For years, Michigan State University (MSU) students have been trying to catch a break from news headlines. From Title IX violations to an MSU professor running a meth lab, we have seen it all. In 2023 alone, MSU has faced a multitude of scandals that keep our university on the front page, and students are getting sick of it.
While Larry Nassar was charged and sentenced in 2016 for sexually abusing and assaulting hundreds of women and girls, justice still hasn’t been served. In April of 2023, the MSU Board of Trustees refused to hand over 6,000 documents to Attorney General Dana Nessel by claiming attorney-client privilege. These documents could bring justice to more survivors, as crucial information is yet to be uncovered. Nessel originally requested the documents in 2018 due to the board’s actions but ended up closing the case in 2021 because of lack of compliance from the university. However, Nessel was able to reopen the case this year because of new membership on the board. Nassar survivors feel as though the board is still protecting him. This outrage led to a lawsuit filed in July 2023 by Parents of Sister Survivors Engage (POSSE) that entails the board holding secret votes and meetings in efforts to reject Nessel’s request. The lawsuit also claims the board is forfeiting legal responsibility to follow the Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act and demands the board hold a public vote on releasing the documents.
The POSSE lawsuit isn’t MSU’s only Title IX scandal, however. Former head football coach Mel Tucker was fired on Sept. 27, 2023 due to a sexual misconduct complaint filed by Brenda Tracy, a survivor and sexual assault awareness speaker. Tracy alleges Tucker made sexual comments and masturbated over the phone without her consent. Many students are outraged, as the university had acknowledged the nonconsensual phone call in March of 2023, yet students didn’t know about the incident until the story broke in September. Freshman student Maggie deReyna says, “I was upset to hear about it but not completely shocked because I had known about the Nassar scandal. I was still plenty angry about it and angry at the administration for allowing something similar to happen again.” deReyna is in her first semester at MSU, yet she states that her trust in the administration is already hurt. Unfortunately, these same sentiments seem to be echoed, not only by fellow students, but by members of the administration itself. On Oct. 20, trustee Brianna Scott called for the removal of board chair Rema Vassar in a letter to the board due to a multitude of reasons, including but not limited to refusing the investigation of the alleged leak of Tracy’s name, harassment of interim president Teresa Woodruff, and meddling with a report on the mass shooting. Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she is currently examining these claims and will take them very seriously when addressing whether or not to remove Vassar.
In the heat of the situation with Tucker and board chair Vassar, MSU faced yet another scandal related to an employee. Kinesiology professor Brendan Doyle was put on leave in September and then terminated on Oct. 9th, 2023 due to an arrest in 2020 for running a secret meth lab operation. Students were concerned about how he was acting in class, with multiple sources detailing outbursts and name-calling, as well as Doyle canceling multiple class sessions. When students joined a group chat for the class, they started investigating the professor due to his strange behavior and found that he had fled the state of Louisiana once the police connected him to a meth operation. According to MSU, the arrest didn’t show up on his background check. However, the university became aware of the incident on Sept. 15. With students already feeling fearful on campus due to the tragic shooting on Feb. 13, hearing this news was greatly disturbing. Students felt betrayed by the administration allowing someone with this track record to even come near them, as it raises major safety concerns.
On top of the numerous scandals, students also feel a lack of faith with how MSU has been handling tensions on campus due to the atrocities occurring in Gaza. Many students feel as though their voices aren’t being heard and that MSU not intervening is only worsening their anxieties of being on campus. A source from the Arab Cultural Society (ACS) on campus states, “Students have gotten death threats, [been] followed home, and have been harassed. We were likened to terrorists and called terror supporters by students, parents, alumni, and MSU personnel. Administrators witnessed this during the last ASMSU general assembly and did nothing.” The alleged lack of concern for Arab students’ safety has enraged the community, and the university’s continued silence is only harming students’ mental health. The ACS representative also said, “Everything going on in the world and America just makes us feel more isolated and erased as the university and its related personnel, policies, resources, and governing systems fail to acknowledge Palestinian experiences, struggles, histories, and memory.”
The lack of trust in the disciplinary system when it comes to racial discrimination has led some students to feel a sense of hopelessness and frustration with MSU. Even when instances are reported, students feel that justice is rarely served. Many students have come forward with serious concerns about the false sense of security all minorities feel on campus, including Jaelynn Smith, a sophomore in the College of Social Science, stating, “Members of my community have gone about the situation through recommendation of the University, by creating a report and standing by as MSU does absolutely nothing in return; not even an apology.” Smith said, “until the University implements tactics that deescalate racial tensions on this campus, I will never feel safe.”
As students look forward, they can only hope MSU will release the Nassar documents, bring justice to those who have done wrong in the administration, take accountability for their actions, and figure out how to properly support students facing racial discrimination.
Sources:
Michigan State fires Mel Tucker as football coach after sexual harassment investigation
MSU instructor on leave after students discover meth lab arrest