for this campaign was that football coach guy. What the heck was his name....Petrino? No, maybe Passimo? Or Palermo? Nope ...give me a second.... PATERNO. That's it. I wonder why the hell they named some old coach as honorary chair. And from what I understand, he was more than honorary. He actually raised money. Probably not much, couple hundred maybe. People probably took pity on the old guy and slipped him $20 for the Campaign. Sad, really.

 

[kgilbert78]

Considering they've been raising STEP prices, and that is by far the biggest component of the "donations," and yet they keep losing ground should be highly concerning to them. STEP is predicated on tickets being hard to get, and they are not because of the damage they have done to both the product and the customer base. Real customers are choosing not to donate, and their fictitious potential customers are not making up the difference.

Well, there are quite a few reasons other than Joe that attendance is down. One is a nationwide trend. One was STEP itself and how it was introduced. One is the fact that the Beav probably was overbuilt by about 5-10K. Joe's a factor, sure. But I think we'd be dealing with this anyway.