In an ethical and moral analysis of this fall scandal, the new interim president of Penn State University, Rodney Erickson, commented that they would “not only do what is required under the law; we will do what is right.” The politics that have played out in this scandal have been preposterous. Had Paterno been a coach of a small college, would this have held such media hype in the first place? So in the light of the media views, the political opinions, and the public beliefs, Erickson does what most leaders would do – CYA. He reminds the public that he is newly in charge and that he will do what is right. This implies that the other leaders did NOT do what was right in light of the accusations.
So not to sound too cynical, this writer believes the new interim president was also trying to build morale with the community, the public, and the students. Penn State holds a rich history of values, strength, success, commitment, integrity, and championship! They do not want to be defined by one event in history, but by their true academic and athletic heritage.
Our constitution has defined an awesome set of standards by which all rules, laws, policies and practices have been tailored. Past these statutes, there is a much higher order of ABSOLUTE TRUTH – the Holy Bible. Beyond all ethical, moral, and legal standards this world holds of what should or should not have happened from the start, the simple truth is that we should be honest and bring all evil to light so to correct and change the issue.
The reaction to this situation and presidential statement is that the previous leaders and involved personnel should have done everything in their ability to stop the wrongs – including notification of law enforcement. The interim president is stating what is typically stated – we will do what is right and we will abide by the law – could you imagine the outrage had he stated anything different??
