At an October vigil, members of Michigan State University's Arab and Palestinian communities gathered to remember a former exchange scholar killed by an Israeli bombing of his Gaza apartment.
They were joined by then-Interim President Teresa Woodruff, Provost Thomas Jeitschko and trustee Dennis Denno.
Toward the end of the event, the emcee thanked the MSU administrators for coming — he didn't mention Denno.
Denno later texted one of the student organizers, Saba Saed.
"It's also frustrating when the prez and provost get recognized and not the trustee that was there. oh well," reads the text, which was reviewed by The State News.
In an interview, Saed recalled receiving that message and asking herself, "What the hell is wrong with this guy?"
"It was just so offensive," she said.
The exchange was one event in a months-long saga between Saed and the two board members she once believed supported her organizing: Denno and former board chair Rema Vassar.
They’ve since become embattled, facing scrutiny over an outside report detailing wide-ranging misconduct including interference in the university's administration, accepting gifts from donors and orchestrating a campaign of "attacks" against their rivals, among other things.
They've been censured, stripped of duties and referred to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for removal.
