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Tell us about reporting misconduct at Penn State

Plus: PSU raises tuition and stalls pay increases for employees

This is Talk of the Town, a free weekly newsletter delivering top news from State College and the surrounding region.


July 27, 2023
⭐ Support local investigative journalism! If each Talk of the Town subscriber gives just $15/month, we will meet our fundraising goal for Spotlight PA’s State College regional bureau this year! Contribute now.
Inside this edition: Penn State raises tuition and stalls pay increases for employees, Pa.’s latest attempt to regulate cyber charter schools, and tickets are on sale until Sunday for our quiz bash fundraiser event.
REPORTING MISCONDUCT
Daniel Fishel / For Spotlight PA
Spotlight PA wants to better understand how Penn State handles reports of misconduct, no matter how small they may seem. We hope to gather information about whether university representatives respond to misconduct, how the different compliance systems function, and whether people who speak up face any form of retaliation. 

As part of our “Missed Conduct” investigation, we found repeated and documented failures in Penn State’s internal accountability system, including multiple allegations of misconduct regarding the university’s former top ethics officer.

We want to hear from Penn State students and employees about what happened — whether you reported misconduct or if you were the subject of a report. We also want to know if you witnessed or experienced some form of misconduct or harassment and decided not to disclose it. Your direct experiences help us ask the right questions as we continue our coverage.

If you’d like to share your story, use the link below and Spotlight PA Penn State Reporter Wyatt Massey may follow up with you. None of the information you share, including your name, will be published without your explicit consent.

Documents related to your experience — emails, copies of official complaints, text messages, DMs, screenshots, etc. — will help us better understand what happened. You can attach such documents below. Otherwise, we’ve set up several secure ways to share information with us.

If you’d like to speak with Massey directly, you can contact him on Signal, an encrypted phone messaging app, or call 445-236-0562.

Complete the survey here.

Wyatt Massey, Penn State Investigative Reporter
NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
“They should be the fact finders. Because otherwise, you have the public thinking that the fox is watching the henhouse.”

—Terry Mutchler, a former head of the Office of Open Records who specializes in public records, told Spotlight PA of the state agency
📝 FROM SPOTLIGHT PA
» How Local Government Works: Join us Thursday, Aug. 3 from 6-7:15 p.m. ET on Zoom for a free panel on oversight issues in local governments, how to hold elected officials accountable, and where you can turn to address issues with municipal services. Register for the event here and submit your questions to events@spotlightpa.org

» Pa. is competing for billions to build hydrogen hubs. Will they really be green?


» Pa. legislature must show proof before redacting legal bills, court finds

» Pa.’s latest bid to regulate cyber charter schools would lower tuition payments, boost transparency
VISIT THE PENN STATE TRANSPARENCY TRACKER
📷 LOCAL GEM
Morning at Millbrook Marsh Nature Center in Centre County — via R Thomas Berner.

Want to be featured here? Send your best local pics to talkofthetown@spotlightpa.org.
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📰 IN OTHER NEWS
» CDT: Penn State again raises tuition
» WPSU: Penn State employee pay raises stalled by PA budget impasse
» WPSU: PSU studies aim to show human impact of climate disasters

» Mirror: Municipalities to receive $10 million in state loans
» Sun-Gazette: Williamsport 2019 audit to be reviewed
📅 EVENTS
Want us to list your event? Send it to us.

» July 28-30: The Next Stage presents George Bernard Shaw’s play Saint Joan, in The Attic at The State Theatre in downtown State College.

» July 29-30: The African American Heritage Festival returns to downtown Altoona with food, vendors, live entertainment, and more.

» July 29-30: Millheim SummerFest features live music for two days in downtown Millheim.

» July 30-Aug. 5: The 162nd Clearfield County Fair is jam-packed with exhibits, entertainment, and more.


» July 30-Aug. 5: The 87th Potter County Fair encourages sharing knowledge of agriculture and homemaking, as well as promoting rural community life.
🧩 THE PUZZLER
An anagram is a word, phrase, or name formed by rearranging the letters of another. For example, “spotlight” also forms “stoplight.”

Decode the anagram and send your answer to talkofthetown@spotlightpa.org. We’ll shout out winners here, and one each week will get some Spotlight PA State College swag.

 
G R E A S E
 
Good luck!

Last week’s answer: Seaside

There were no new winners this week. Send this newsletter to your friends so they get a shot at receiving Spotlight PA State College swag! Those who answered correctly: Jon W., Tish M., Martha D., Leslie B., Leann T., and Jay G.
Do you have events, community shoutouts, questions about our region, or tips on stories that we should pursue? Email our team.
 
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SUPPORT SPOTLIGHT PA
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and WITF Public Media.

Copyright © Spotlight PA / The Philadelphia Inquirer, All rights reserved.

Spotlight PA
PO Box 11728
Harrisburg, PA 17108-1728

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