"It feels like the board of trustees, you, everyone just bowed to this media firestorm," a 1973 graduate said. "It was just so disturbing with how we were perceived and what we did in response to that."
"We must demand a change in the board, the full board," another said.
It was the second town-hall meeting in as many days held for alumni by Penn State. Erickson has pledged more openness and communication while he strives to rebuild the university's image in the aftermath of sexual-abuse charges against former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. The Philadelphia region is home to more than 90,000 Penn State alumni.
The first meeting was held Wednesday night in Pittsburgh, where many of the same questions were asked. A third session is scheduled for Friday night in New York City.
Sitting before the crowd of 650, Erickson encouraged alumni to question the board "hard" about its decisions but "to try to understand the whole context in which decisions were made and not to rush to judgment." The comment brought a chorus of groans from alumni, who contend that is just what the trustees did in the case of Paterno and former president Graham B. Spanier. Paterno was fired and Spanier was forced to resign Nov. 9, days after disturbing grand-jury testimony in the Sandusky case became public.
"Joe Paterno was the brand for Penn State," one alumnus said. "It's really put a knife through my heart."
A 1976 graduate said of Paterno: "He's the single most important Penn Stater in the history of the university."
Anthony Lubrano, a 1982 graduate, told Erickson he spent an hour with Joe and Sue Paterno on Tuesday.
