Dear Rioting Penn State Students,

I have reported the most seemingly-miniscule incidences of possible child abuse or neglect in my career as a teacher because I have always, ALWAYS lived by the motto, "Better to err on the side of caution." I once called the police on my next door neighbor. It turns out she was NOT abusing her daughter, but her daughter was special needs and was having a tantrum that I overheard. The police THANKED ME for the false alarm because they, too, would rather check it out and find that all is okay, than to have it ignored and end up with a dead child.

What I'm getting at here is that Paterno was in a position where he knew something terrible was going on and he chose to turn a blind eye to it. He chose to value football and winning more than doing the right thing and the innocence of several children. Had I ever done that, I would have lost my job as a teacher.

So there is nothing unfair here. NOTHING. Stop focusing on football and get back to your studies--I'm assuming you're in college for a reason other than cheering on the team. Learn how to do the right thing. Because the right thing is not failing to report child abuse, or turning over a news van because you've got your knickers in a twist when you really shouldn't. The right thing is protecting those who need protection, because at some point, the person needing protection is going to be you. And you're going to want someone on your side, right?

Sincerely,

Meg of the LPB