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"Those are the facts ... I still believe that was the best course of action given what we were faced with," Erickson said. "It's a decision that no university president should ever have to make."
Responding to another question, Peetz said the board was focused on implementing the changes recommended by Freeh by the end of next year following a thorough evaluation, or to offer reasons why they would not implement changes.
The recommendations cover areas including strengthening safety and security policies; identifying and reporting misconduct; and governance. Some recommendations already have been implemented, including a new policy to limit access to athletic facilities and a restructuring of the board to strengthen governance.
But Peetz said the board did not plan a detailed review of the report itself. She said such a review would take its course in upcoming trials or other legal actions, a comment that drew a couple chuckles from the crowd.
Peetz said she understood the frustrations of the school's passionate alumni over the Freeh report and sanctions.
"I think, unfortunately, there will always be people who are skeptical about what we say or how we say it," Peetz told reporters later. "We're just telling it like it is."
Critics of the school's handling of the Freeh report have said Penn State "accepted" the findings, but Dambly said that wasn't the case.
The board said in a statement after findings were released July 12 that it "accepted full responsibility for the failures that occurred."
"There have been lots of suggestions that we accepted all 267 pages (of the report). That's not accurate at all," Dambly said. "We did not take any action on the Freeh report. It's open to anybody's interpretation."
Freeh challenged the trustees to look at the culture of the university. But, Dambly said, "we don't suggest that the entire culture of the university is flawed. None of us have ever said that. Unfortunately, it's been construed that way."
The trustees also voted to table a proposal to re-name a child care center on campus that bears the name of former school administrator Gary Schultz, one of the school officials named in Freeh's report. Schultz is awaiting trial on charges he lied to a grand jury about Sandusky and didn't properly report suspected child abuse.
Trustee Anthony Lubrano read an email sent to trustees from Schultz's lawyer asking the board to wait on taking action until after his January trial. Another trustee, Ira Lubert, said renaming the facility now could influence a trial.
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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