Irvine Finds Room for Admitted Students
University of California, Irvine, is trying to do right by 800 students who accepted the college's admissions offer above the expected number. When making admissions decisions, colleges always consider their "yield," or the percentage of students who will enroll. Admissions officers admit more students than they have space for, assuming some won't come because of financial reasons or school preference.
Initially, Irvine rescinded offers from about 500 students, but it was too late for them to enroll in other schools by that time. They informed students during the summer about transcript and other issues, which happens in a few cases each year, but this is an extraordinary number.
Then university administrators began softening. They admitted that they used standards that were too strict in order to lower their enrollment numbers. The vice chancellor wrote a message to students, including this excerpt:
We heard from some students that this year's process was too stringent and our customer-service approach needs improvement. I acknowledge that we took a harder line on the terms and conditions this year and we could have managed that process with greater care, sensitivity, and clarity about available options. Also contributing to the angst many of you have experienced is our traditional communication and outdated telephone systems that did not serve us well in this circumstance. For those who felt ignored or mistreated, I sincerely apologize.
We are making every effort to do better, immediately. I have directed the admissions team to step up the personal outreach to notified students. We're bringing in more people to review appeals and answer phones. We are committed to correcting any errors swiftly and providing the help you need in an empathetic and understanding way.
A few days later, Irvine's chancellor also apologized, and the university found a way to accommodate 290 more students. His message included this excerpt:
The stories of our students whose college dreams were crushed by our decision to withdraw admissions to hundreds of students are heartbreaking. And unacceptable.
This process is not working. We are a university recognized for advancing the American Dream, not impeding it. This situation is rocking us to our core because it is fundamentally misaligned with our values.
The apology is notable because we see so few of them from university presidents. Writers for The New York Times and Insider Higher Ed commented on the rarity of apologies, partly because of the complexity of academic institutions.
Discussion:
- Analyze the chancellor's and vice chancellor's messages. What communication principles do they use? How do the messages compare in content, tone, word choice, and organization?
- What should Irvine have done differently in this situation? What are all of the touch points with students that could have been improved?
BMW Denies Collusion
German automakers felt another blow this weekend when they were accused of colluding. The news came as Daimler recalls 3 million cars, and Audi recalls 850,000 to lower their emissions.
German officials found documents related to a potential technology cartel when looking for evidence about potential anti-trust issues related to steel. To avoid penalties, VW and Daimler admitted meeting regularly with competitors. Spiegel magazine quoted VW as saying five German carmakers met "several times a year" and had been "co-ordinating the development of their vehicles, costs, suppliers, and markets for many years, at least since the Nineties, to the present day."
One area of discussion was about the size of the technology to hold AdBlue, a chemical cleaning substance. Automakers agreed on a smaller tank to reduce costs and allow more room for accessories, such as audio, but this meant less efficient cleaning of exhaust gases.
In a statement, BMW denied the accusations:
"BMW vehicles are not manipulated and comply with respective legal requirements," and "The BMW Group categorically rejects accusations that Euro 6 vehicles sold by the company do not provide adequate exhaust gas treatment due to AdBlue tanks that are too small."
VW may have learned a lesson from the emissions scandal. A New York Times article summarizes how earlier admissions may have helped avoided trouble:
If Volkswagen had been honest with American officials [in May 2014 when Winterkorn received a memo about the inconsistent test results], the damage to the company's reputation and finances would very likely have been serious but not devastating. Similar cases suggest that Volkswagen would have paid a fine in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Discussion:
- Assess BMW's strategy. What principles of persuasion is the company using? What crisis communication techniques would be useful to the company at this point?
- To what, specifically, is VW admitting? What, specifically, is BMW denying?
- Where's the line between meeting and collusion?
Walmart Apologizes for Racist Description
Walmart blamed a seller for a racist description of a hair weaving net. The blurb included the "N-word" as an adjective with "brown" for the product color.
Walmart removed the description and issued an apology, shown here.
The seller, Jagazi in the United Kingdom, said someone was using its name to sell products on Walmart's website. Jagazi wrote a statement denying connection with the product but didn't mention the racial slur.
We woke up this morning to the news that someone has used our name, Jagazi, to list an item. Please beware that we are reporting this to as many people as we can and trying to get all the listings pulled down. The real Jagazi is a 100% black company for black people. People have often used our brand name to try and sell their products. Please be aware. Very sorry for all the distress this has caused. We are feeling the pain here as well. Most shocking!
