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I just want to jump in and ask if the GA's at Penn State are unionized. If they are not, it's very likely that the GA had no protection as a whistle-blower. Even state laws may not provide any protection, because of the bizarre way GA's are not-quite-employees of the university.
Now, does the guy still have a moral responsibility to report what he saw? Probably, but I don't know enough about the guy to know his circumstances, and what would have happened to him and/or his family if he had lost his assistantship.
Same goes for the janitor. What protections does he have? Could he find himself out on the street the next day?
I say this not to excuse these individuals, but to point out the importance of making sure low-level workers have rights.
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