Penn State trustee Brandon Short defends football's academic record as Nittany Lions appeal recent score
Penn State trustee and former linebacker Brandon Short raised concerns with a report detailing academic progress rate for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State trustee Brandon Short defends football's academic record as Nittany Lions appeal recent score
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Wyatt Massey
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTEREmail:[email protected]Twitter:@News4Mass
Focus: Penn State University
Massey investigates how Penn State University operates, including its influence in the region and state. The university receives more than $300 million in funding from the state but evades most transparency measures under Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law. Massey scrutinizes the main University Park campus as well as the university’s 19 additional branch campuses.A native of rural Wisconsin, Massey previously covered faith and religion for the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Southeast Tennessee.
Quite the resume as a religious reporter. I wonder how he ended up with Pennlive? (Oops, I mean Spotlight PA)
Might help if Short knew what the hell he were talking about instead of parroting something he was spoon fed.Penn State trustee Brandon Short defends football's academic record as Nittany Lions appeal recent score
Penn State trustee and former linebacker Brandon Short raised concerns with a report detailing academic progress rate for the Nittany Lions.www.on3.com
Apparently, this "reporter" wrote this article in 2015 bashing PSU while attending Marquette. Then, after some years mostly covering religion, he turns up out of nowhere to torch PSU again. Sound familiar? He'll probably win a Pulitzer for one of the articles soon then ride off into the sunset to be at a weather desk.
Agreeing to lose the voice of morality
Wyatt
Wyatt
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Mar 19, 2015
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The danger of groupthink overpowering dissenting opinions and objective thinking
The precepts of Kappa Delta Rho, found on its website.
Who can argue with the goal of leading an “ honorable life”? Or, more pointedly, “treating all those I encounter with dignity and respect”? This is the precept of Kappa Delta Rho, the fraternity whose Penn State chapter is suspended and under investigation for a private Facebook page where members posted pictures of drug use and nude, unconscious women.
Again, the group’s mission: “I have but one aim: to lead an honorable life.”
How could this eloquent principle be perverted to such a degree?
Group loyalty can suppress individual voices, causing members to agree to decisions without critically evaluating it. Yale University psychologist Irving Janis investigated the dangers behind collective thinking in 1971. His research created the theory of “groupthink,” the pressure for conformity, which suppresses other viewpoints. Irving outlined eight symptoms of groupthink. These involve rationalizing the action and pressuring dissenting voices into conforming. People want to feel included. It is easier to agree than stand out.
This theory helped explain appeasement to Nazi Germany, the cover-up of Watergate and the other Penn State scandal. For each, a single point of view won out because critical opinions were not valued.
This type of blind conformity leads to the perversion of good intentions. In this case, the honorable words of the Kappa Delta Rho mission statement.
Following the discovery of the Facebook page, Philadelphia Magazine interviewed a member of the Penn State chapter. He stood by the group’s actions, detailing them as “humorous, albeit possibly misguided, antics of a bunch of college kids.”
“Here’s a quick reality check: everyone — from Bill Clinton to your grandfather to every Greek organization in the nation does the same old stuff, just as they have been for the entirety of human history,” he said.
Groupthink in action: It has been done before, so it is okay to do it again.
The same member said he was aware of the group’s actions but denied posting or commenting because he is a “good guy.” As a knowledgeable member, though, he fostered an atmosphere that regarded the Facebook page as “antics” just as much as those who posted pictures.
Responding to a question about the media’s coverage, the fraternity member said: “I don’t think that something like this should be reported.”
Again, this is groupthink. Critical opinions by outsiders are unnecessary, especially if they are unlikely to agree with the group consensus.
If not for the work of a fraternity member who alerted police, this story might not have been reported. While his fraternity brothers refer to him as the one who “snitched,” he should be honored for following his heart instead of group consensus. Instead of complying with the norm, he took a risk to expose the truth. What a difference one voice can make.
Despite the argument of one Penn State fraternity member, not all chapters of Kappa Delta Rho or fraternities participate in this type of behavior. That is not the generalization to make. However, the Penn State case underlines the need for a continual assessment of the morality of our actions.
Returning to higher moral standards means there needs to be more whistle-blowers like the member of Kappa Delta Rho. More individuals must have the courage to stand up in the face of misguided group thinking. Morality must pervade, especially beyond the fraction of our lives that is public.
