Jerry Sandusky: Juniata College's Ban of Coach Makes Penn State Look Even Worse

Despite the fact that disgraced former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was being investigated for sexual abuse against children, he continued to appear on Penn State's campus prior to being charged with 40 counts of child endangerment.

Such serious accusations weren't lost on tiny Juniata College, however. The Huntingdon, Pa. college, which enrolls just 1,500 students, was approached by Sandusky in May 2010 as he had interest in becoming a volunteer assistant for the football team.

According to Maryclaire Dale and Genaro C. Armas of the Associated Press, though, Sandusky was denied the job and barred from any contact with the team after school officials conducted a simple background check.

The background check showed that a high school where Sandusky had previously volunteered was investigating him at the time. This begs the question of if a blip on the radar like Juniata College wasn't willing to be affiliated with Sandusky, then why did a larger-than-life institution like Penn State continue to harbor him?

At the very most, Juniata officials knew that there was some accusation against Sanudsky, but nothing more than that as they were unaware of the grand jury testimony. Penn State officials, on the other hand, had knowledge of an alleged incident between Sandusky and a young boy in a Penn State locker-room shower.

That incident was first reported to former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno by then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary. Other high-ranking officials eventually became privy to the situation as well, but police were never alerted.

While Penn State reportedly banned Sandusky from bringing children on campus after the incident, he was still considered a Penn State faculty member while having his own office, his own parking space and having access to Penn State facilities.

Basically, Penn State officials knew of Sandusky's alleged actions, but rather than take the appropriate measures by severing all ties with Sandusky, he continued to be a very visible part of the university.

This speaks to a real problem that existed at Penn State from the top down. Juniata College cared more about the safety of its students and the institution as a whole than Penn State did, and that is something that quite simply should never have happened.

Perhaps with the firing of Paterno and president Graham Spanier, and subsequent hiring of new president Rodney Erickson, Penn State is ready to turn the page on this awful chapter of its history. This isn't something that is going away any time soon, however, and Juniata College's noble actions only serve to exacerbate it.