By Zoe Schubot
zschubot@statenews.com
In the wake of student outrage toward George Will’s fall commencement speech, MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon released a statement that addressed the concerns of students opposed to his appearance, and in a statement, announced a town hall meeting “as early as possible next semester to allow members of the campus community to share thoughts following this weekend’s commencement.”
Now, as students filter back onto campus and spring semester begins, it appears plans for the meeting have yet to be made. MSU spokesman Jason Cody said the Sexual Assault Task Force must first meet to determine a date for the meeting.
“The main priority is getting the task force assembled to schedule the meeting ... once this is done anyone who wants to attend can,” Cody said.
MSU students were furious last month at the university’s decision to invite Washington Post columnist George Will to speak at the fall commencement ceremony. Many believed Will’s past comments on sexual assault on college campuses sparked controversy on a campus where sexual assault is already a pressing issue, following a federal investigation of the university’s Title IX compliance.
In a column that he wrote for the Washington post on June 6, 2014, Will wrote that universities are making victimhood into a “coveted status that confers privileges, (causing) victims (to) proliferate.” These statements angered students who believed that by allowing Will to speak, the university was endorsing the statements.
Although Simon made it clear in her statement that the university does not endorse Will’s statements about sexual assault, students protested the decision to honor Will in various ways, including hosting sit-ins, signing petitions and even establishing an alternative graduation ceremony for graduating seniors who were survivors of sexual assault or opposed to Will’s presence at the ceremony.
Students remain dissatisfied that the university allowed Will to speak, and believe that although the meeting is a nice effort, real success will be determined by whether or not it has lasting impacts to prevent something like this from happening again.
“At least they aren’t ignoring it, they’re doing something,” Emma Stark, a Japanese and Residential College in the Arts and Humanities sophomore said. “I don know if they’re necessarily acknowledging that they messed up, but maybe this is a gateway to prevent future mess-ups.”
Although Stark seemed optimistic about the impact that the meeting could have, other students were not impressed by the administration’s effort. Philosophy junior Dilyn Corner was unimpressed with Simon’s proposed resolution.
“I get that he was booked well before the statements were made, but I think that we should have looked into it more and I think that this town hall should have been held prior,” Corner said.
The task force is aiming to use the meeting as a jumping-off point for a larger campus-wide dialogue about the seriousness of sexual assault.
