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Penn State Calls For Civility In Wake Of Sex Abuse Scandal

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — As fallout over the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal continues, Penn State's new president and other university officials are asking the school's huge community to at least be polite if they can't agree with each other.

The 450-word message posted Friday morning on Penn State's website comes two weeks into the fall semester.

The message from President Eric Barron and dozens of administrators and faculty members doesn't mention Sandusky, who was arrested nearly three years ago. But they say there are honest disagreements over whether Penn State acted appropriately, how it handled a crisis and whether the resulting sanctions are appropriate.

They suggest that rudeness in debating those issues deepens the divide and provides a bad example to students.

Court cases dealing with criminal charges and sanctions are ongoing.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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