Make the PSU Investigative Committee Independent; Broaden Scope to Include ALL Forms of Campus Violence

Pennsylvania NOW leaders and our membership, like the PSU Board of Trustees and the rest of the country, are “outraged by the horrifying details contained in the Grand Jury Report.” We too have felt betrayed by these acts.  However considering the long history of the Athletics Department, role models within Athletics, and the PSU Administration in minimizing reports of campus-related violence on adult women, we are not completely surprised that an alleged cover-up of child sexual assault has also occurred.

Since 1994, both the local NOW chapter in Centre County, PA and the state chapter of NOW have pressured the University to review to all forms of campus violence against women and to more specifically look at the ways to break down the wall of immunity that has historically and currently appears to exist between the Athletic Department and the rest of the University. 

These earlier incidences involved Joe Paterno making insensitive remarks about domestic violence and sexual assault that were shrugged off as jokes by individuals, the Athletic Department, and the PSU administration; allowing a football player to play in a bowl game AFTER he was suspended for two semesters for an alleged rape; and the PSU administration weighing in on a rape case to have the sentence of a former Penn State wrestler placed at a minimal 6-month stay in the county jail. 

Over these past 17 years—due partially to our initial involvement and concern about this wall of indifference—there have been some, but not enough, efforts to address this issue campus-wide. But other than ordering that no suspended player can play sports at Penn State, nothing as far as we can see has been done to break down this wall between Athletics and the rest of the University for acts of violence against another person.

Earlier this week the Penn State Board of Trustees announced that they would be appointing an “independent” committee that includes “counsel and investigative teams” to investigate these allegations of child sexual assault.  Yesterday, when the Board announced the members of this committee, they stated, ““The complete committee membership will be determined and announced in the near future and is expected to be composed of a majority of Board of Trustee members with representatives from each of the board's constituencies as well as representatives of the Penn State community including faculty, students and alumni.” 

This statement, in our opinion, shows that there is little if no independence in this review. All of the investigative committee members that are to be appointed are Trustee members, current members of the University community, or alumni.  There are no experts on sexual assault or domestic violence, or stalking.  There are no survivors. And there are no members of the larger community – whether that be local here in Centre County or more broadly across the communities in Pennsylvania where the other Penn State University Campuses are located.

On Monday after the news broke of the alleged child sexual assaults, Pennsylvania NOW contacted the University President and the Board of Trustees. Since the child sexual assault issue appears to be part of a broader problem of indifference to sexual assault, relationship violence, sexual harassment, and stalking, we have asked them to broaden their review to all forms of campus violence and to more specifically look at the ways to break down the wall of immunity that has historically and currently appears to exist between the Athletic Department and the rest of the University. 

After finding out that the committee is unlikely to truly be independent, we contacted Trustee members Kenneth Frazier, JD, President of Merck and Company and Ron Tomalis, Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Education. They have been appointed as Chair and Vice-Chair of the newly appointed investigative review committee; we have asked them to:

• Appoint people to this committee that will make it a truly independent investigative review board. An effective independent investigative committee must, at minimum, include experts in the field of sexual assault and domestic violence, survivors of abuse, and others not associated with Penn State.
• Broaden the review to include all forms of campus violence – sexual assault, domestic/relationship violence, and stalking – of both children and adults;
• Broaden the review to 1) include ways to break down the wall of immunity between the Athletic Department and the rest of the University, and 2) review policies, programs, and reporting mechanisms across the University and within the Athletic Department on all forms of sexual assault, domestic and dating violence and stalking.

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Press Release: PSU Must Immediately Address the Full Range of Sexual Assault Issues on Campus and in the Athletics Department

Earlier today, Pennsylvania NOW sent a letter of concern to Penn State University President Graham Spanier and Chair of the Board of Trustees Steve Garban. 

We are greatly concerned and appalled about the allegations of child sexual abuse against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky and the apparent lack of appropriate follow-through to notify law enforcement in a timely manner as required by law, and the alleged perjury to the Grand Jury resulting from this lack of follow-through indicating a possible cover-up of what occurred. We are calling on Spanier and the Board of Trustees as the corporate stewards of PSU to take immediate and far-reaching actions to ensure that Penn State students, staff and the families in the surrounding community never have to see this kind of behavior and resulting exposé ever again. 

We are pleased that the Penn State Board of Trustees met last night and took appropriate action by accepting both Tim Curley’s and Gary Schultz’s request to step down from their current positions at the University. But we are concerned about Dr. Spanier’s statement of November 5 giving “unconditional support” for both of these men.

