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One would expect that with criminal charges being filed against three former and present officials of Pennsylvania State University, colleges and universities should ask, “Could this happen on our campus?”  The “this” is far more than a college football coach allegedly sexually abusing children.  “This” includes officials of the university being accused of downplaying and ignoring reports of the alleged abuse and those same officials then allegedly lying to officials about it in furtherance of the coverup. 

But “this” also leads to many inevitable and very appropriate questions.

Why did ‘this’ take so long to come to light?   Was the reputation of Penn State University’s athletic program more important than children’s safety and the school’s reputation?  If investigators and prosecutors succumbed to external pressures to suppress this as long as possible, they are no less culpable than those who have been charged.

Who else knew and either said nothing either out of disbelief or out of fear that exposure could ruin Penn State’s supposedly squeaky-clean image of its athletic program?

Why were those who knew but remained silent willing to sacrifice children’s safety?   What could possibly have been more important?

What finally triggered the charges?  If the story of Victim 2 didn’t do it, it’s hard to imagine anything else would.

Will college and university administrators eventually grow a backbone to resist the pressures from affluent and generous alumni to overlook  “indiscretions” among those who generate six- and seven-figure annual revenues for the schools?