Groupthink can be avoided by encouraging the sharing of all ideas, allowing unsaid opinions to be heard and pointing out misconduct. That can include bringing in objective, outside voices. While the immorality of our actions will hopefully never come near the level of the Penn State fraternity, we could all benefit from examining our lives from an outside perspective.
Agreeing to lose the voice of morality
Wyatt
Wyatt
·
Follow
3 min read
·
Mar 19, 2015
Listen
Share
The danger of groupthink overpowering dissenting opinions and objective thinking
The precepts of Kappa Delta Rho, found on its website.
Who can argue with the goal of leading an “ honorable life”? Or, more pointedly, “treating all those I encounter with dignity and respect”? This is the precept of Kappa Delta Rho, the fraternity whose Penn State chapter is suspended and under investigation for a private Facebook page where members posted pictures of drug use and nude, unconscious women.
Again, the group’s mission: “I have but one aim: to lead an honorable life.”
How could this eloquent principle be perverted to such a degree?
Group loyalty can suppress individual voices, causing members to agree to decisions without critically evaluating it. Yale University psychologist Irving Janis investigated the dangers behind collective thinking in 1971. His research created the theory of “groupthink,” the pressure for conformity, which suppresses other viewpoints. Irving outlined eight symptoms of groupthink. These involve rationalizing the action and pressuring dissenting voices into conforming. People want to feel included. It is easier to agree than stand out.
This theory helped explain appeasement to Nazi Germany, the cover-up of Watergate and the other Penn State scandal. For each, a single point of view won out because critical opinions were not valued.
This type of blind conformity leads to the perversion of good intentions. In this case, the honorable words of the Kappa Delta Rho mission statement.
Following the discovery of the Facebook page, Philadelphia Magazine interviewed a member of the Penn State chapter. He stood by the group’s actions, detailing them as “humorous, albeit possibly misguided, antics of a bunch of college kids.”
“Here’s a quick reality check: everyone — from Bill Clinton to your grandfather to every Greek organization in the nation does the same old stuff, just as they have been for the entirety of human history,” he said.
Groupthink in action: It has been done before, so it is okay to do it again.
The same member said he was aware of the group’s actions but denied posting or commenting because he is a “good guy.” As a knowledgeable member, though, he fostered an atmosphere that regarded the Facebook page as “antics” just as much as those who posted pictures.
Responding to a question about the media’s coverage, the fraternity member said: “I don’t think that something like this should be reported.”
Again, this is groupthink. Critical opinions by outsiders are unnecessary, especially if they are unlikely to agree with the group consensus.
If not for the work of a fraternity member who alerted police, this story might not have been reported. While his fraternity brothers refer to him as the one who “snitched,” he should be honored for following his heart instead of group consensus. Instead of complying with the norm, he took a risk to expose the truth. What a difference one voice can make.
Despite the argument of one Penn State fraternity member, not all chapters of Kappa Delta Rho or fraternities participate in this type of behavior. That is not the generalization to make. However, the Penn State case underlines the need for a continual assessment of the morality of our actions.
Returning to higher moral standards means there needs to be more whistle-blowers like the member of Kappa Delta Rho. More individuals must have the courage to stand up in the face of misguided group thinking. Morality must pervade, especially beyond the fraction of our lives that is public.
Groupthink can be avoided by encouraging the sharing of all ideas, allowing unsaid opinions to be heard and pointing out misconduct. That can include bringing in objective, outside voices. While the immorality of our actions will hopefully never come near the level of the Penn State fraternity, we could all benefit from examining our lives from an outside perspective.
So, what’s your take on the academic state of affairs for the football program? What’s the graduation rate? What’s the overall GPA of the team? Is anybody in danger of being ineligible? These are probably measures everyone can understand, correct? Short isn’t the first or only person to say the APR isn’t an accurate stat of the academic standing of the team?
Was he "bashing" PSU, or KDR, which was suspended by PSU at the time? And it's not as if the writer were alone in his criticisms of the fraternity.
I have no information on which to base a conclusion. The people who do aren't disclosing it.
Gotcha. So, you have as little info as the rest of us to make criticisms. Do you just have a personal beef with Short? Weren’t you the one that said Short should just STFU when he publicly criticized Jay for NIL shortcomings? He is coming out and publicly defending the players, Franklin, and the rest of the coaching staff and you are blasting him for it? I don’t follow?
