STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary, a key witness in the child sex abuse scandal that has engulfed the school, has been placed on administrative leave.Interim school president Rod Erickson announced the move Friday, a day after the school said McQueary would not be present when the Nittany Lions play Nebraska on Saturday because he had received threats. McQueary testified in a grand jury investigation that eventually led to child sex-abuse charges being filed against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. The ensuing scandal brought down longtime coach Joe Paterno, who was fired by university trustees amid growing criticism that he should have done more to stop the alleged abuse.
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STORY: 'Victim 1' triggered investigation
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BLOG: McQueary will not coach Saturday
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MORE: Complete coverage of PSU scadal
More than 1,000 students and supporters participated in a vigil Friday night for the victims in the sex abuse scandal.
Vigil organizer Jessica Sever, a Penn State senior, says she wants the gathering to bring the focus back to the victims.
In his first public remarks on the scandal, President Obama said it's time for the entire nation to do some "soul-searching."
"We all have a responsibility …. Each of us must take it on ourselves to make sure our kids have the love and support and the protection they deserve."
Earlier Friday, Penn State's board of trustees vowed to restore "public trust in the university" and created a special committee to investigate the sex abuse scandal that has rocked the campus and community.
The board named trustee Ken Frazier, president and chief executive officer of Merck & Co. and a Penn State graduate, to head the investigation.
"We're going to get to the bottom of all these matters," Frazier said.
The board's regularly scheduled meeting began Friday morning with trustees welcoming Erickson.
"My heart aches for the victims," said Erickson, who received a standing ovation. "It will take all of us some time to come to grips with the full magnitude of the damages … (but) we are certainly not adrift or without a vision going forward."
The meeting was moved to a larger room in the on-campus Nittany Lion Inn to accommodate a larger-than-normal crowd of about 200 people that included the news media, spectators and Gov. Tom Corbett, who is on the board.
Corbett on Friday again called for Penn State students not to resort to violence at Saturday's football game against Nebraska, which will come three days after campus riots broke out following the firing of football coach Joe Paterno.
Penn State police chief Tyrone Parham wrote in an e-mail to the Associated Press Thursday that his force is "taking extra precautions and has added additional resources for the game."
Corbett, appearing at a news conference with several leaders of student organizations after meeting with the students earlier Friday, told the university community that "the eyes of the nation are on them right now. … This is not about a football game, or who coaches or who the president (of PSU is). It's about the children" victimized by the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal.
"Law enforcement will be there," Corbett said. "Because there are people who are angry. I'm sure the vast majority will behave."
Corbett said he has no problem with people voicing their opinions but said: "Violence is not a constitutional right."
Corbett, the state's former attorney general, said Thursday he supported the board's decision earlier in the week to fire Coach Joe Paterno and President Graham Spanier.
Friday, police officers stood outside the boardroom doors. Two student groups had planned to confront the board but canceled plans after Spanier was fired.
"We are committed to restoring public trust in this university," said board chairman Steve Garban.
The university is trying to recover as former defensive coordinator Sandusky faces a 40-count criminal indictment brought by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office for alleged sexual abuse of boys, some in the football locker room. The fallout ended Paterno's legendary coaching career and resulted in Spanier's ouster.
Athletic Director Tim Curley and Senior Vice President Gary Schultz have been charged with perjury and failing to report the abuse to authorities. Curley is on administrative leave, and Schultz took early retirement.
The charging documents allege the child abuse offenses occurred from 1994 to 2005, "both while Sandusky was a football coach … and after he retired from coaching."
In Texas, authorities are looking into the possibility that an offense happened when Penn State played in the Alamo Bowl in 1999.
"We are investigating whether an offense may have happened in San Antonio," said San Antonio police Sgt. Chris Benavides.
The Alamo Bowl was Sandusky's last game at Penn State, and the grand jury report says he took one boy he allegedly molested to the game and threatened to send him home when the boy resisted his advances.
Friday, trustees asked fans to be respectful and "set a new standard of sportsmanship" at Saturday's game against Nebraska, where interim Coach Tom Bradley will coach his first game.
Officials expect a groundswell of people at the game who support Paterno, including many who are angry at the way officials handled the scandal.
Alumni began to trickle into town for the game. Baskets of blue and white pins that say "Shuck the Husks" awaited guests as they checked into hotel rooms booked long before the scandal unfolded this week.
Opinions have been mixed about whether Paterno should have been allowed to finish out the season. The alumni association wouldn't comment but acknowledged that it has been barraged with phone calls and e-mails.
Dick Jones, a public relations consultant in State College who represents 20 colleges and universities nationwide, said Friday that alumni donations may drop, at least in the short term.
"I've lost all sense of pride," said Sarah Labance, 39, of Vernon, N.J., who earned her bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees from Penn State.
Labance drove to campus with her mother, Joanne. They didn't come for the sold-out game but to walk around campus, so Sarah could process her emotions.
"I spent nine years here," she said. "I have so many memories. I feel I got a fantastic education, but the reputation has been scarred by this."
Labance has given small donations over the years but says no more. "I don't know that I would even want my children to go here," she said.
Saturday's game was supposed to be a "White Out" game, in which the school asks all fans to wear white for certain home games. It's well-coordinated, intimidating and effective. In light of the scandal people are being encouraged to wear blue.
A T-shirt that reads "Stop Child Abuse, Blue Out Nebraska" is on sale at McLanahan's on College Avenue in State College, Pa. According to Penn State, the shirt will be on sale for $9.99 with 100% of the proceeds going to Prevent Child Abuse Pennsylvania.
"In addition to being the color of our team's home game jerseys, blue represents the color of bruises that have too often been neglected," the school said in a Facebook post reprinted by the Philadelphia Daily News. "Let's make national news for our collective actions to show solidarity with both the victims and our fellow classmates on the field."
Many of Paterno's former players have said they plan to come to the game and show their support for the coach they still speak highly of.
One of those players, former NFL linebacker and Penn State alum Brandon Short, showed up at Paterno's doorstep Thursday afternoon. Several assistant coaches, many of whom played for and were recruited by Paterno, visited with their former boss Thursday morning.
"We know he's going to be watching. He's probably going to still be yelling at the TV when he sees somebody mess up," left tackle Quinn Barham said. "It's tough. I'd like to shake his hand on Senior Day, but you can't do that."
Frazier said after the meeting that findings of the investigation will be made public and that the committee will work with the attorney general's investigation. He said the committee will do "everything it can to ensure "this kind of thing never happens again."
Frazier is a lawyer and has been the CEO of Merck since January, according to his biography on the board of trustees website. He joined the company in 1992 as vice president, general counsel and secretary of the Astra Merck Group.
Contributing: Nicole Auerbach, Carolyn Pesce and Tom O'Toole, McLean, Va.; Jack Carey and Audrey Snyder, State College; Richard Wolf; Associated Press
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