An AOL article author criticizes Jagazi for "indicating some offense to the racial slur and much offense to someone selling fake Jagazi on Walmart's website." Do you agree or disagree?
Discussion:
- How does a mistake like this happen?
- How well did Walmart handle the apology? Should the company take more responsibility? Why or why not?
- Assess Jagazi's response. What, if anything, should Jagazi have done differently?
- The AOL article has a punctuation error. Can you find it?
Mika Brzezinski Responds to President Trump's Tweet
President Trump had contained some of his comments on Twitter since taking office-until now. He tweeted about Mika Brzezinski, co-host of Morning Joe, which continues the feud from last summer.
Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough (engaged to be married) aren't keeping quiet about the situation. In a long piece in Vanity Fair, Brzezinski tells more gory details about meetings and her neck surgery. They wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post, and 
Business Insider describes the hosts refutation of Trump's claims.
The whole story sounds a bit high school: were they friends, and now they're not anymore?
Business Insider also reported Brzezinski's response about the tweet:
Brzezinski said she was "fine" after the attack, adding that her family "brought me up really tough."
"This is absolutely nothing for me personally," she said. "But I'm very concerned about what this once again reveals about the president of the United States. ... It does worry me about the country."
"We're okay," Scarborough said. "The country is not."
Discussion:
- The op-ed piece is titled, "Donald Trump is not well." Do you agree? Too harsh, just right, or something else?
- How do you assess Brzezinski's reaction? Should she and Scarborough let it go? What are their motivations?
YouTube Continues to Fight Extremist Videos
Google announced new policies to fight offensive and inappropriate videos on YouTube and other sites. The company is responding most recently to videos promoting terrorism.
When videos violate community guidelines, they will be immediately removed. In addition, in a blog post, the company identified four new strategies:
- Increasing technology to find terrorism-related videos
- Expanding the network of people and organizations to flag videos
- Applying restrictions to "inflammatory religious or supremacist content"
- Expanding its "role in counter-radicalization efforts"
The third point is interesting. Judging a video for removal is difficult, so Google will diminish potentially damaging content by posting a warning and not allowing comments, endorsements, or monetization (they can't accept advertising). General Counsel Kent Walker writes, "That means these videos will have less engagement and be harder to find. We think this strikes the right balance between free expression and access to information without promoting extremely offensive viewpoints."
Discussion:
- Analyze Walker's blog post. Who is the audience, and what are his communication objectives? How would you describe the writing style? What organizational strategy does he use?
- How well do you think Google is balancing freedom of expression with damage and complaints from advertisers?
- What are the potential dangers of Google's new policy? What are the benefits?
VP Pence Makes the Commencement Rounds
More than 100 students walked out of Vice President Pence's commencement address at Notre Dame, but he got a better reception at the Naval Academy.
In his Notre Dame speech, Pence applauded the university for its commitment to free speech:
"While this institution has maintained an atmosphere of civility and open debate, far too many campuses across America have become characterized by speech codes, safe zones, tone policing, administration-sanctioned political correctness - all of which amounts to nothing less than suppression of the freedom of speech. These all-too-common practices are destructive of learning and the pursuit of knowledge, and they are wholly outside the America tradition."
A statement by the students read, "Mike Pence's policies target the most vulnerable groups in our society."
At the U.S. Naval Academy, Pence spoke about character, particularly, "humility, orientation to authority, and self-control. Here's what he said about humility:
Remember that character is destiny. Be men and women of integrity. People follow people they trust.
I truly believe that among the most important qualities of leadership-whether it's in the armed forces or any other endeavor-are humility, orientation to authority, and self-control. And I encourage you to cultivate these qualities as leaders in increasing measure every day from this day forward.
With humility, consider others to be more important than yourselves. Be servant leaders. Approach every challenge as a learner and a listener first. In multiple counselors there is wisdom, and the best decisions by the best leaders come from counsel and collaboration.
Discussion:
- What's your view of the students' walking out on VP Pence's speech? Read their rationale. Does it influence your opinion?
- Assess his speech at the Naval Academy. What are the high and low points from your perspective? How would you assess his delivery skills? How might your political opinions influence your assessment of his speech?