If defending the program is circulating a letter full of errors , then I guess I'm guilty for criticizing.
Brandon Short has been pretty much silent since getting his seat on the BOT- now we should listen?
Until I see actual proof that Short is lying, I choose to believe him.
You should STFU, here are some things to ponder (my comments in bold italics)::
“PSU football’s current graduation rate is 89 percent, which is nine points higher than the Division I football average and is a two-point increase from 2021. The football program’s 89 percent graduation rate is in line with our historic graduation rate under the late, great Joe Paterno. While academic progress is important, the most important factor in changing our student athletes’ lives is graduating from Penn State.
No idea where Short came up with the 89% grad rate for the Paterno years. For most of those years, the NCAA GSR didn't exist (it was implemented in 2003). The only measure was the Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) which is invariably lower. The most recently reported GSR for PSU was, indeed, 89%. The FGR was 74%. The accounting for inflation is nicely summarized in the link below:
The Hoax of NCAA Graduation Rates
“The news story focused on academic progress to create a negative narrative for the story. The NCAA is currently reviewing whether to continue utilizing the academic progress metric in the future as many factors can bring down a program’s score that do not relate to academic performance. For example, Penn State lost 13 points on this year’s academic progress due to:
– Players who already earned their undergraduate degrees were using an additional year of eligibility available to them due to COVID and all went on to pursue NFL careers.
– Players who transferred out of the program following the season and are not known to continue their education elsewhere.
– A player who had a medical condition and did not meet eligibility requirements after learning of this condition.
“If these points had been included, Penn State’s score would have been in line with our historical average. The NCAA allows programs to appeal lost points given that many factors do not reflect academic performance. And Penn State is currently appealing these lost points through the NCAA.
Since I'm on the wrong side of this issue, rather than waste my time with a bIow by blow which you pollyanna's will dismiss, I'll offer the following: Short purports to account for a 13 point deduction. What about the other 73?
It’s pretty obvious….the same people who’ve been actively undermining the program since James took over.
You mean aside from his inability to do simple arithmetic?
914 + 13 = 927. In line with PSU's historical average. Even jay could do better, polly.
So, you say you have no inside info to draw any conclusions, then you spit out this. So, you either have inside info or you don’t. If you do, great, just say so instead of blindly blasting people.
It must be exhausting always being the smartest guy here. At least you’re humble though.
P.S. All these numbers are most likely skewed by factors we are unaware of. Both the rates Short and you report are most likely not completely accurate. I know you probably don’t see it that way.
What do you mean by "accurate?" Both the GSR and FGR are computed by very simple algorithms, simple, but different. What do you want a graduation rate to tell you?
Short is only interested in one thing and that's football. Oh, and getting re-elected and wait for it...yep, I just checked and his term is up this spring so right on cue he's starting his campaign. This guy has got to go.
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Tell me how he ended up at Spotlight PA after being a religious reporter for the former 6 years nowhere near Pennsylvania? It surely wasn't because if his dogged investigative skills. Maybe a few lawyers thought it would be a good idea if he stirred the turd so they could make some more serious money. You know how the University like to right checks to lawyers.
Brings to mind the question that has plagued psychiatrists for generations: are you paranoid if someone is really out to get you?
So it's a coincidence that he decided to work for a rag that made him an investigative reporter only digging up negative things PSU, with no other writing responsibilities? Got it.
Can't say I disagree. I lost a lot of respect for him when he didn't attend the memorial service of his murdered daughter and her unborn baby. Also a small group of us were invited to a get together in NYC when he was running for I think maybe his first or second term of the board. His invitation suggested that he was going to pick up the tab except that he didn't. I thought that was small for someone who said otherwise and was looking for votes.
"Investigative reporter"
Wyatt is trying his best to Sara Ganim his way out of State College.
He should probably sleep with better sources.
The most certain way to not improve is to pretend problems don't exist.
That is a 100% success rate strategy - but how that makes things better for anyone (aside from those who might gain through false accolades) is beyond me.
That is a 100% success rate strategy - but how that makes things better for anyone (aside from those who might gain through false accolades) is beyond me.
I'm all about false accolades and good old deception, obfuscation, and prevarication through slick marketing. You can make a good crust that way. Sometimes, even legally. I have a photo of Edward Bernays on my gaming battlestation.
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One of the root causes here is problems in the Morgan Center. There needs to be a few changes there. I won't name names, but it needs fixed.
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