When Penn State trustees meet Friday, the agenda will cover topics typically seen in January — room and board rates, building projects and reorganization.

That last subject — including who will be chairman and serve on the executive committee — typically doesn’t generate much interest outside the university. But nothing is typical these days for the university and the board charged with overseeing it.

President Rodney Erickson delivered a calm and hopeful message to hundreds of Penn State graduates at three town hall-style meetings the Alumni Association held last week. But the frustration with the university’s handling of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal and its aftermath shows no signs of stopping.

Public opinion seemed to cement at those meetings — alumni aren’t happy with the response from trustees and want answers about their handling of the situation including the decision to fire Joe Paterno. The executive committee voted on that during a conference call meeting Dec. 2.

Lane Kintigh, a 1989 graduate who lives in Annville, said he still has lots of questions that haven’t been answered. He thinks many of the problems plaguing the university could have been avoided “if it weren’t for the existing cloud of secrecy hanging over Happy Valley.”

“I would like the trustees to unequivocally fall into line with the Pennsylvania sunshine law. Period,” he said. “No equivocating. No exceptions. They need to stop this status as a quasi-state university. They need to walk away from the state-related and open up.”

Some alumni who spoke at the town hall meetings called on the board to release the minutes from the closed-door meeting when the Paterno decision was made.

So far trustees have said very little, but the issue is expected to come up in some fashion at Friday’s board meeting.

“While there are no plans for the board of trustees to hold a special meeting on this topic, we expect that certain trustees will make public comment at the conclusion of the public board meeting in January,” Penn State spokeswoman Lisa Powers said in an email. Trustees Chairman Steve Garban declined to comment, except to say, “We’ll have to see how it unfolds.”

Vincent J. Tedesco, who is running for one of the three alumni seats that are up for election this year, doesn’t expect much from the current board.

“We’re not going to hear anything new from the trustees at their meeting,” he said. “It’s a small club. They’re going to circle their wagons around Garban. Erickson might try to get them to open up. That’s not the way they are.”

Erickson has made a point of saying he wants to be open with information. For example, his two-year contract and information about his $515,000 salary was released.

At one meeting, Erickson encouraged graduates to exercise their right to vote in the trustees elections. He noted that only 11,000 of 194,000 eligible graduates voted in the last election.

Maribeth Roman Schmidt, spokeswoman for Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship, a group that is recruiting and selecting three candidates to run for alumni board seats, said she thought that was a “poignant” comment.

“I think we’re going to see a sea change in that participation level,” she said.

Sandusky is charged with sexually molesting 10 boys. Athletic Director Tim Curley and former Executive Vice President Gary Schultz were charged with perjury for testimony they gave to the grand jury investigating the case.

Trustees candidate Jes Sellers said he has questions about the board’s decision- making process. While Paterno and Spanier were fired, Curley and Schultz were not.

“I believe I and the vast majority are left wondering: Why give counsel to some and a pink slip to another? Firing coach Paterno effectively eviscerated any semblance of employment due process that every Penn State faculty and staff member well deserves,” Sellers said in an email.

Richard Marshall, another trustees hopeful, said he has trouble understanding how many board members could not have known about the situation until Nov. 5, when charges were filed against Sandusky, Curley and Schultz.

“How can the board of trustees not have been aware of it and how could it have taken so long to formulate a semi-coherent response?” he asked. “I think that silence over the first couple days is really what allowed the tensions to build.”

Marshall attended Erickson’s New York town hall meeting Friday.

“It is clear that emotions are still raw and people are focusing on coach Paterno’s dismissal, and we need to figure out how to move forward and bring in candidates that are focusing on the big picture,” he said.

Trustees have appointed a task force and are paying former FBI director Louis Freeh to investigate the university’s handling of the scandal.

Powers said more information will be shared when the task force finishes its work. Erickson has said that is expected to happen in May.

Anne Danahy can be reached at 231-4648.