My response to President Barrons email on civility Dear Dr. Barron I received your email Friday concerning civility and on the surface, who could disagree with your wish? Civility certainly has been lacking across our nation and recent communications among Penn Staters are no exception. As I read your email further, I became distressed because your examples of incivility appeared to be one sided. Perhaps you do not know that from the very beginning, members of the Board of Trustees used their bully pulpit to label alumni who questioned their actions as “Joebots”, “anarchists” and “people who only cared about football”. They managed to craft a narrative of these alumni as crazed football fans when for many of us, the issue was about Penn State, not the Penn State football team. Our concern was how an institution that we loved could be accused of playing a role in such a horrific crime – and why no one appeared to be standing up for our University and for due process. In the ensuing weeks, incivility continued. Letters from concerned alumni to trustees were marked “return to sender” and returned unopened. One trustee even publicly attacked an alumna for using “poor handwriting” on an envelope. As events unfolded, and Penn State’s name continued to be dragged through the mud, many alumni came to believe that the Board of Trustees was not defending Penn State. So alumni took the only action available – we organized through social media, mobilized in large numbers and voted in trustees who we believed would represent us and voice our concerns. In the past year for example, we elected a professor of child psychology, a former lieutenant governor of the state of Pennsylvania, and the former Chief Executive Officer of Sallie Mae. These are truly accomplished individuals, as are those previously elected in 2012 and 2013. Their CVs are inconsistent with the label of “maniacal Joebots with anarchistic tendencies”. Yet, the power cabal within the Board of Trustees continues to disenfranchise our accomplished representatives – alumni are underrepresented on the Executive Committee and important ad hoc committees such as the Presidential Search Committee. The slap in the face to alumni is hard and acrimonious. I was quite concerned when I read your statement that “We are likely never to have the full story.” I hope that I misinterpreted that statement because it concerns me that we are not pledged to search for the truth. Universities are centers of knowledge and education. Certainly, there are many perspectives and views – but there is only one truth. Perhaps we will not find all the answers. But does that mean we quit looking for the truth? Does that mean we give up and instead accept half-truths, obfuscation and falsehoods? Because that is what the BOT has recommended. “Nothing to see here, move on” has become the mantra of those who want us to go away. When did asking for the truth become uncivil? Maybe we don’t yet know the truth but the falsehoods are clear. So we will continue to ask as civilly as possible “When will someone in the administration of Penn State step forward and state that Sandusky’s crimes were not the fault of Penn State but rather the result of a large, and broken, child welfare and legal system and an unchecked “charitable institution” known as the Second Mile?” “When will someone in the administration acknowledge that the Freeh report was based on flawed methodology, lacked legal standing, and contained inaccurate and unsubstantiated conclusions?” “When will someone acknowledge that without the truth, concerned alumni are not going to “move on” and won’t be satisfied by reducing/removing NCAA sanctions.” The alumni did not make it about football – the power cabal within the BOT did. That, President Barron, is truth. Many alumni believed that your selection as President of Penn State represented a new beginning. I believe you have an incredible opportunity – I would hope that you would take an hour of your time to listen directly to the alumni characterized by the BOT as “uncivil.” Hear from us why we love this University, why we use our own funds to travel to BOT meetings, why we won’t be silent when injustice is present. We learned the values of honor and loyalty “when we stood at childhood’s gate.” Listen to us first and then decide if we deserve your respect or only the BOT’s derision. If you do listen, you may be surprised. If you don’t, you may find that there will be many more of those “long time donors of time and treasure who no longer feel welcome” as you so eloquently stated. I wish you much success in your tenure as President of Penn State and for now I remain, one very loyal alumna. For the glory, Deborah Casamassa Beidel Class of 1976 Incoming member Penn State Alumni Association Alumni Council Member
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 22:29:00 +0000
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