In 2012, the Penn State Lions went 8-4 on the field, passing 3,283 yards, rushing 740 yards, and scoring 349 points. This credible performance earned it a respectable 38th ranking out of the 124 schools in the NCAA’s Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. But few will remember Penn State’s athletic performance in 2012. What people will remember instead is that 2012 was the year the University’s Special Investigative Counsel issued its report into the actions of Penn State Coach Gerald Sandusky.

This experience, which captured the attention of the nation, is not unique to Penn State, and not even unique to big sports schools. Earlier this year, on September 4th, Brandeis University, a small private research institution in Waltham, Massachusetts, published its Independent Investigation Counsel’s report following a review of alleged abuses by its Athletics Department. According to the University, the review took months to complete, and included more than 150 interviews of players, coaches, students, and faculty, and a review of more than 30,000 documents. The announcement accompanying the report noted that “a second report that focuses on a broader examination of campus climate...will be completed later this semester.”