[NU Sports] PSU and how this could have been so easily avoided….

[Eric C West]

Thank you, Jason, for this perspective. People are talking about the children who suffered because McQueary "didn't do enough," but I also worry about the future kids who will suffer because no graduate assistant will want to report anything at all for fear of becoming another McQueary. Changing things on a systemic level may eventually be more productive than focusing on scapegoats and "should'ves."


Eric West
e-west at northwestern.edu


-----Original Message-----
From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On Behalf Of Jason Singer
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2011 3:29 PM
To: Northwestern Wildcats
Subject: [NU Sports] PSU and how this could have been so easily avoided….

One of the biggest issues here (and in hindsight, perhaps the biggest issue) that was finally (and thankfully) addressed yesterday by the PA legislature, is that employees of state educational institutions are not mandatory reporters of sexual and/or child abuse to child services in the manner that doctors, therapists, Psy D's, police and EMT's are. This is ridiculous. Reporting is confidential and merely gets the ball rolling and lets the experts decide how to move forward. If this was instituted, then there would have been no long chain of information to follow. No one would have known who blew the whistle on Sandusky and there would have been no fear of retribution. The law is cut and dry…if you suspect it, call those that know how to determine and let them follow up. If you suspect nothing was done and that it's still going on, call again. Again, confidentiality reigns supreme in these instances. As an MFT intern, we have this on the very top of our scope of practice guidelines.

In this instance, there would have been scandalous repercussions for Sandusky. Not so much for the University, Joe Pa or the witnessing janitors, GA's, etc. 


Jason Singer
jintsjason at me.com
jason at jasonsinger.com