STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WHTM) -
Even though former Penn State President Graham Spanier was fired last week, he still has a job with the university.
Spanier is a tenured professor and, according to new president Dr. Rodney Erickson, could teach if he wanted.
"Graham Spanier is a tenured member of the faculty at Penn State," Erickson told the media on Friday. "If Dr. Spanier were to presume a role of teaching and research in the traditional faculty sense, then he would return to his professorial role in one or more of those particular units."
Spanier is a tenured professor in the College of Health and Human Development and the College of Liberal Arts.
According to the grand jury presentment, Spanier was told an employee reported an incident involving former football coach Jerry Sandusky and a young child in a campus shower in 2002.
Students at Penn State Harrisburg were shocked to learn he's still employed by Penn State and many said he has to go.
"I believe if you are going to take one person away, you should take them all away," sophomore Mike DePierro said.
"I really think since us students are held to a higher standard that professors and anyone that works for Penn State should be held to that standard," said Darla Miller, an adult learner.
"Somewhere along the line he is responsible, the coach is responsible, they're all responsible for it," said junior Phillip Toth.
"He's involved with the whole scandal as well so if Joe can get fired and he did what he was supposed to do then he has to go, too," said Theresa Garvin, a senior.
As of now, Spanier has not indicated that he wants to teach. A number of things are still unknown about his future. The university has not released information about his severance agreement and Spanier has not yet moved out of the president's house.
If he were to take a professor position, it would be a massive pay cut. As president, he made more than $800,000 last year. The average professor takes home a little more than $120,000.