Uber CEO Tries to Change His Image
After many stories of Uber's questionable practices with reporters, employees, drivers, and technology, CEO Travis Kalanick is trying to change his image. A Recode author writes, "A more cuddly Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has returned to social media."
After a Twitter hiatus in 2016, Kalanick is back on, as Recode reports, "as the nicest CEO in the whole wide world." We see pictures of Kalanick with his mom on Mother's Day, with his parents at the Kentucky Derby wearing hats, and of his grinning face while he touches his heart.
Recode reminds us this isn't the first time Kalanick has taken to social media to try to change the company's and his own image:
After the media furor around whatever scandal of the moment died down, Kalanick tried to humanize himself - and, by virtue, the company - and often turned to puppies or children to do that.
After we saw a video of Kalanick arguing with an Uber driver over declining wages, he promised to improve. But the promise was about his leadership style. This seems like a PR fix.
Discussion:
- Assess Kalanick's approach. Who is his audience, and what are his objectives?
- Am I justified in questioning Kalanick's sincerity or too harsh?
- What else could he do to improve the company's image and his own image?
Ryan Getzlaf Calls Ref a Bad Name
NHL Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf will pay $10,000 for calling a referee a name too bad to print in BizCom in the News. People say it's homophobic, which technically it is, and it's just plain ugly. (Here's a detailed, NSFW analysis of the term, if you're so inclined.)
A statement on NHL's website, shown here, refers to " an inappropriate remark." The fine is the most allowed by the players' union.
In a statement called "luke warm," Getzlaf apologized, a little:
Read more at: http://nesn.com/2017/05/ryan-getzlaf-apologizes-sort-of-after-10k-fine-for-using-gay-slur/
A situation like that, where I'm on the bench by myself, frustration set in. There was obviously some words said, not necessarily directed at anyone in particular. It was just kind of a comment. I've got to be a little bit more responsible for the words I choose.
Definitely as a father, as somebody that takes a lot of pride in this game and the respect for it, it's tough to see somebody refer to it as (a gay slur). I didn't mean it in that manner in any way. For that to take that route was very disappointing for me. I do accept responsibility and I accept the fine.
Discussion:
- "There was obviously some words said." Help: What grammar problems do you see here?
- What make this a weak apology?
- Did the league take the right action? Some say Getzlaf deserved more of a punishment.
- What else should Getzlaf do or say?
Chobani Claim Dropped and a Muddy Apology
Right-wing radio host Alex Jones admitted he "mischaracterized" Chobani when he posted negative messages to social media. Chobani had sued Jones for false and defamatory comments when Jones wouldn't remove posts or retract the comments. You may remember Jones for the "Pizzagate" hoax, which linked Hillary Clinton with a child sex ring at a restaurant.
This time, Jones posted on Twitter, "Idaho Yogurt Maker Caught Importing Migrant Rapists."
Jones issued this apology, and the case is said to be closed. @SorryWatch posted this commentary on the writing. Passive voice is useful for avoiding responsibility.
Discussion:
- What examples of passive voice do you see in this paragraph?
- How would you rewrite Alex Jones' apology if he wanted to take responsibility?
DeVos Steps Up About Formatting Rules
Two weeks ago, Upward Bound applications to help kids get into college were rejected for formatting errors such as line spacing. To protest, 32 members of the House of Representatives signed a letter asking the Department of Education to reconsider the grants that affected approximately 2,700 students; an excerpt is below.
In response, Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education, established a "new policy" that prevents program officers from using page limits and formatting as "mandatory requirements":
"Program offices may suggest page limits and formatting standards (such as font size, line spacing, and the like) but may not use ignoring these suggestions as a basis to reject grant applications."
In her letter, however, DeVos does not address the recently rejected applications.
Discussion:
- What do you think DeVos should do at this point? What should she consider in her decision?
- Assess the Representatives' letter. What principles of persuasion are used, and how could the letter be improved?
Facebook Staffs Up
Facebook is taking more action in response to criticism about fake news, offensive posts, and violent videos. The company will hire 3,000 more people to monitor videos, hoping to avoid another situation like the one when a man recorded himself murdering another man.
In a Facebook post, CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote,
"Over the last few weeks, we've seen people hurting themselves and others on Facebook - either live or in video posted later. It's heartbreaking, and I've been reflecting on how we can do better for our community.
"If we're going to build a safe community, we need to respond quickly. We're working to make these videos easier to report so we can take the right action sooner - whether that's responding quickly when someone needs help or taking a post down.
