Statement on today’s release of Penn State memos

Ryan Bagwell, a candidate for Penn State’s Board of Trustees, released the following statement in response to news reports about university memos obtained by the Associated Press.

“Today I was alarmed and saddened by calls from Chairman Garban and Vice Chairman Surma to concentrate even more power among a handful of members of the Board of Trustees.”

“Their calls illustrate just how out of touch these men are with the rest of Pennsylvania and the nation. Though millions of Pennsylvanians and Penn State alumni are demanding answers and transparency, Garban and Surma have apparently chosen more secrecy over doing the right thing.”

“Instead of complaining about their fellow board members and promising to combat what they said were ‘breaches of confidentiality’, Garban and Surma should be leading calls for openness and transparency, as I did in a proposal presented earlier this week. They should be encouraging public debate among the board as a whole instead of using Wall Street tactics to silence members once and for all.”

“The Penn State family can no longer afford to tolerate their will to defend the status quo. It’s obvious that Garban and Surma are incapable of restoring Penn State’s reputation. It’s time for them to step down, and make way for fresh perspectives and new ideas.”

The AP story can be found here.

Contact:

Ryan Bagwell

608-466-6195