Once again at this time when town and gown are coming to terms with grief and beginning to heal from the widespread effects of the heinous acts of a trusted university official, the collective wisdom of university decision- makers has been to act defensively.

The doors to all recreational facilities have been closed to town residents. To what end? The stated reason is safety concerns.

How is it that student, faculty and staff safety has been or will be put in jeopardy by townspeople? The university gets lots of support from its donors, but it has always received a great deal of support from the people who live and work right next door.

And they pose a safety problem serious enough to shut them out? A divisive move for a rather weak reason is not what we need now. Penn State playing defense on the football field always looks good.

Penn State officials playing knee-jerk defense since last November does not look like the strong, dignified Penn State we’ve all lived near, worked for or graduated from.

Martha Busha Bellefonte