Myers Moves On

Incumbent trustee Joel "We have to move on" Myers has moved on, as the Alumni of Penn State have voted his pathetic butt off the board for the first time in 33 years.  According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

Alice Pope, a psychology professor at St. John’s University, had 10,025 votes; Al Lord, the former CEO of Sallie Mae, 9,516; and Bob Jubelirer, a former Pennsylvania state senator, 8,101. All three candidates ran on platforms that included the need for the university to reassess past decisions made regarding the firing of Joe Paterno, the Freeh Report and the NCAA sanctions.  

“With nine new alumni members I would hope that there is a recognition by the existing board that is there that it’s important we work together,” Mr. Jubelirer said. “And there’s only one way that’s going to be effective: We have to get to the truth. Due process does matter. I heard that man in Hershey, (trustee) Ken Frazier, a year ago in March say it didn’t matter. Like hell it doesn’t matter.”

Notable candidates who lost to Mr. Lord, Mr. Jubelirer and Ms. Pope include Joel Myers, who had been an alumni trustee for the past 33 years, and Upward State candidates Dan Cocco, Julie McHugh and Matt Schuyler. None of those candidates garnered more than 4,000 votes. 

I was afraid Mr. Myers would benefit from voters splitting their votes with Upward State candidates and free-lancers like Ryan Bagwell, whom I personally supported with my vote.  But the Alumni would not be denied.  They crushed Mr. Myers and his platform of "moving on."  I'm not holding my breath that the remaining Board members from 2011 have learned anything from this crushing defeat of Myers, but they will have to deal with an increasing number of representatives that do not want to simply move on at the expense of truth and justice.

Also coming out of today's BOT meeting is this gem:  the Food Sciences building which houses the famous Penn State Creamery will henceforth be known as the Rodney A. Erickson Food Sciences Building.

Bon appétit!

Don't Forget to Vote!

The election is underway for the Penn State Board of Trustees. I voted for PS4RS candidates Pope and Lord. Their third candidate is Jubelirer, but I went with Ryan Bagwell.

Beware the Upward State candidates. Joel Myers has "endorsed" that organization, and then I came across this by Tom McAndrew of BWI:

There have been a lot of comments on this board about Upward State being the preferred candidates of the BOT Executive Committee, or that Upward State was a shadow organization for some members of the BOT.  

I have refrained from making any such comments, as there was never anything I could point to as evidence of any type of connection.  

Well, at 9 am this morning, Paul Silvis, Vice Chair of the BOT, sent out the following: "If you have not made up your mind yet, may I take the liberty of suggesting three candidates for Trustees for those PSU Alums who received ballot today 03 Daniel N. Cocco, '08, New York, NY 18 Julie Harris McHugh, '86, Ambler, PA 21 Matthew W. Schuyler, '87, McLean, VA  

The above is the exact text of the e-mail, so don't blame me for the typos.  

What is the relationship between Upward State and the BOT power bloc? I'm still not certain, but you can each draw your own conclusions.

Please vote. A line has been drawn in the sand by Myers. Do you want the TRUTH, or do you want to ignore the truth and MOVE ON regardless of the TRUTH?

Playing Politics Instead of Football

Just so we are completely clear on this . . . this is not a football related post.  It is a political post on a football oriented blog.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.

First, I want to discuss an article from Philly.com about the upcoming BOT election.

Lord was endorsed last week by Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship (PS4RS), which elected trustees the last two years on a platform objecting that the board copped too easily in the 2011 Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal to the stern criticisms of the Louis Freeh report, the costly NCAA sanctions, and the de-sanctification of the late football coach Joe Paterno. 
Also favored by PS4RS are ex-State Sen. Robert Jubelirer and St. John's University prof Alice Pope. 

Against them - among others - is the Upward State slate, backed by insiders, including three past heads of the Penn State alumni association. (Which made $30 million in 1994-2010 selling alumni addresses to a credit card bank where Freeh was a boss. Small world.)

Upward State nominee Julie McHugh, who recently stepped down as chief operating officer at what is now Endo International, said her group is "trying to represent a more positive point of view" than the "backward-looking" PS4RS.

What do they want? More taxpayer aid, for one thing: State subsidies have been going "the wrong direction." College aid offers "a pretty solid return on investment" by the public, McHugh told me. 

Could online classes cut expenses? They should supplement, not replace, classrooms, McHugh says - though she'll support "restructuring" if new Penn State president Eric J. Barron recommends it.

