There were interviews scheduled on MSU's campus in April and May of 2018 for 40 university employees as part of the U.S. Department of Education's investigation into the university's handling of ex-MSU and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar's abuse, according to a report done by the Lansing State Journal.
Investigators from the U.S. Department of Education wanted to interview 40 university employees as well as eight former university employees, according to records obtained by the Lansing State Journal through a Freedom of Information Act request, or FOIA.
The interviews were conducted as part of an investigation by the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, which handles issues related to Title IX and sexual harassment, which began on Jan. 26, 2018, after Nassar was sentenced.
"This new Title IX investigation will look at systemic issues in the University's handling of sex-based incidents involving Dr. Larry Nassar," Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said in the press release announcing the investigation. "Our Office for Civil Rights team will be in East Lansing shortly where they will join the Federal Student Aid team already on site. FSA is currently performing a Clery Act compliance examination regarding MSU's reporting of crimes committed on campus."
The Department of Education also conducted an investigation into MSU's handling of sexual assault and harassment complaints in 2015. The department determined that the "university's failure to address complaints of sexual assault and harassment, including sexual violence, in a prompt and equitable manner caused and may have contributed to a continuation of this sexually hostile environment."
The 2015 investigation also determined that the university's Title IX grievance procedures that were in place during the time covered by the investigation "failed to comply with requirements of Title IX."
The resolution agreement that ended the 2015 investigation called for federal monitoring of MSU, which has remained ongoing.
According to the Lansing State Journal, records obtained also show that MSU asked to be released from federal monitoring in October 2017 and the request was denied by the Department of Education in December 2017.
The current investigation is still ongoing, according to the documents obtained by the Lansing State Journal. It's also not evident whether or not all 48 of the current and former employees were actually interviewed.
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