Last evening the Paterno Fellows Student Advisory Board shared their thoughts with me and Associate Dean Chris Long concerning the current crisis and how it might affect the Paterno Fellows Program. The discussion was so wide-ranging that I cannot summarize it well–but I will try. Attending were advisory board students Christine Theberge, Olivia Hoover, Nathan Hollister, Doug Smith, Brian Prewitt, Coral Flanagan, Ben Stewart, and Sean Dooling; Paterno Fellows Max Keire and Lauren Perrotti; and Dean Long and me. Laura Dzwonczyk participated by email.
Two specific outcomes, both related to hearing more of your thoughts:
- A “message board” is available for you to share your thoughts: respond to this posting with your comments; or respond to other postings from Paterno Fellows that you will see in this blog space. Think of this medium as our way of sharing information and ideas. Non-Fellows and non-aspirants can read your comments and comment as well–we can’t stop that–but we expect that the overwhelming number of comments will be from Fellows and aspirants.
- “Facilitated small group discussions” will be arranged, we expect, so that Paterno Fellows as a cohort can come together to ask questions, offer comments and viewpoints, and share ideas. Watch for an announcement, and please participate.
(Also: see my blog entry on Going Home: FAQs for suggestions on how to cope in the short run, as you are discussing the whole matter with family and friends over the break.)
The Advisory Board will discuss your comments and suggestions and needs and observations at its next meeting on December 6.
The discussion last night began with statements of frustration; students feel that they have not been adequately informed as to the rationale for Board of Trustee actions; that information seems to be coming from everywhere except the university; and that they would like answers to all kinds of questions. A list of such questions is being formulated by the group so that answers might be solicited from likely providers; but the Advisory Board would also like your input. They encourage you to make your views known.
The discussion shifted to specific short-term actions that Paterno Fellows might take. Paterno Fellows themselves wish to be responsible for what the program stands for: perhaps it means adding nuance and complexity to what an iconic name like “Paterno” means; perhaps it means taking up specific focuses within the ethics, leadership, and service imperatives of the program; in any event, the Board will be looking to DO SOMETHING distinctive as Paterno Fellows. Long-term it might mean that Fellows adopt a specific charity or take on a specific group project or conduct a particular activity as a regular part of its mission. Those in the room stated that they are proud of the ideas and ideals that the program stands for. In essence it will be Fellows themselves who define what the PFP stands for.
What about the “Paterno” part of the Paterno Fellows? The students came to the consensus that so far not enough has emerged to make them wish to distance themselves from the name Paterno. Students appreciate what Joe Paterno has accomplished and has stood for in his life; the program recognizes not just Joe Paterno but the entire Paterno family; and students do not wish to join in on any rush to judgment but instead insist on critical examination and thoughtful reflection and the collection of additional information. Students claim not to “idolize” Mr Paterno uncritically (as the media implies) but to respect what he and his family have stood for through their actions. At the same time, there was a recognition that further fact-finding and reflection certainly might lead students to call for something different. The protection of children is a matter of utmost seriousness, all agreed, and opinions in the room ranged from strong, vigorous support of the name to wariness.
As I read over this summary, it feels very inadequate. I am leaving things out inadvertently, and I ask those who were there to elaborate by recording your own sense of what transpired. This summary also fails to reflect the passion in the room, the give and take in the discussion, the thoughtfulness and respectfulness in the room, the imperative to “do something” and to make sure it’s the right thing. The matter requires us to be at our best. Please add your own thoughts in the coming days and weeks.