How's the endowment? McHugh says she's looking forward to learning more about that. She hopes more will go to student aid, not just buildings named for donors.

Joel Myers, Ph.D., founder and boss at AccuWeather, is the only alumni trustee seeking reelection. Just like Lord, he's a Philly boy and public-school grad who attended Penn State Abington and the Main Campus. Then he became a prof, stayed 20 years while building his business, quit in 1981 to run it, ran for the board, and was reelected to 10 more three-year terms.

If Penn State needed fixing, wasn't Myers part of the problem?

Did the board go too far? "People don't realize" the threat to funding, accreditation, survival, Myers said. He admits "there were problems here, and they emanated from the football area." But "do we want to look back and keep figuring out what we did right and what we did wrong? Or do we want to look at the future?"

Sounds like Upward State. "I agree with virtually everything they say," Myers told me. "But people I trust think I should serve another three years, because of the active role I play, the institutional knowledge, and the fact so many board members are new."

So in no particular order, here are my problems with what is said in this article and the situation in general.

Joel Myers . . . "I am not a . . . part of the problem!"

The problems emanated from the football area?  Tell me again, Mr. Myers, which NCAA rules the football program broke?  There hasn't even been a conviction in court--yet--of a PSU administrator for wrong doing.  The only thing emanating through all this is a board too willing to throw the football program and it's aging coach under the bus to protect . . . whatever they thought needed protecting.  There has been ZERO transparency regarding what the Board knew before the Presentment, what went on between the board and Mr. Freeh, and what transpired between Mr. Erickson and the NCAA.  This is why the Board wants us to MOVE ON.

The ideas being promoted by Upward State are laudable, but certainly not beyond question.  State funding is a constant concern and certainly needs to be addressed.  But then to question "buildings named for donors" in the context of student aid seems a bit ridiculous.  The buildings named for donors:  The Paterno Library, Pegula Ice Arena, Schreyer Honors College, to name a few, BENEFIT students in many ways and for years to come.  They are an investment in the life of the University that attracts students, enables students, and promotes the University.  And they are costly investments that depend on donations from donors.  Isn't it logical to reward those donors with some recognition?  Just a pet peeve of mine.  Don't throw the donors under the bus here.  If the donors wanted the money to be spent on funding student aid, I'm sure they could stipulate that.

What concerns me the most is that this--whether intentional or not--appears to be an effort to divide and conquer the alumni, with grandiose promises of better state funding, restructuring, presenting a positive view all whilst singing Kumbaya to provide a smoke screen for more devious purposes.

PS4RS has seen great success promoting candidates elected to the BOT.  A second party--if you will--will only dilute the power the alumni now have over the BOT.  Let's face it.  Any one who is going to vote for Joel Myers is going to do so, regardless of these alumni groups.  The man has been there THIRTY YEARS.  To beat him, the alumni have to remain united--dispersing their votes over too many candidates only works in Myers' favor.  If alumni distribute their votes between SIX candidates, that only enhances Myers' chance of getting re-elected.

And if that doesn't convince, you, how about the fact that Mr. Myers agrees "with virtually everything they [Upward State] say"?  That alone is enough for me to not vote for any of Upstates candidates.

I didn't vote for Jubelirer before--mainly due to his arrogance as a politician and his role in the pay raise mess--so my third vote is saved for Ryan Bagwell.

You cannot move on until the wrongs of the past have been righted.  It's not looking back . . .it's called not overlooking injustice or choosing not to look the other way.  Paterno's enemies have accused him of looking the other way.  Don't expect or ask alumni to do the same.  Let's get to the bottom of it and find the facts.  Is that regressive?  I don't think so.

And another interesting rumor from The Intelligencer:

“There’s a nuclear war going on between Corbett and Kane,” Galloway said.

The story about Kane ending the corruption investigation was leaked to blunt Kane’s impending report on how Corbett handled (or mishandled) the investigation of the Penn State football scandal that landed then assistant coach Jerry Sandusky in prison on child sexual abuse charges.   

“Kane is about to release an explosive document about the Sandusky investigation six months before a gubernatorial election. The lead prosecutor in that investigation is also the lead prosecutor in the sting investigation. So, the idea is to discredit Kathleen Kane before the Sandusky thing hits,” Galloway said. “I’m just the roadkill along the way.”

Apparently Galloway has gotten caught in the cross-fire in an investigation of politicians accepting gifts.  As such, his comments fall in the realm of a disgruntled employee, but we have certainly heard rumblings of Corbett being involved in something bigger than the Sandusky scandal itself. 

