Ethics and the Penn State Sexual Abuse Scandal
This reflection paper examines the Penn State sexual abuse scandal as a case study in institutional ethical failure. Drawing on personal professional observations and academic literature on ethics in nursing and education, the author explores how individuals in positions of authority — most notably Joe Paterno — failed to act against a known perpetrator of child abuse. The paper considers why people succumb to institutional pressure, the moral cost of inaction, and how exposure to formal ethics education can reshape personal decision-making. It argues that courage and integrity, not hierarchy or self-interest, must guide ethical choices in any professional context.
- Introduction: Personal Background and Ethical Observation: Author's career experience observing unethical workplace behavior
- Ethics in Professional Settings: Literature on ethical pressure faced by young managers
- The Penn State Case as an Ethical Failure: Penn State scandal as a case study in ethical silence
- Authority, Inaction, and Institutional Culture: Paterno's failure to act and its institutional consequences
- Reflection: Personal Growth Through Ethics Education: How ethics education reshaped the author's moral thinking
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What makes this paper effective
- The author grounds abstract ethical concepts in a concrete, high-profile real-world case, making the argument accessible and immediately relevant.
- Personal reflection is woven throughout without dominating — the author uses lived experience as context for analyzing the Penn State case rather than as the primary subject.
- Multiple scholarly sources across nursing, education, and administration are cited to support claims, demonstrating interdisciplinary awareness of ethical frameworks.
Key academic technique demonstrated
This paper exemplifies the reflective essay technique of using a public case study to externalize and analyze an ethical principle the author has personally grappled with. By connecting the Penn State scandal to professional ethics literature — including nursing codes and administrative guidance on sexual abuse — the author shows how disciplinary frameworks can be applied broadly across institutional contexts.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with personal professional context, transitions to a broad literature-supported discussion of ethics in organizational life, then narrows to the Penn State case as the central example. It analyzes specific failures of authority and institutional culture before closing with a candid personal reflection on how formal ethics education has changed the author's own moral reasoning. The structure moves from general to specific and back to personal, giving the essay a satisfying reflective arc.
Introduction: Personal Background and Ethical Observation
Before resuming my educational endeavors at university, I was fortunate enough to experience life and many of its challenges as a business person and employee. During my tenure in those roles, I observed a number of events I considered unethical, and a number of actions taken by individuals that I found both reprehensible and repulsive. I was often amazed at the capacity of people to justify their behavior when it was quite evident that such actions would not be considered ethical under any circumstances, regardless of the justification.
Rather than writing about my own personal experiences regarding ethics, I would like to examine the recent sexual abuse case at Penn State University. It is an instructive case when it comes to ethics, and it affects a large number of people — not only within the local Penn State community, but across the United States as well. This is a case that perfectly illustrates a culture that has gone too far: one that allowed a predator to thrive in an environment of potential victims without anyone taking action to stop him.
References
Badzek, L. A., Mitchell, K., Marra, S. E., & Bower, M. M. (1998). Administrative ethics and confidentiality/privacy issues. ANA Periodicals, 3(3).
Chaloner, C. (2007). An introduction to ethics in nursing. Nursing Standard, 21(32), 42–46.
Dessoff, A. (2010). Battling sexual abuse. District Administration, 46(3), 50–56.
Rosenkoetter, M. M., & Milstead, J. A. (2010). A code of ethics for nurse educators: Revised. Nursing Ethics, 17(1), 137–139.
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