Child Care Center Name in Jeopardy, Public Comment Allowed at Board Meeting

The Gary Schultz Child Care Center could be renamed the Child Care Center at Hort Woods at the Penn State Board of Trustees’ regular meeting at the Nittany Lion Inn on Friday. 

Penn State spokesman Dave La Torre said a measure to rename the center is on the board’s agenda, citing ‘the interests of the families and the greater public’ as a reason for the potential action. 

Following an afternoon of committee meetings on Thursday, the board will convene at 1:30 p.m. on Friday at the Nittany Lion Inn for its regular meeting, set to adjourn at 4:30 p.m.

The last regular board meeting was on July 13 at Penn State Worthington-Scranton and subsequent ‘special meetings’ were called to discuss the NCAA sanctions. 

In 2010, the board approved the naming of the child care center on campus after Schultz, former Penn State vice president. Schultz was charged in November by the Attorney General’s office in connection with the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. Schultz faces felony perjury for allegedly lying to a grand jury and a summary charge of failure to report suspected child abuse. 

Attorneys for Schultz and former Penn State athletic director Tim Curley, who faces the same charges, are seeking a dismissal of the charges. 

Effective this month, members of the public can now address the board during a time specifically slated for comment at the board’s regular public meetings. 

Anyone wishing to address the board must fill out a ‘Request to Address‘ form, found under the new ‘Public Expression Guidelines‘ section of the board’s website. Forms were made available on Sept. 7 and will be accepted until 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 12. According to the guidelines, only items on the agenda and ‘other topics’ will be permitted. 

Topics prohibited from the public comment portion of the board meetings include, according to the board’s website:

• Issues under negotiation as part of the University’s collective bargaining process;

• The employment status of any specific individual, statements concerning the private activities, lifestyles or beliefs of individuals employed by or associated with the university;

• Grievances of individual students or employees;

• Proposals or bids for contracts;

• Pending or threatened litigation involving the university.