And sometimes where there's smoke . . . there's fire.

And sometimes when there's fire . . . BOOM!

So Long, Suhey!

The alumni have spoken.  Both incumbents, Stephanie Deviney and Paul Suhey were ousted from the Board.  All three of the candidates endorsed by PS4RS won. (Note to future hopefuls . . . get on the good side of PS4RS.)

Here are the results of the voting with around 33,000 votes cast:

1.  Barbara L. Doran, '75, New York, NY ? 15,085
2.  William F. Oldsey, '76, Basking Ridge, NJ ? 13,940
3.  Edward "Ted" B. Brown, III, '68, State College, PA ? 11,403
4.  Paul V. Suhey, '79, Boalsburg, PA ? 4,521
5.  Ted J. Sebastianelli, '69, State College, PA ? 3,188
6.  Robert C. Jubelirer, '59, '62 JD, Boalsburg, PA ? 3,030
7.  David K. Mullaly, '69, '72g, Annapolis, MD ? 2,996
8.  Kathleen A. Pavelko, '75, '79g, New Cumberland, PA ? 2,732
9.  Vincent J. Tedesco, Jr., '64, State College, PA ? 2,250
10.  John W. Diercks, '63, '67g, '75g, State College, PA ? 2,133
11.  Stephanie Nolan Deviney, '97 JD, Exton, PA ? 2,026
12.  Amy L. Williams, '80, Wayne, PA ? 1,987
13.  O. Richard Bundy, III, '93, '96g, South Burlington, VT ? 1,976
14.  Pratima Gatehouse, '96, '10g, Short Hills, NJ ? 1,869
15.  Ben J. Novak, '65, '99g, Ave Maria, FL ? 1,863
16.  Thomas A. Conley, '01, Washington, DC ? 1,788
17.  William J. Cluck, '82, Harrisburg, PA ? 1,695
18.  Mark S. Connolly, '84g, West Chester, PA ? 1,375
19.  Eugene J. Bella, '63, Murrysville, PA --  1,362
20.  Ryan M. Bagwell, '02, Middleton, WI ? 1,360
21.  Darlene R. Baker, '80, Warminster, PA ? 1,321
22.  Doreen Ulichney Schivley, '78, State College, PA ? 1,184
23.  J. Andrew Weidman, '78, Reading, PA ? 1,118
24.  Scott T. Kimler, '83, Ladysmith, BC Canada ? 1,084
25.  Gregory "Sandy" S. Sanderson, '00, Pittsburgh, PA ? 1,012
26.  Christopher R. Owens, '06, Mechanicsburg, PA ? 1,003
27.  Christopher J. Bartnik, '91, '96g, Chantilly, VA -- 995
28.  Patrick J. Howley, '12, Baltimore, MD -- 980
29.  Matthew A. Bird, '80, Gettysburg, PA -- 887
30.  Charles R. Mazzitti, '80, Elizabethtown, PA -- 849
31.  Rudolph K. Glocker, '91, '93g, Henderson, NV -- 771
32.  John M. Mason, Jr., '70, '72, Auburn, AL -- 753
33.  Robert J. Hooper, '79, Burlington, VT -- 752
34.  Jeffrey N. Goldsmith, '82, Harrisburg, PA -- 675
35.  Robert P. McKinnon, '90, Hastings on Hudson, NY -- 509
36.  Robert J. Bowsher, '86, San Diego, CA -- 495
37.  Robert N. Grimes, '80, Potomac, MD -- 460
38.  Gregory A. Slachta, '66, Ridgeland, SC -- 444
39.  Frederik O. Riefkohl, '87, Annapolis, MD -- 414

I am actually surprised Suhey managed to come in fourth, but at least the margin of victory was overwhelming.  I am saddened that David Mullaly didn't win--and disappointed he didn't get more support.

But the message is pretty clear:  the alumni are NOT happy with the way the current Board--or at least those that were present in November of 2011--handled the scandal and the after-math.  The vast majority don't want to return to the status quo and "move on."  We want the cowardly bastards that fired Paterno by phone without ever getting his side of the story first OUT.  And if we have to do it 3 per year because the egomaniacs can't do the right thing and step down themselves, then so be it.

Mission accomplished this year.

The Bench, the Board, and the NFL Draft

Steven Bench has decided to continue his football career someplace other than Penn State. 