"Over the next year, we'll be adding 3,000 people to our community operations team around the world -- on top of the 4,500 we have today -- to review the millions of reports we get every week, and improve the process for doing it quickly."
COO Sheryl Sandberg commented on the post: "Keeping people safe is our top priority. We won't stop until we get it right."
Some say the move reflects Facebook's disappointment in artificial intelligence (AI). The long-term goal is to develop the technology so it can adequately identify and remove inappropriate content. But that may be a way off.
Discussion:
- Assess Zuckerberg's post. Who is the audience, and what are his communication objectives? What works well, and what could be improved?
- What else, if anything, can Facebook do to address these serious issues?
College Prep Denied for Failing to Double Space Applications
Dozens of colleges and organizations won't receive funding for Upward Bound programs because their grant applications failed to meet formatting requirements. The U.S. Department of Education, now led by Betsy deVos, rejected applications that would have served at least 2,400 low-income students who would have received tutoring and counseling to help prepare them for college.
Applications missed the requirements because they weren't double spaced, used the wrong font, or forgot other formatting details.
Although members of Congress have appealed to Department of Education representatives, the decision seems to stand. The acting deputy assistant secretary said, "A rule is a rule. . . . I, too, have to abide by the rules." One rule is for "no more than three lines per vertical inch." In one application, shown here, an infographic contained text spaced one-and-a-half lines apart instead of two.
Discussion:
- What's your view of this situation? Is the Department of Education being too harsh, or is "a rule a rule"?
- How does this compare to grading of your writing assignments? Have you felt that instructors have been too nitpicky? What's the value of an instructor calling out formatting errors?
- The Chronicle says this decision doesn't seem motivated by the Trump Administration's cost-cutting plans. Still, what could be the political fallout if the Department of Education doesn't change its mind?
NYT Article About Uber CEO
A long New York Times article chronicles Uber CEO Travis Kalanick's rise to power and what has happened since. He certainly has built a successful company, but his leadership character is not ideal.
We have seen many reports of ignored complaints and executive departures and have seen the video altercation between Kalanick and an Uber driver. The latest report is about Uber's violation of an Apple rule against "fingerprinting." Uber was tracking iPhone users even after they deleted the Uber app.
The NYT tells of a meeting between Kalanick and Apple CEO Tim Cook in 2015. In the article, "Uber's CEO Plays with Fire," we learned that Cook summoned Kalanick to his office. Surprisingly, Kalanick "was shaken by Mr. Cook's scolding, according to a person who saw him after the meeting."
He should have been: if Apple decided to remove Uber's app from iPhones, the company could have lost millions of users.
Discussion:
- Although Kalanick may have been "shaken" by the meeting, it doesn't seem to have affected his leadership tactics. Do you agree, or is this too harsh?
- Read the article. What else do you learn about Kalanick? How, if at all, does it change your impression of him as a leader?
Adidas Apologizes for Congratulatory Message
Adidas may need a better review process. After the Boston Marathon, the company sent a congratulatory email about "surviving" the marathon, not thinking about the terrorist attack four years ago. During that event, two bombs killed three people and left several hundred injured.
The subject line to the marathoners read, "Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!"
Outrage was swift. People immediately saw that Adidas hadn't posted this intentionally but had failed to consider the connection and potential reaction.
The apology also came quickly and did the job. Admitting that "no thought was given to the insensitive email subject line," the company didn't make excuses or apologize "if we offended anyone"; they said plainly that it was insensitive.
Discussion:
- Are people too sensitive, or was this a real gaffe?
- How does a mistake like this happen?
- What makes this an effective apology?
Choate Apologizes for Sexual Abuse
Private school Choate Rosemary Hall, in Wallingford, CT, has uncovered sexual abuse by 12 faculty members. According to a report commissioned by the board of trustees, abuse going back to the 1960s was mishandled:
"Sexual misconduct matters were handled internally and quietly. Even when a teacher was terminated or resigned in the middle of the school year because he or she had engaged in sexual misconduct with a student, the rest of the faculty was told little and sometimes nothing about the teacher's departure and, when told, was cautioned to say nothing about the situation if asked."
Some faculty were given recommendations to transfer to other schools.
