Editor’s Note: As many of you know, I encourage guest contributors to the Weekly Star (and my Blog).  Here is an article written by RightStar Senior Systems Consultant, Leo Garcia to encourage good ethics and values.  Leo is a Penn State graduate and wanted to share his thoughts.

 By Leo Garcia

As a Penn Stater, I am both Angry and Sad.  I am angry at how grown men can ignore and turn a blind eye to such atrocities against children, in the name of an institution.  Angry at how a man with such an evil past was allowed to roam freely up until last week at Penn State.  Angry at the mere thought that people could put football before a child’s welfare.

But I am also sad at the crumbling of what Penn State stood for and at all the good that was previously done by such a fine institution and how it all came crumbling down in seconds.  I am also sad for the victims.  Being the father of a six year old boy and reading the allegations in the grand jury report was upsetting.

We can learn from this by going to the basics: Ethics and Morals.

The mere concept of finding something ethically and morally wrong should be the main driver on how we conduct ourselves and conduct our business. As we all know at RightStar, Ethics is about doing the right thing.  And if we do the right thing, the right things will happen.

Ignoring ethics and moral values caused serious consequences for Joe Paterno and Penn State just like businesses such as Enron, Lehman Brothers, AIG and others have experienced.   Why do so many institutions and companies completely ignore serious problems and fail to act in order to protect their institutions or companies and to make money?   Why didn’t Penn State President, VP’s, Directors and Coaches, all with over 20 to 50 years of service, do more to protect the children?  Were they more concerned about the image of a football program?

Penn State must start from scratch by removing anyone and anybody that had knowledge of what had transpired for the last 15 years and had a duty to act.  I just hope that not only Penn State, but anyone that has been following this scandal, learns that morality and ethics come before any institution.

I hope that none of us will ever have to confront a horrible situation where one of our beloved institutions come into play — but as long as we keep ethics and morals in check when confronting a bad situation and making a decision, we will always be making the right choice.