Penn State students protecting Paterno statue

Following calls for the removal of Joe Paterno’s statue from the Penn State campus, some students have begun a vigil to protect the statute from vandals.

Seniors Mike Elliot and Kevin Berkon organized an impromptu gathering at the statue Tuesday after a plane flew over campus with a banner that read, “Take the statue down or we will.”

Berkon said they were “extremely angry” about the message. Elliot said police told them they couldn’t sleep at the statue, but they were allowed to set up a tent — and they were willing to stay up all night if necessary.

He said the action wasn’t intended as a protest but only to protect the statue from harm. University police also have an officer monitoring the statue.

In the meantime, the head of the Penn State board of trustees is vowing to put into effect changes recommended in a report on the child sex abuse scandal that has engulfed the university.

Chairman Karen Peetz says the report by retired FBI director Louis Freeh recommends “structural changes for the way the university is governed to ensure greater transparency and collaboration.” She said she and university president Rodney Erickson have appointed a task force including board members and administration officials to ensure implementation of the measures “with care and urgency.”

Peetz also vowed an evaluation of the “fundamental culture” of Penn State and efforts for “transparency and accountability.”

She said “as members of the university community, we all feel a personal sadness, disappointment and indeed anger over the failures of our leadership”