In a "Message to the Choate Rosemary Hall Community," posted on the website, the board chair and headmaster review the facts, thank the victims for coming forward, apologize, and promise action. The school hired Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) to review its policies and make recommendations. One conclusion in the letter follows:
RAINN has noted the strength of Choate's current confidentiality, amnesty, retaliation, and mandatory reporting policies; progressive training and education for students; and faculty and staff who are caring, empathetic, and supportive while preventing and responding to sexual misconduct on campus. Their recommendations call for continued codification of policies and procedures for reporting and investigating incidents, further review and refinement of adjudication processes, and additional training for faculty and staff who respond to incidents of sexual misconduct. We believe a commitment to constantly improving standards will provide more understanding and protection for our students.
Discussion:
- I'm skeptical reading the excerpt above. So, your policies are great? You just need to follow them? And of course, you need to do training, which everyone seems to say in these situation. Read the entire letter and form your own opinion. Am I too harsh?
- Should Choate have this letter prominently on its website? I followed a link from The New York Times, but I don't see any reference to the statement. What are the arguments for and against posted something, say, on the home page?
Snapchat Is 'Only for Rich People'?
In 2015, did Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel say the app is "only for rich people" and that he didn't "want to expand into poor countries like India and Spain"? That's the claim by a former employee who is suing Snap Inc. for wrongful termination. Anthony Pompliano alleges he was fired after accusing the senior leadership team of inflating app metrics before the IPO.
Pompliano says the company falsely advertised the number of daily active users (DAU), violated a non-solicitation and non-compete agreement, and exaggerated growth and retention data. Pompliano claims that Speigel's response about poor countries came when he suggested going into international markets to expand the user base.
A representative for Snap responded:
"This is ridiculous. Obviously, Snapchat is for everyone! It's available worldwide to download for free. Those words were written by a disgruntled former employee. We are grateful for our Snapchat community in India and around the world."
Snap doesn't deny data discrepancies, but says they aren't as significant as Pompliano claims. Pompliano contends that the discrepancies indicate "a wide-spread, systemic failure in Snapchat's internal controls over its user data." A Fortune article warns that questions about user registrations and engagement could be important to investors, who bought stock in what Fortune calls a "giant IPO" that "just proved we're in a tech bubble."
Discussion:
- Let's assume Spiegel made those comments. Do you find them offensive, taken out of context, or something else?
- How well did Snap handle the response?
- How serious are Pompliano's claims? What effect, if any, do you think they might have on investors?
Barclays Chief Tries to Find Whistleblower
The Guardian used the word "hunt" to describe Jes Staley's search for an employee who tried to communicate anonymously with the board of directors to file a complaint about another employee. As the chief executive of Barclays, Staley tried to track down the author of the two letters and received help from internal security employees and a U.S. law enforcement agency.
In an email to employees, Staley explains his rationale for going after the whistleblower:
"One of our colleagues was the subject of an unfair personal attack sent via anonymous letters addressed to members of the Board and a senior executive of Barclays. The allegations related to personal issues from many years ago, and the intent of the correspondents in airing all of this was, in my view, to maliciously smear this person."
As a result of an internal investigation, Barclays officials said, Staley acted "honestly but mistakenly." He may, however, receive a smaller bonus. We also may learn more: three regulatory groups are investigating the matter.
Discussion:
- Read Staley's email to employees. What's your interpretation of his perspective? To what extent do you see his perspective?
- What should the board of directors do at this point?
United Drags a Man Off the Plane
I'm not sure United thought this one through; people have cell phones. The airline needed to free up four seats so their employees could to get to Louisville. Attendants offered $400 and $800 but couldn't get people to relinquish their spots. Four people on the plane were approached; three left "without incident," as The New York Times reports.
But the fourth wouldn't budge. He said, "I'm not getting off the plane. I'm a doctor; I have to see patients in the morning." The Times reports the airline's perspective:
Charlie Hobart, a United spokesman, said in a telephone interview on Monday that "we had asked several times, politely," for the man to give up his seat before force was used.
"We had a customer who refused to leave the aircraft," he said. "We have a number of customers on board that aircraft, and they want to get to their destination on time and safely, and we want to work to get them there. "Since that customer refused to leave the aircraft, we had to call" the police, and they came on board, he said.
The man was removed by force, dragged down the aisle, and eventually carried out on a stretcher. A video shows the man, somehow, back on the plane, clearly upset, saying, "I have to go home." In this video, we see that his mouth is bleeding.
