Penn State has had a tumultuous past week of events regarding the Jerry Sandusky trial. With new accounts of abuse, the firing of Joe Paterno and PSU president Graham Spanier, and student riots, Happy Valley has experienced an unfortunate chain of events in the past week. Although students keep in their thoughts the victims of the abuse, they also contemplate whether Joe Paterno should have been fired or allowed to keep his job.

Nicholas Trask ’12, Coplay, Pa.:

Yes and no. It is understandable why they fired Paterno. A college is seen as a business. Running as a business, Penn State needs to cut out possible hazardous material bringing the company down. However at the same time, Paterno has done a lot for Penn State. For everything he has contributed, I believe it was disrespectful of Penn State to fire him in the manner they did.

Marissa Pedro ’13, Broomall, Pa.:

Yes he should have been fired. He was an accomplice to what Jerry Sandusky did in a way. Keeping somewhat silent about the issue is almost as bad as committing the act.

Leanna Yeager ’12, State College, Pa.:

The question of whether Joe Paterno should or should not have been fired lies in a weird morally gray area. However, yes, I do believe Joe Paterno should have been fired. Penn State picked a poor time to fire him though. It took the spotlight away from the victims and placed it on football — which it should not have been.

Zachary Barker ’15, Lincoln University, Pa.:

Yes, I believe Joe Paterno should have been fired. Paterno knew enough information to do the right thing. Therefore, he should have known the right thing to do would be to come forward to officials more openly.

Christina Briggs ’14 Brooklyn, N.Y.:

Joe Paterno should have been fired. He knew what was going on and did not take enough action against Jerry Sandusky. Knowing information and keeping it from officials is morally wrong. It is especially wrong for such a loved public figure to commit an act of silence of sorts.

~Kayci Nelson ’14 Online Journalist