A student representative has been added to the independent panel appointed last month to examine the MSU police undercover investigation of a campus student activist group.
Quinn Wright, ASMSU’s Student Assembly chairperson, was invited to join the panel April 30 by original panel members psychology Professor Norman Abeles, former MSU Trustee Russell Mawby and former state Rep. Lynne Martinez.
Martinez said the panel requested a student join after MSU President M. Peter McPherson failed to appoint one. The panel wants to offer students the opportunity to engage in discussion and offer input on the 2000 infiltration of Students for Economic Justice, Martinez said.
More than a year ago, an undercover MSU police officer posed as a student to join United Students Against Sweatshops, now SEJ, and gather information about the organization. The officer was later seen in uniform on campus by an SEJ member.
University officials say the investigation was started because of concerns after protests in Seattle and Washington, D.C., turned violent. Most recently, officials have said the investigation focused on a “specific, identified subject” relating to the New Year’s Eve 1999 Agriculture Hall arson.
Martinez said the panel chose Wright, a communication junior, to sit on the panel because he represents the Student Assembly and reaches a broad base of students.
“We’re very glad to have a student,” she said.
McPherson said he originally considered having a student on the panel, but opted against it because the panel will ultimately report to the Committee on Student Affairs, which a large number of students and faculty serve on.
The student affairs committee is a governing organization that is part of Academic Council. The panel will review and discuss the case with the committee and take suggestions.
McPherson said when the panel came to him requesting a student voice, he thought it was a positive addition.
“Adding a student is a very good idea. Quinn is constructive and thoughtful,” he said.
Wright said he’s the best candidate for the position because he reaches a lot of students. He said he hopes to make the panel members aware of student issues and allow them to better understand “what really happens on campus and how these issues are perceived by students.”
Mawby said Wright, who moderated the panel’s first meeting last month, is an excellent student for the position because of his leadership position.
“It was a positive move,” he said.
SEJ member and history senior Michael Krueger said the panel should have included a student in the first place. He hopes having a student on the panel who was not appointed by McPherson will bring an independent viewpoint.
“It’s a good thing because it gives a student voice - that’s important,” Krueger said. He said a lot of students have respect for Wright and SEJ is willing to work with him.
SEJ plans to meet with the panel next week, with the main objective of asking the panel if SEJ can be involved with the examination. That would be contingent upon the panel sharing all information and not holding closed meetings.
“As long as the panel is willing, we will get involved,” Krueger said.
Henry Silverman, president of the Lansing-area chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said he was not aware the panel had appointed a student - but calls it a positive move.
“They should have done it in the first place,” Silverman said.
However, he’s still not convinced appointing a panel to examine the infiltration is appropriate.
“It still smells too much of McPherson’s micro-managing,” he said.
The Lansing-area ACLU chapter filed a Freedom of Information Act request April 24 with the university for information about last year’s investigation of SEJ. ACLU attorneys hope to use that information in determining appropriate legal action.
The information should have been returned May 1, but MSU officials requested a 10-day extension on the request - an acceptable move under Michigan law. Silverman said he hopes to receive the information by today or Tuesday.
Officials have previously denied two requests by The State News for information about the infiltration, claiming no records exist in MSU police files. MSU FOIA coordinator Kristine Zayko said the office asked for the extension because it’s extremely busy. She declined to comment on specifics.
“I would like to believe the extension is because they are gathering information,” Silverman said. “Even if they did destroy the documents, they have to give us a written explanation as to why.”
