Surrounded by about 10 people, Penn State graduate David Baran burned his Penn State diploma on the steps of Old Main this afternoon, citing a separation between him and the university.
Baran, Class of 1975, said he acted in a way that was meant to be personally symbolic.
"It probably means nothing to anybody else but it means a lot to me because I worked hard for my degree and now I want nothing to do with these people," he said.
Baran said he thinks the athletic department and administration handled the allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and the national backlash poorly. Penn State President Graham Spanier, football coach Joe Paterno, former Athletic Director Tim Curley and former Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz and members of the Board of Trustees that were aware of the allegations should resign or be dismissed, he said.
"It was all, 'cover my butt, I only saw this, I only heard that,' when any one of them could've gone to law enforcement. I absolutely think they should all go," he said.
Other protesters also rallied outside of Old Main with signs decrying the actions of Jerry Sandusky and the steps taken by the university in response to the allegations.
Many protesters, including Penn State graduate Lauren Acquaviva, called for the resignation of athletic department representatives and administrative personnel that were involved in the allegations.
"I think anybody that knew about the abuse and did not contact the police or child protective services needs to resign. They might have done the minimum legal requirement, but there was a moral requirement to do more," Acquaviva, Class of 2010, said.
"I have a 10-month-old son and I can't imagine finding out that someone did something to him like Sandusky did to those children," she said.
Check back at collegian.psu.edu for more details throughout the day.
