As a Result of Penn State Scandal, Goucher Evaluates Procedures

Through inaction, legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and other university officials may have irreparably tarnished the school's reputation as allegations of child sex abuse have cast a cloud over the university.

Retired assistant coach Jerry Sandusky is accused of molesting eight boys from 1994 to 2009. Paterno and other university officials have come under fire not doing enough to either stop the abuse or to bring the matter to the attention of law enforcement. Last week, the Penn State's board of trustees fired Paterno and university president Graham Spanier. The school's former athletic director and vice president have been charged with perjury.

A Penn State situation—with its legendary, profitable football program and "Happy Valley" reputation—would be unlikely in Towson. But if the unthinkable were to happen, as it has at Penn State, how would and respond?

Goucher president sent a letter to the campus community on Wednesday announcing he has assembled senior staffers and others in "an abundance of caution" to make sure proper procedures would be in place.

"Vastly different though the institutions may be, in size and character, inevitably we must ask ourselves whether something like this could ever happen here at Goucher, and I know we want to reassure ourselves that, in such a horrible and unlikely event, we would handle it swiftly, appropriately, and with moral integrity," Ungar wrote.

Goucher spokeswoman Kristen Keener said the college has since received emails from students and parents thanking it for being proactive with what Keener called a "teachable moment."

"Goucher strives to be very transparent and when an instance like this comes up it becomes a good point at which to go back, review, make sure all of our policies are clearly stated, to use the opportunity to remind people that there are policies and procedures that we do have in place to prevent something like the miscommunication at Penn State from happening," Keener said.

Since the meetings Ungar called for in his letter have not yet occurred, Keener could not provide details of what policies the review might bring about.

At Towson University, spokeswoman Carol Dunsworth said the university has no plans "at this time" to reexamine its procedures. However, the university does background checks on employees at the time of hiring and requires training for employees who work with children.

The university also has clauses in event contracts with outside organizations requiring them to follow all state and local laws. Several employees, including Dunsworth, have also been trained in crisis communication.

Here's the full text of Ungar's letter:

Dear Members of the Goucher Community:

          I’m sure that we have all watched the tragedy unfolding at Penn State over the past ten days with great sadness, especially for the young children who seem to have had no one looking out for their interests and protecting them from harm. It does seem in this case that many people who should have known better lost their moral compass, and it will take quite some time for that great university to deal with the consequences.

          Vastly different though the institutions may be, in size and character, inevitably we must ask ourselves whether something like this could ever happen here at Goucher, and I know we want to reassure ourselves that, in such a horrible and unlikely event, we would handle it swiftly, appropriately, and with moral integrity.

          There is no reason to suspect any such issues at Goucher. But public scrutiny of every American institution of higher education and its athletic, community service, and other extracurricular programs can be expected in the aftermath of this situation. We will ensure that the proper safeguards are in place to protect our own students and any young children that visit our campus. Out of an abundance of caution, I will be assembling the senior staff and other relevant people in the coming days to make sure that we remain true to our values and principles and take concrete steps to be sure that proper standards and procedures are in place to prevent a tragedy here.

          I will welcome your ideas about any broader conversations you think it might be appropriate for us to have, and policies that we should develop.

Sincerely,

Sanford J. Ungar
President