A group of trustees at Penn State are reportedly pushing to name the school's football field at Beaver Stadium after former longtime head football coach Joe Paterno.
According to a SpotlightPA, Penn State trustees and high-ranking university representatives met privately twice in January to discuss the matter of naming the field after Paterno.
The meetings potentially violate a state law that requires governing bodies to conduct business in public view, and continue a decadelong pattern of the board convening behind closed doors.
Board and university officials are hesitant to move ahead with the plan, as Paterno was fired in 2011 during the fallout from the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. A statue of Paterno outside the football stadium has since been removed, and the NCAA vacated more than 100 wins from Patnero's record. The wins were later restored, and Paterno holds the record for most wins in NCAA football history with 409.
When asked for comment on the meetings, an unnamed Penn State spokesperson told SpotlightPA via email: “The Administration and the Board of Trustees have embarked on numerous change initiatives based on President Bendapudi’s vision and goals and are focused on these priorities to continue to provide a world-class academic and student experience for years to come.”
The university's board is required under state law to deliberate all decisions in public. The law, however, does allow groups to hold private executive sessions but only to discuss certain topics — pending or current litigation, internal investigations, academic standings, and employment or property negotiations.
The Penn State spokesperson wrote of the Jan. 16 gathering that “counsel conducted this privileged informational briefing and no deliberation occurred.” The spokesperson added that trustees discussed “confidential and privileged matters” during their Jan. 29 executive session and that the private meeting was legal under the law’s exemptions.
