PSU President Set To Address Alumni At Meeting In Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The child sex abuse scandal that has rocked Penn State will be the focus of a special series of meetings that begin today in Pittsburgh.
Penn State University President Rodney Erickson will address and take questions from concerned alumni at a town-hall meeting about the direction of the university in the aftermath of the scandal.
The meeting is set for 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Doubletree by Hilton hotel in Pittsburgh. Hundreds of alumni are expected to be in attendance.
Already full, the gathering will have Erickson address the future of Penn State the university, not Penn State the football program.
How the school handled the sexual abuse scandal is expected to be front and center. The repercussions of the incident spreading from State College to places like the campus of Penn State New Kensington.
"Absolutely, it's sad, but I think it has just because of everything that's going on with Sandusky and everything but - I don't know - people just need to look past that," said Brittney Yanoff, a PSU senior.
Erickson's already said he'll only serve two years as PSU's president.
For students at New Kensington, that period will prove critical in refocusing the university's overall mission to academic and educational excellence, and not final scores on Saturday afternoons in the fall.
"I'd focus on academics more so than anything," Andrew Lee, a PSU sophomore, said. "I know Penn State's also known for engineering as well, but a lot of students and some of my friends actually were more worried about that incident dealing with JoePa than their classes going on."
After tonight's meeting, Erickson will hold two other public meetings to hear views on the university - one to be held in King of Prussia, Pa., and the final one to be held in New York City.
Meanwhile, retired Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky has waived his criminal arraignment hearing scheduled for today. He is facing dozens of child sexual abuse charges.
Sandusky's next court appearance is a pre-trial conference scheduled for late March.
MORE: KDKA Coverage Of The Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal
STORY: Sandusky Vows To Continue Fighting Charges Against Him
WARNING Contains Graphic Material: New Grand Jury Presentment (12/7)
WARNING Contains Graphic Material: Read The Entire Grand Jury Presentment
AG, PSP Commissioner Statements: Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
LINK: Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office
LINK: Penn State Nittany Lions
