Gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer speaks during the Know Your Vote event on Oct. 11, 2017, at Case Hall. The MSU Democrats and the MSU NAACP hosted the event.
—The impact of ex-MSU and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar extends beyond MSU, and its coverage spans internationally. Catch up with the Nassar-related news you may have missed below.
Nassar is accused of sexually abusing more than 140 women and girls, ranging from local gymnasts to Olympic athletes, under the guise of medical treatment.
He was arrested in December 2016 on charges of possessing “at least 37,000” images of child pornography to which he pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison for the receipt, possession and destruction of child pornography.
Nassar pleaded guilty to a total of 10 first degree criminal sexual conduct charges in November 2017 — seven in Ingham County and three in Eaton County. His sentencing for each of these charges could range from a minimum of 25-40 years to life in prison. The Ingham County sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 16 and the Eaton County sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 31.
Nassar is also a defendant in nine lawsuits, all of which also list MSU, MSU's board of trustees and USA Gymnastics as defendants.
And now, for the news you might have missed, in order from most to least recent:
MSU could not settle Larry Nassar suits with state funds under proposed legislation | Lansing State Journal | Dec. 28, 2017
State Rep. Klint Kesto is working on a bill which, if passed, would ban institutions of higher education in the state of Michigan from using funds obtained from the state to settle lawsuits involving sexual misconduct.
“The settlements relating to the Nassar case should not be paid for by the current students at Michigan State or the taxpayers as a whole,” Kesto said.
Gretchen Whitmer calls for Michigan State president to step down over Nassar controversy | MLive | Dec. 26, 2017
Gubernatorial candidate and former Ingham County Prosecutor Gretchen Whitmer has called for MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon to resign due to her handling of the Nassar case.
“I am now convinced Michigan State University needs to write a new chapter of compassion, openness, integrity and accountability,” Whitmer wrote in an open letter to board of trustees chairman Brian Breslin. “We must turn the page on our current tragic episode of dozens and dozens of young women being assaulted, harmed and abused.”
MSU’s Nassar probe slow to talk to victims | The Detroit Free Press | Dec. 22, 2017
MSU’s investigation into Nassar’s sexual misconduct has interviewed very few survivors and witnesses.
“There is no way a thorough investigation gets done unless all the survivors are interviewed by MSU, especially those who told MSU employees how Nassar abused them,” attorney Mick Grewal said.
Offering raise to MSU president is an affront to victims of Nassar's abuse | The Detroit Free Press | Dec. 21, 2017
The Detroit Free Press Editorial Board described the MSU board of trustees as “horrifically tone-deaf” for its decision to offer President Lou Anna K. Simon a raise at the December board of trustees meeting.
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The offer came amid widespread calls for Simon to resign due to her handling of the Nassar case. Simon declined the raise and proposed that it instead be used as a donation to the Drs. Lou Anna K. and Roy J. Simon Endowed Scholarship fund.
8 questioned in MSU-FBI inquiry of university knowledge of Nassar allegations | Lansing State Journal | Dec. 20, 2017
The MSU Police Department and the FBI interviewed eight university employees about their knowledge of Nassar’s sexual abuse and misconduct.
The interviews are part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