Our youth deserve better custodians of their lives while at the University.  Everyone attending, working at, or participating in programs and activities at Penn State also deserve an environment free of violence.  Therefore we are asking the Administration and the Board of Trustees to follow through on the Board’s plan to “conduct an independent review of the University’s policies and procedures related to the protection of children; review with administrators police reporting protocols; publicize the findings of the independent review; review with administrators police reporting protocols; and enhance educational programming around such topics.” As part of this process and to further advance the zero tolerance policy made in 2006, we have requested that the Board:

1. Broaden the review to include all policies surrounding sexual assault, domestic and dating violence,  and stalking of both children and adults;

2. Broaden the review to include ways to break down this wall of immunity between the Athletic Department and the rest of the University, and to review policies and programs across the University and within the Athletic Department on all forms of sexual assault, domestic and dating violence and stalking.

3. Consider, as part of “enhanced” educational programming, bringing in outside training from people within the sports field who are respected by Athletics who may be more accepted by athletic staff and coaches (we initially suggested this in 2006, but as far as we know, this has never happened);

4. Create a protocol or policy that ensures that individuals are not retaliated against when they report allegations of abuse to authorities as required by law or university policy.  As the New York Times reported, “The chronology of events laid out by the state attorney general’s office includes multiple episodes that seem to suggest a failure by a variety of Penn State officials or employees to act emphatically, whether out of fear, incompetence or, perhaps, self-interest.”  As with sexual harassment, fear often results in stifling someone from speaking out; and

5. Fully enforce the 2006 zero tolerance policy, up to and including, separation and/or permanent resignation of individuals from the University who participate in, condone, or cover up this form of behavior through either their action or inaction. 

The Ties That Bind: Our Health, Our Families, Our Future

Members of First Pittsburgh NOW (National Organization for Women), South Hills NOW and East End NOW joined with the Pennsylvania Health Access Network in Wilkinsburg last week to send a message to Sen. Pat Toomey to "Keep Pennsylvania Covered."   This YouTube video shows the quilt squares they made and tells why each person wants Senator Tommey to keep the "Super Committee's" hands off of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.



As PHAN says on their website about the quilt,

"...a new Congressional 'Super Committee' is charged with reducing the nation's deficit by $1.5 trillion. While some on the committee favor a balanced, responsible approach that includes both revenue increases and spending reductions, others, like our own Senator Pat Toomey, are looking at a cuts-only, 'slash and burn' approach that could jeopardized the health and well being of thousands of senior, kids and people with disabilities here in PA who rely on Medicare and Medicaid [as well as Social Security] to maintain their health and dignity...

The Super Committee must vote on its plan by Nov. 23rd, before sending it on to Congress for a vote in late December."

That's why we need to act now, before the Super Committee votes. You too can tell Senator Toomey at his website to leave our health care and Social Security alone.

Loving Your Body Throughout Life

Today, October 19, 2011, the National Organization for Women Foundation, NOW members, college and high school students, and many other men and women around the country celebrate the 14th annual Love Your Body Day. The National NOW Foundation created Love Your Body Day 14 years ago to have women of all sizes, colors, ages, and abilities to come together to celebrate and promote a positive body image.  Whether you are a size 2, 12, 22, a S, M, L, or XXL; whether you are white or a person of color; whether you are 4 or 44 or 84 years old; and whether you walk or roll, be proud of who you are and be healthy.

My mother, Martha B. Tosti, died three weeks ago.  Over her 84 year life span she had many looks – all different and all beautiful.  When she was young, she was thin and wore her hair in curls.  As a young mother, she decided that “fussing” with her hair was too much of a hassle and for over 50 years wore her hair in a short “pixie" style haircut.  At times she weighed as little as 100 pounds (or less) and at others she weighed over 200 pounds.  She also developed/acquired, like many women, several different disabilities as she aged. 

Her body changed throughout these 84 years, yet she remained a woman who could be and was celebrated for who she was.  Celebrated as a person rather than a body type that, through the use society’s unrealistic ideals of women’s bodies, might have been hailed at times and excoriated at others.  She stood up for her kids.  She made sure there was food on the table and nice clothes on everyone’s back.  When money was tight, she figured out how to stretch the dimes to make ends meet.  She intervened for her kids.  And when things were not going in a way she thought they should be, she would – often in quite colorful language – let you know what she thought.  She was a feisty woman who had her faults and her strengths.  Her body took her through all of this until the very end.  And we loved her regardless of her size, shape, clothing, or haircut.

