Sexual Assault

On November 7, 2011 a report came out saying that sexual harassment in American schools is an epidemic. This same day we hear that Penn State’s athletic director and vice president step down after being accused of covering up the sexual abuse of 8 boys (on 11/15, 10 more came out) since 2000 by former football defensive coach Jerry Sandusky (who has 6 adopted kids). The coach is accused of abusing children as young as 10 at a charity camp (The Second Mile) he set up for at risk kids at a satellite campus after being banned from the main Penn State campus. On November 8 it’s pointed out that Penn State has a monument (motto – success with honor) calling Coach Joe Paterno an educator, coach and humanitarian but police said he didn’t do enough to stop the sexual harassment by his assistant. On November 9 a 28 year old graduate assistant coach said he watched Sandusky molest a 10 year old and a young man watched the murder of a young girl in a Las Vegas bathroom. It was said that fear and misguided loyalty are allowing such behavior to occur. November 10 Good Morning America reports that Penn State rioted (protesters throwing rocks, turning over TV van and police had to use tear gas to control them) after Coach Paterno (who was going to retire at the end of the season) was fired via the telephone; many are not supportive of rioters as they felt it showed disrespect for those abused and/or makes the college look bad. On this same date, the University President was fired. On November 12 Penn State held a vigil at a football game to show support for the victims of the sexual abuse scandal. November 15 Sandusky said he’s horsed-around with the kids but he’s innocent of the charges. People want to know why Sandusky is still on the streets; per Joy Behar on the View the judge that let him free worked for his charity (it’s seen as a conflict of interest). This same date on the Talk, Henry Winkler said in regard to Penn State - you don’t choose an institution over the children and Aisha Tyler said the lawyer for Sandusky is just as bad; he impregnated a 16 year old (the legal age of consent in Pennsylvania). Bottom line thoughts are that people need to question authority based on knowing what is right and wrong; you don’t just look away or do something because someone in power or is an icon says so. On November 17, it was reported that the judge that set Sandusky’s low bail was replaced and more victims are coming forward. On December 4 Dr. Michael Welner, a Forensic Psychiatrist, talked about Sandusky’s on camera interview with the New York Times. He said Sandusky helped himself with coming forward with an interview; by communicating the way we as health professionals appreciate – cognitive distortion – it’s a way that an offender relates his actions to another that sounds convincing but denies, justifies, rationalizes, minimizes in such a way to say – there’s nothing to see here, move on. Dr. Welner said when you see compelling evidence that comes forward in the form of claims of many victims and many incidents and a witness – it explains why he could speak to law enforcement in 1998 and 2002 and possibly to Penn State administration, leveraging his authority and cognitive distortion facilitating other people to ignore the situation; he made it sound like it just happened. There are no barriers, sexual assault is the end point of a process of grooming; he (Sandusky) orchestrated it. Dr. Welner said he shouldn’t be out on bail, that he’s a public health menace and should be quarantined. On December 8 there were 2 more charges made against Sandusky, he spent the night in jail and $250,000 in bail was set. On December 17 a judge ordered the trial of 2 Penn State officials, charging them with lying to the Grand Jury during the sexual abuse scandal investigation.

The Penn State scandal was just the being of what we were to hear. On November 11 it was reported that Prosser, Washington’s Mayor Linda Lusk (husband school principal) was convicted of sexting and inappropriate physical contact with her daughter’s 14 year old ex-boyfriend; she said it stemmed from the depression of losing her son (ABC said you have to go beyond the headlines and see why this happened). November 15 we heard that there are 7 colleges undergoing local and federal sex scandal investigations. The Citadel Military College in South Carolina apologized for its failure to do more in investigating the admitted assault of 5 boys by a camp counselor. November 19 Syracuse University placed its basketball coach, Bernie Fine, on administration leave after charges of sexual molestation by 2 former ball boys and he’s fired on November 28. According to the View, ESPN, the police and the wife (taped phone call by victim) had known for about 10 years and the statute of limitations (5 years) needs to change as kids often wait until they’re adults to surface the abuse. (December 11 Memphis police investigate allegations by 2 boys that former Amateur Athletic Union President & CEO Robert Dodd molested them in the 1980s.) November 22 we heard that a former Iowa elementary school principal got 30 years for videotaping boys in the bathroom (December 29 we heard a New Jersey educator did the same thing). November 28 a college professor was in court on charges of watching child porn on a flight from Salt Lake City to Boston. On December 1, in a plea bargain for raping a 17 year old girl, a 31 year old Albuquerque, New Mexico (NM) Band Director got 5 years probation, doesn’t register as a sex offender and his record can be expunged at the end of his probation; I guess the age of consent made a difference in the plea bargain as it’s 17 in NM. In addition to these stories there was a number of college hazing deaths reported; On January 3, 2012 Florida A&M formed an independent committee to investigate hazing in wake of a drum major’s death. Of course I have a problem with this all this illicit behavior including any school official having sex with any student.