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Letter: Male-dominated legal system at fault

To the Editor:

Michael Burch GS, in his opinions column ("On University Loyalty to Joe Paterno '50," Nov. 16), charges the University with self-serving reasons for its management of the William McCormick rape case. The essay is one-sided because the University cannot respond to his charges. A wish to protect the privacy of the woman involved prevents public comment. This is precisely the problem I have with Burch's essay. Nowhere in his diatribe does he express any concern for what the woman involved has allegedly experienced, and that protection of the woman is the primary concern of the University.

Mr. Burch is not an objective observer since he is identified as a strong supporter of McCormick's legal attack on the University. Unwittingly, the bias Burch demonstrates is the primary reason University protection is necessary. The male-dominated, biased legal system too often ends up re-traumatizing a woman who has been raped. Furthermore, the column injects the Pennsylvania State University cover-up to preserve institutional interests over the safety of young boys in an attempt to link this administrative failure with Brown's actions to support the well-being of one of its female students who is allegedly a victim. This is complete sophistry.

But I do agree with one of Burch's points: If McCormick is a rapist, the University's attempt to protect the woman, and remove him from campus appears to fall short of both protecting other women in society at large and encouraging his mental health treatment.

 Tom Bale '63


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