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Olympic gold medal gymnast Jordyn Wieber to speak at MSU Thursday

March 19, 2018
USA's Jordyn Wieber stretches in between routines in the women's gymnastics team final during the Summer Olympic Games in London, England, Tuesday, July 31, 2012. (Vernon Bryant/Dallas Morning News/MCT)
USA's Jordyn Wieber stretches in between routines in the women's gymnastics team final during the Summer Olympic Games in London, England, Tuesday, July 31, 2012. (Vernon Bryant/Dallas Morning News/MCT)

Jordyn Wieber, an Olympic gold medalist, survivor of ex-MSU and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar's sexual abuse and Michigan native, will speak at MSU on March 22. Her talk will focus on women and survivor empowerment. 

Hosted by the MSU Residence Halls Association, or RHA, the event is only open to MSU students, faculty and staff. Wieber will take questions that are submitted by MSU community members ahead of time. 

"We hope that this will give people the opportunity to also share their stories and be empowered and hopefully find a way where they can also overcome their experiences," RHA Director of Public Relations LeeAnna White said.

White said MSU's Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention team will also be at the event where the president, Anna Cumming, will also answer questions and moderate a discussion. 

The event will take place at 7 p.m. in Pasant Theatre at the Wharton Center. Tickets are free for students, faculty and staff, two per ID. The tickets can be picked up at the Wharton Center Box Office.

"Our goal is to ... help with strategies to overcome adversity in all aspects of their life and offer an outlet to channel their emotions for positive and productive change," White said. 

On Jan. 19, Wieber publicly came out as a victim of Nassar's abuse at his Ingham County Circuit Court sentencing, where she was the first to give her victim impact statement. 

“The hardest thing I’ve had to do is process that I am a victim of Larry Nassar,” she said in her statement.  

A member of the "Fierce Five" — the gold medal-winning team at the 2012 Olympics of which four members were victims of Nassar — Wieber asked that the media not just focus on well-known athletes, but on all stories from all women. 

Wieber recently graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a bachelor's degree in psychology and now serves as the U.S. Olympic Women's Gymnastics Team assistant coach.

RHA is working with sexual assault programs to meet the needs of the community and survivors during the discussions at the event, White said. 

During the event, there will be a safe space provided by the Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention team. 

The event is part of MSU's Mental Health Awareness week, which started Sunday and runs through Friday.

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