That’s partially what Love Your Body Day is all about.  Body image is all about believing in yourself regardless of what you look like.  Because each and every woman is – as the 2011 Love Your Body poster says – “a masterpiece.” My mother enjoyed looking “good” but looking “good” was not so much a societal definition as a self-definition.  As it should be for everyone.    

PS. The Pennsylvania NOW Education Fund will have an exhibit table at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women on Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at the Philadelphia Convention Center.  We will be located at booth number 242 in the Exhibit Hall.  If you are coming to this conference, please drop by.  We will have copies of the current and many of the past Love Your Body Day Campaign posters at the table.

- Joanne Tosti-Vasey, President, Pennsylvania NOW Education Fund

Action Alert: TRAP Bill Vote Expected TODAY!

The PA House is expected to vote on SB 732 TODAY! This is Pennsylvania's Targeted Regulations on Abortion Providers (TRAP) bill that will likely shut down many of the 22 stand-alone abortion / reproductive health clinics in Pennsylvania.

We've Had Enough!

Please call your representative this morning and tell him/her to vote NO on SB 732. You can locate your legislator’s contact info at http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator/.

SB 732 passed out of the House Health Committee in the early summer after being amended to look exactly like HB 574 which had earlier passed the House. All of the Senate language from the original bill was stripped out, and the content of HB 574 was substituted. Therefore, SB 732 now applies to all surgical abortion procedures, even very early ones. It is not limited to abortions after nine weeks. SB 732/HB 574 would regulate Pennsylvania’s freestanding abortion providers as ambulatory surgical facilities (ASF), subject to both the ambulatory surgical facility regulations and the ambulatory gynecological surgery in hospitals and clinics regulations. Instead of preventing another atrocity like the Gosnell “house of horrors,”this bill will hurt women.

Senate Bill 732 (SB 732)

SB 732 would force free-standing abortion providers to be regulated as Ambulatory Surgical Facilities (ASF) which require burdensome and unnecessary structural and staffing changes.

SB 732 could cause a public health crisis by making abortion care in Pennsylvania inaccessible.

· ASF regulations could cause the cost of an abortion to rise significantly and could force providers to close their doors.

· Women need safe, reputable providers to trust when seeking an abortion.

More information about HB 574 and SB 732:

· These bills will increase the financial hurdles to abortion care for patients. Women will not be able to afford safe abortion care and may seek out a substandard illegal provider or be forced to delay their abortions while they try to raise money to pay for higher-cost procedures. The increased costs of complying with these bills will be passed along to patients. Many patients struggle to pay $350 for an early abortion procedure. With increased regulation and increased fees, the cost may double and therefore become inaccessible to many women.

· Poor women and rural women will have even less access to safe abortion care. Only 22% of PA counties have an abortion provider. The enactment of either bill would force some of these providers to close. Women who need abortions will then leave the state where Pennsylvania can no longer regulate their safety.

· Abortion providers are already well-regulated. Current law provides for required equipment and medical supplies, hospital transfer agreements for emergency services, equipment required for anesthesia, clinical staff licensing requirements, mandatory counseling and informed consent requirements, laboratory and pathology requirements, required blood tests specific to abortion care, extensive reporting requirements for each abortion, parental consent requirements, abortion facility requirements, and complications reporting. Women don’t need more regulations. They need accessible care and better enforcement of existing regulations.

More detail and talking points can be found in the pdf file from Pennsylvanians for Choice (PFC)which is located at our We've Had Enough website. PFC, fyi, is the statewide reproductive rights coalition working to ensure full reproductive justice and rights for women here in Pennsylvania.

Thanks for making the call. Again here’s the link to find your legislator’s contact info - http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator/. Make that call today and tell your Representative to vote NO on SB 732.

Calling All Activists: ADVOCACY IN THE ERA OF THE TEA PARTY

A Workshop Sponsored by Pennsylvania NOW

·       Learn cutting-edge messages that work in hateful times

·       Connect with like-minded progressives

·       Help develop our fight-back strategy around budget cuts

Saturday October 22nd

1 PM - 3 PM

Schlow Library

First Floor Community Room

211 S. Allen St.

State College, PA 16801

(parking available in library lot)

Special presentation by the Pennsylvania Budget and

Policy Center on what’s ahead for 2012 in Harrisburg.

Please RSVP by Oct. 12th to Michele Hamilton:

hamilton.michele@yahoo.com or (814) 235-5095

Debate in Harrisburg on School Vouchers - October 26, 2011

School Voucher Forum Harrisburg 10-26-11