United issued a short statement from CEO Oscar Munoz on Twitter. Although Munoz apologizes for "re-accommodating" passengers, no public apologies have been made to the man or other passengers as yet.
UPDATE: Munoz issued a longer statement and, as NBC News tweeted, "found new words like 'disturbed' and 'horrific event'":
"The truly horrific event that occurred on this flight has elicited many responses from all of us: outrage, anger, disappointment. I share all of those sentiments, and one above all: my deepest apologies for what happened. Like you, I continue to be disturbed by what happened on this flight and I deeply apologize to the customer forcibly removed and to all the customers aboard. No one should ever be mistreated this way."
Spokesperson Megan McCarthy also said, "We recognize that our response yesterday did not reflect the gravity of the situation," Ms. McCarthy said. "And for that we also apologize. Our focus now is looking ahead and making this right. Judging from a letter Munoz sent to his employees, he may have been supporting them, protecting them. But customers must come first in a situation like this. Meanwhile, the passenger, Dr. Dao, has hired lawyers, four senior senators wrote United a chastising letter, and the company has lost $255 million in value. What may be worse (or perhaps, all for the best) are grumblings about potential disruptors for the commercial airline industry.
Discussion:
- What leadership lessons would you like to teach United's staff? What crisis communications lessons could they learn?
- Where did the airline go wrong? Try to identify all steps in the process.
- What's your view of the response so far? Should United say more?
Wells Fargo Blames a Manager
An investigation led by Wells Fargo's board into the practices that led to thousands of false accounts blames Carrie Tolstedt, the former head of the retail division:
The root cause of sales practice failures was the distortion of the Community Bank's sales culture and performance management system, which, when combined with aggressive sales management, created pressure on employees to sell unwanted or unneeded products to customers and, in some cases, to open unauthorized accounts.
The report also says the former CEO John Stumpf was "too slow" to investigate possible issues. The report is public on Wells Fargo's website.
Tolstedt's lawyers dispute the allegations. Stumpf once referred to Tolstedt as the "best banker in America." Reuters reported:
Tolstedt was perceived by high-level employees as having the support of Stumpf, with whom it was considered best to avoid raising problems with.
"Stumpf was ultimately responsible for enterprise risk management at Wells Fargo, but was not perceived within Wells Fargo as someone who wanted to hear bad news or deal with conflict," the report said.
Duke Law School Professor James Cox told Reuters, "There's a tremendous amount of pressure from regulators to throw someone under the bus. If they don't, then Wells Fargo is going to be even more in the crosshairs."
In a statement, "Wells Fargo Statement Regarding Board Investigation into the Community Bank's Retail Sales Practices," CEO and President Tim Sloan summarized actions the bank has taken: // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // if this line executes, then javascript is turned on and we'll therefore remove the no-js class from the HTML tag document.documentElement.className = document.documentElement.className.replace(/(^|\s)no-js(\s|$)/, '$1$2'); // ]]> // ]]> // ]]> // ]]</p></div>
Penn State Trustee Resigns After Putting Foot in Mouth
Five or so years after the scandal at Penn State involving a football coach, young boys, and an inactive Administration, the university is still in the news for bad behavior. Former coach Jerry Sandusky was convicted of rape and child molestation and is serving prison time. You may remember that Joe Paterno was also accused of cover-ups, but he died of cancer soon after the scandal broke and he was dismissed from the university.
Last week, the former university president, Graham Spanier, was convicted of child endangerment. FBI director Louis Freeh wrote in a report that for more than 12 years, Spanier and other Administrators, "actively protected a notorious pedophile who inflicted irreparable harm on countless child victims on the campuses and locker rooms at PSU. Although these men had multiple opportunities to stop this vicious, serial predator from continuing to sexually assault children who trusted the PSU campuses and programs as safe havens, they decided together to protect this monster rather than report him to the police."
After the verdict, one of the Penn State trustees, Albert L. Lord, said, "Running out of sympathy for 35 yr old, so-called victims with 7 digit net worth," and "Do not understand why they were so prominent in trial. As you learned, Graham Spanier never knew Sandusky abused anyone."
Lord has since resigned from the board, and it's unclear whether he was asked to leave. He also issued an apology statement.
Discussion:
- If the board of trustees didn't ask Lord to resign, should they have?
- Analyze Lord's statement. How well does this work to explain the comment, apologize, and rebuild Penn State's image?