"I mean, it's been a hard decision," Bench said Wednesday. "I was sold on Penn State since the day I got an offer, since the day they called, really. I just wish it would've worked out. I still love this place and I wish it didn't come to this, but I have to make the best choice for me. And I think the best thing for me to be successful is to not play at Penn State and to play elsewhere."

Bench said he left his meeting with O'Brien under the impression he was behind Ferguson on the depth chart.

"It's out of my control, but I wasn't happy with it," Bench said. "I'm a competitor, so I'm not going to agree with that decision. But, at the same time, it's his decision and it's out of my control. I feel that it kind of left me no choice. I don't want to back anyone up. I want to play. I came here to play football."

So instead of working harder to move up the chart, you transfer somewhere else so you don't have to work?   I'm sorry if that sounds like sour grapes, but if it sounds like a duck and looks like a duck . . . You can call it whatever you want.  There is no I in team, but there is a U in suck.  This is where I'm supposed to wish him luck and feel bad because of his tough decision.  Whatever.

On the other hand, it also assuredly means that Hackenberg will not red-shirt this fall.  With the scholarship limits, I'm not sure PSU can afford to red-shirt anybody.  And Bench's departure opens up another scholarship for someone that actually wants to earn a spot on the team.

In the BOT election, a total of 26,861 alumni have voted as of this past Wednesday.  That means a total of 4,931 people voted in the previous 7 days, a considerable drop off from the first two weeks.  And unless something remarkable happens in this last week or so of voting, the total participation will be markedly down from last year's 37,579.

I'm not sure what that means.  Have the alumni lost interest?  Have they given up hope for change?  Are they waiting until the last minute to cast their vote?  Who knows?

And in the NFL draft to date, three Nittany Lions have been picked:

Jordan Hill was the 25th pick in the third round (87 overall) by the Seahawks.
Gerald Hodges was the 25th pick in the fourth round (120 overall) by the Vikings.
The Vikings also took Michael Mauti with the 7th pick in the 7th round (213 overall.)

Congratulations Jordan, Gerald and Mike!

Election Update

As of this evening, 21,930 alumni have voted in the BOT election.

Vote For David Mullaly

I Voted!

Have you?

Lettermen Seek to Oust Suhey

A letter has been sent out to former PSU Lettermen urging them NOT to vote for Paul Suhey.

According to Onward State:

It’s likely that no candidate has been criticized more than Suhey, especially after his infamous line — The Board of Trustees didn’t fire Joe Paterno, it just “retired him three weeks early.” But today’s criticism hits especially close to home.

A letter released today signed by 11 former Penn State football lettermen — including Franco Harris, Todd Blackledge, Michael Robinson, and Lydell Mitchell — calls out Suhey specifically, and urges fellow lettermen to not vote for him in the upcoming Board of Trustees election.

“Actions speak louder than words and if Suhey disagreed with the actions the board was taking he had both an obligation and a duty to speak up and cast his vote accordingly. The fact that he failed to do so only underscores the point that he is not fit to serve on the board a day longer,” the letter states.

These past two elections have been hotly contested.  I can remember years when there was no advertising (probably most of them.)  If you didn't look at the ballot, you didn't even know who was running.  Even if you looked at the ballot, you probably didn't recognize any of the names.  Many years, I didn't even vote because I didn't know who to vote for (or against!)  I realize now that perhaps this is why we ended up with a Board full of corruption and ineptitude.  I'm sure there are many other alumni who have voted for the first time in these past two elections and perhaps only sporadically, if ever, prior to that.

On the Campaign Trail

The Penn State Board of Trustee Election is nearing.  I believe balloting will occur between April 10 and May 2, 2013. 

So who are you going to vote for?

PS4RS has made suggestions of who NOT to vote for . . .

Bill Schackner calls this ad an "attack ad" and Suhey and Deviney responded thusly:

"As someone who played for Joe Paterno and was a captain, I know full well that he did a lot of tremendous things for the university and inspired generations of students and alumni," he said. "But as a trustee, I have a responsibility to focus on the entire university and its many challenges in helping to educate our more than 96,000 students. That's where my focus is."

Ms. Deviney, an Exton, Pa., attorney who is the board's vice chairwoman, said: "Negative campaigning doesn't achieve a single thing for the students who look to Penn State for a world-class education. ... I'm not going to engage it."

Call it an attack, call it negative, but the bottom line is this:  IT IS THE TRUTH.

The current BOT simply does not get this.  Penn Staters will NOT be able to MOVE ON until truth is established (not some high-priced opinion that has little to no truth in it) and not until the wrong against Joe Paterno is righted.

