Penn State Board of Trustees Responds to Freeh Report
By: Eric Deabill
Updated: July 16, 2012
Scranton, Lackawanna County - Members of the Penn State Board of Trustees call the Freeh report released Thursday "sad and sobering."
Members of the Board of Trustees are in Scranton this week gearing up for a regularly-scheduled July meeting at the Penn State Worthington/Scranton campus.
Several members of the Board of Trustees met the media at the Hilton Hotel in Scranton at 3:30 PM.
"An event like this can never happen again in the Penn State University community," trustee Kenneth C. Frazier said. Frazier is also the chairman of the trustee's special investigative task force.
Taking complete responsibility for what happened, board members vowed to move on after the Freeh report was released.
"With today's report we can continue the process of addressing the most painful chapter in the university's history," Penn State president Rodney Erickson said.
In the wake of the Freeh report, trustees say no members of the board plan to resign.
The Freeh report was critical of the Board of Trustees for their lack of questions and action before, during and after former coach Jerry Sandusky was charged with sexual abuse.
Trustees vowed to look at all 199 recommendations of the report and implement many of them as quickly as possible.
"We will be closely studying this document as we continue to push forward in identifying and implementing necessary changes across the entire university," Board of Trustees chairwoman Karen Peetz said.
According to the Freeh report, the Board of Trustees did not set a "tone at the top."
Officials admit they didn't question former PSU President Graham Spanier enough.
"We failed to ask the right questions, the tough questions," Frazier said.
As for how to honor former Penn State coach Joe Paterno, trustees say that is still up for discussion.
"The clarity that has come out of the report which showed that 61 years of excellent service that Joe gave to the university is now marred," Peetz said.
Members of the Board of Trustees are in Scranton this week gearing up for a regularly-scheduled July meeting at the Penn State Worthington/Scranton campus.
Several members of the Board of Trustees met the media at the Hilton Hotel in Scranton at 3:30 PM.
"An event like this can never happen again in the Penn State University community," trustee Kenneth C. Frazier said. Frazier is also the chairman of the trustee's special investigative task force.
Taking complete responsibility for what happened, board members vowed to move on after the Freeh report was released.
"With today's report we can continue the process of addressing the most painful chapter in the university's history," Penn State president Rodney Erickson said.
In the wake of the Freeh report, trustees say no members of the board plan to resign.
The Freeh report was critical of the Board of Trustees for their lack of questions and action before, during and after former coach Jerry Sandusky was charged with sexual abuse.
Trustees vowed to look at all 199 recommendations of the report and implement many of them as quickly as possible.
"We will be closely studying this document as we continue to push forward in identifying and implementing necessary changes across the entire university," Board of Trustees chairwoman Karen Peetz said.
According to the Freeh report, the Board of Trustees did not set a "tone at the top."
Officials admit they didn't question former PSU President Graham Spanier enough.
"We failed to ask the right questions, the tough questions," Frazier said.
As for how to honor former Penn State coach Joe Paterno, trustees say that is still up for discussion.
"The clarity that has come out of the report which showed that 61 years of excellent service that Joe gave to the university is now marred," Peetz said.
