In light of the MSU administration’s handling of reports against ex-MSU doctor Larry Nassar, groups such as Reclaim MSU and Pissed Off MSU have been formed with the goal of advocating for change on campus.
Reclaim MSU, a group composed of students, staff, faculty and alumni, formed in February after members felt a lack of trust among the university’s administration.
“It was started in response to everything that was going on with the administration in the wake of the Larry Nassar scandal,” Natalie Rogers, communication coordinator for Reclaim MSU, said. “I think we formed a week or so after Lou Anna K. Simon stepped down, with the original intent of bringing everyone who was angry on campus together so we could create a system where they could do something about that and work to change the university.”
Rogers said Reclaim MSU advocates for increased transparency and accountability in university governance.
“On campus activism is important because we’re in a place where we have the ability to create a lot of change,” Rogers said. “There is a lot of things going on at this university right now that aren’t very good, and we are in a place where we can directly affect them.”
Reclaim MSU also has a goal of changing the MSU Board of Trustees’ bylaws and structure.
“Ideally, we want to put two students and two faculty on the Board of Trustees so that we have increased transparency and accountability,” Rogers said. “Right now, the Board of Trustees doesn’t really seem to care about everything that’s going on and about how the community feels about what’s going on.”
During the Homecoming football game against Northwestern University on Oct. 6, Reclaim MSU plans on working with survivors to put together a “teal out” in order to bring awareness to sexual assault.
After white nationalist Richard Spencer came to MSU during the 2018 spring break and MSU continued to make headlines, another activist group called Pissed Off MSU was created.
One of the main focus points for the group is looking back on the history of student resistance at MSU.
The group created a timeline called the “disorientation guide,” which dates back to the founding of the university.
The group sought to bring attention to the history of students standing up for what they believe in at MSU.
While organizing protests isn’t currently a plan for Pissed Off MSU, bringing together other student groups is.
“If we have a goal, it’s to build solidarity,” Duncan Tarr, a member of Pissed Off MSU, said. “We want to build solidarity, and then we can all accomplish everything.”
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