The Board of Trustees did not handle this well.  And unfortunately, apparently, none of them have the BALLS to resign.  AND EVERYONE WHO VOTED TO FIRE PATERNO MUST GO.

So it is up to us--the ALUMNI--the strength of this fine University--to do what those trustees won't do.  Three by three, we will OUST the people that fiddled while Beaver Stadium burned.

Anthony Lubrano has posted the three candidates he supports this year--three people he thinks will work with him to effect change.  His choices are Bob Jubelirer, Bill Oldsey and Barb Doran.  The latter two are also endorsed by PS4RS along with Edward "Ted" Brown III.

I personally, am rather leery of Bob Jubelirer by virtue of the fact that he was a career politician who ultimately got caught with his hand in the cookie jar and lost after voting legislators a controversial pay raise.

So I will probably go with Doran and Oldsey because I believe in Anthony Lubrano and support his position.  For my last vote, I will be casting ballot for DavidM.

You can follow David Mullaly on Facebook.

Here is some information about David:

David Mullaly ’69, ’72: Alumni Trustee Candidate
An Alumni Trustee Needs to Represent The Alumni!
*I have been active in defending Penn State’s interests.

• I organized two rallies on Penn State’s main campus asking for resignations from the current Board of Trustees; featured speakers included Franco Harris, Anthony Lubrano, Eileen Morgan, and others.

• I enlisted the help of twenty alumni volunteers to visit with thousands of tailgaters before the OSU game to encourage them to keep demanding changes in the leadership at Penn State.

• I helped to create, fund, and promote the distribution of thousands of free“I am Penn State, and I VOTE!” bumper stickers before the PA Attorney Generalelection, and continue to offer them to alumni to encourage PA legislators tosupport BOT structural reform.

*I have the time to devote to the trustee position that most candidates don’t.
*I am eager to work with reform trustees Lubrano and McCombie to challenge the current “leadership” on the Board.
*I have no other significant loyalties or agendas which could challenge my devotion to Penn State.
*I am willing to “go public” whenever necessary to protect Penn State’s best interests, and I’m willing to speak to groups of all sizes.
* I believe that the alumni need to be fairly and genuinely represented by the trustees they’ve chosen. I plan an alumni “listening tour” if I am fortunate enough to be elected.

Personal Background:
*BA (1969) and MA (1972) from Penn State
*Two years of doctoral course work at Northwestern
*Thirty years teaching experience at both Northwestern and at a suburban Chicago high school
*Taught on all high school grade and ability levels, including AP English
*Two dozen of my best students ultimately graduated from Penn State
*Served on multiple curriculum committees and was involved in hiring interviews
*Coached high school soccer team for ten years
*Organized a Chicago-area banquet for Joe Paterno and then-coach Dick Harter
*My wife is a 1970 Penn State graduate, and our one son graduated from PSU in 1997.

If You Are Not A Member Of The Alumni Association, and Need An Alumni Trustee Ballot:
Alumni can request a ballot by sending an email to BOT@psu.edu<mailto:BOT@psu.edu> and provide
-complete name at time of graduation (maiden name included)
-year of graduation
-college and major
-current email address
-mailing address
For more information:
www.facebook.com/DavidMullaly4PSUTrust
www.stateyou.com

In a personal correspondence with David, he wrote:  (The text in red is my emphasis--what I think is crucial)

Voting for me can provide two things: a strong statement and a vocal advocate. Many alumni believe that the current board members need to hear a strong statement from the alumni. One such statement would accompany the defeat of the two incumbents. Another would be my election by the alumni. I organized two rallies on campus last fall encouraging the resignations of most of the trustees, and Karen Peetz called our demands—without mentioning our names--“anarchy.” Imagine her shock if she saw Suhey and Deviney voted out, and the organizer of those rallies elected to the board.

What do we know for sure?
 

*I am the only public activist candidate on the ballot.

*I am the only candidate discussing the importance of an alumni trustee caucus on the BOT.

*I am the only candidate who has pledged to have a listening tour of every alumni group I can visit between the election and the beginning of the new trustee term.

*I am the only candidate who has proven himself to be willing to speak publicly in defense of Penn State.

*I believe I am the only candidate to contact every PSU chapter with a valid email address in the entire world.
 

Ask yourself this question: "Where has that person been, what has that person done since the scandal broke over a year ago?" Is it simply election time, or has that candidate done anything to be an advocate for Penn State?

 

Who are you voting for???