It’s hard for me to imagine an N.C. State alumnus putting us in this situation. Not necessarily McQueen Campbell as he wasn’t the one getting paid — but had an NCSU alum been in Mary Easley’s shoes, I don’t think he or she would have taken the job. 

It was created through political dealings and quid pro quo arrangements that eventually ruined this University and community.  

I guess what saddens me the most is that, beyond the waste of money, this whole situation has tainted the reputation of an institution that I care for. 

Rather than working to preserve the sanctity of that reputation — people seem bound and determined to save their own skin first.

Easley’s initial silence didn’t help this situation either. As cliché as it sounds — her silence along with the University’s bumbling response to the scandal was deafening.  

There was no unified response, no initial press conference, and no closing of the ranks by the University community to prove that the News and Observer’s allegations were nothing more than sensational journalism. 

The initial deflections by officials, Oblinger’s poor memory, and Campbell’s sudden recollection that he did speak with officials about a job for Easley, leads anyone with common sense to see there’s something else under the surface. The school is simply struggling to keep it from exploding into a public relations nightmare.

If there is something corrupt and wrong with Easley’s job or the way it was created — as I believe there is — then she needs to resign.  Quite simply, she needs to put the University’s community and reputation above her job and move on while the legal system works through this mess.

At the same time, she does not need to be the only scapegoat for the situation. Although I think former Provost Larry Nielson has unfairly been made the scapegoat for the time — everyone else connected to this matter needs to be called to task and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. 

This is beyond NCSU — the net has been cast to include a wide range of corruption within the Easley administration — but unfortunately NCSU is the most prominent of the institutions involved in the situation.  

The damage has been done and the University’s reputation has been tainted while in the process we’ve watched officials spend more time trying to cover their own tails rather than preserve the reputation of the school. Its depressing and makes students more cynical about tuition increases.  

The more I think about this situation, I keep going back to Campbell’s speech at the commencement ceremonies. Instead of his celebratory speech, Campbell and Easley should have stood up together in front of the graduating class and apologized to the students. 

Even creating the possibility of a scandal, that would soon distract the public from the students accomplishments over the past four years, is despicable. They have disgraced this proud institution. 

Send Benton your thoughts on the Mary Easley situation to letters@technicianonline.com.