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By EDDIE PELLS, AP National Writer
      


First Penn State. Now Syracuse. Concerned that allegations of
child sex abuse in two big college sports programs could trigger
more cases around the country, universities are urging employees to
reread their school's reporting policies, while more closely
scrutinizing the people who work in their athletic departments.

      Those reminders were circulating even as news of the scandals
kept unfolding.
      


On Friday, the NCAA notified Penn State it would investigate the
school for lack of institutional control resulting from the child
sex abuse allegations against Joe Paterno's former assistant coach,
Jerry Sandusky. 

The evening before, Syracuse placed basketball
coach Jim Boeheim's top assistant, Bernie Fine, on leave after old
allegations resurfaced that he molested two former ballboys.
Sandusky and Fine each have denied the accusations against them.
    


  In his letter to Penn State, NCAA president Mark Emmert restated
a message that schools have been receiving simply by watching the
news.

      "It is critical that each campus and the NCAA as an Association
re-examine how we constrain or encourage behaviors that lift up
young people rather than making them victims," Emmert wrote.
     


 Earlier this week at Michigan, president Mary Sue Coleman wrote
an open letter to the university community reminding people to call
911 or the police department if they see a crime in progress.

"This is a chance to remind one another that a community's values
are lived out in the actions of each of us as individuals," she
wrote.

      At St. John's, athletic director Chris Monasch said the
incidents offered a good opportunity to emphasize to staffers
"that if there is an issue that's inappropriate you have to deal
with it immediately."

      "A cover-up only makes it more severe," Monasch said.
"Certainly, we do background checks on the people we hire for
summer camps and those types of things. We're trying to take
precautions, but I don't know how you can prepare for some of those
things."

      At North Carolina State, athletic director Debbie Yow asks
athletes to anonymously complete a thorough survey that includes a
question asking if an athletic staff member ever engaged in
inappropriate contact.

      "I think in this case it was something that was so new, a new
type of allegation," Yow said. "You're used to someone saying
players are gambling or there's alcohol abuse or there was a fight
in the parking deck or any number of things like that - an NCAA
violation, extra benefits. The list is very long that we know about
and we try to protect against. This was a new type of issue I don't
believe that was on the radar of athletics administrators."

      John Burness, the former longtime vice president of public
affairs at Duke, said there could be a "safety in numbers,"
element for victims who keep details of their abuse quiet, but
suddenly see a chance to seek justice.
     


 "I'm not surprised, nor would I be surprised, if we saw people
coming forward now to make allegations," Burness said. "Because
it could be more comfortable to do so. That shouldn't be
discouraged. It should be encouraged. At the same time, we have to
realize that every allegation is not necessarily true."

      At a couple of smaller schools where sports aren't as big a
focus, leaders nevertheless used the latest episodes to put a
sharper point on their reporting policies.
     


 "We all need an immediate reality check," Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary president R. Albert Mohler Jr., wrote in a
letter first reported by The Chronicle of Higher Education.

      Presidents and chancellors aren't the only ones getting
involved. Earlier this week, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal issued an
executive order requiring university employees to report sexual
abuse or neglect to authorities within 24 hours of witnessing the
offense.

      New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland are among the other states
where lawmakers are considering toughening their reporting
standards.

      Both Burness and Terry Hartle, senior vice-president at the
American Council on Education, compared reaction to these scandals
to what happened after the massacre at Virginia Tech, when schools
went back and analyzed their preparedness for a major emergency.

      "I do not see a crisis coming up," Hartle said. "I do think
this will be an experience that will force all colleges and
universities to reevaluate their policies and procedures with
reporting and dealing with sexual misconduct."
   


   A handful of athletic directors interviewed by The Associated
Press said they have brought up the subject with their departments.
     


 In his regular Sunday evening email to athletes, coaches and
staff, Minnesota AD Joel Maturi asked everyone to pray for the
victims but also reminded them of their responsibility to report
any illegal, abusive or improper behavior they become aware of.
      


At Kentucky, spokesman DeWayne Peevy said: "We take a long look
at everything as a staff, re-evaluate what we're doing."

      "Some things you can't necessarily prevent, but you do
everything you can to make sure there are no red flags and nothing
shows up unexpectedly," Peevy said.
     


 Same message at Utah, where athletic director Chris Hill
reminded employees it's their responsibility to report any
potential crime to the police. 

At Arizona, athletic director Greg
Byrne's letter to staff included this straightforward advice: "The
message is simple - call the police - call 911 - if you witness
criminal activity or if you believe you or anyone else is in
danger." 


Wake Forest is holding its annual administrative retreat
soon, and the topic of how it might handle such a problem is
expected to come up.

      Although running background checks on employees is standard
procedure at almost every university, Burness said the news of the
past weeks likely will send athletic directors back to the
personnel files.

      "That's a proper step for an institution to take," he said.
"If you're aware of prior cases, you should probably brush up on
what happened, what was found, what wasn't found and who the
incident was reported to."

      AP Education Writer Justin Pope and AP Sports Writers Jim
O'Connell in New York, Bob Baum in Phoenix, Lynn DeBruin in Salt
Lake City, Colin Fly in Louisville, Ky., Dave Campbell in
Minneapolis, Stephen Hawkins in Dallas, Joedy McCreary and Aaron
Beard in Raleigh, N.C., Will Graves in Pittsburgh and Nick Geranios
in Spokane, Wash., contributed to this report.

Gallery

Penn State scandal emboldens other abuse victims

Sandusky proclaims innocence as more alleged victims come forward

How a scandal brought down Joe Paterno

PSU trustees fire Paterno, Spanier

Education News

First Penn State. Now Syracuse. Concerned that allegations of
child sex abuse in two big college sports programs could trigger
more cases around the country, universities are urging employees to
reread their school's reporting policies, while more closely
scrutinizing the people who work in their athletic departments.

Penn St, Syracuse cases put other schools on guard

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