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Letter: No monetary donations to MSU until recent events explained

Beaumont Tower on July 30, 2018.
Beaumont Tower on July 30, 2018.

By James R. Ryan

Ryan is a Michigan State alumnus. He graduated in 1955.


I’ve been an annual giver to MSU for many years, graduating with three degrees in 1955, 1961 and 1970. I will no longer be an annual giver until what recently occurred in the Athletic Department at MSU will be satisfactorily explained to me.

I would appreciate a response to this question: How could something like this be permitted to besmirch this great university; the very thought of this is incredulous. Where was the governing board and the administration? Am I to believe no one knew about these goings on? Did students who were violated tell their parents? Or did all just “play dumb” and look the other way? This reminds me of the movie “Judgment at Nuremburg” where seemingly few if any in Germany knew what was happening as millions of people were led to their extermination over a ten year period from 1935 to 1945. I surmise that there were many on the MSU campus who did know what was going on within its athletic program but chose to say little or nothing about it. 

Are there those still in university positions who should have been fired because of their involvement in this sad event? Please don’t insult me by “assuring” anyone with this political, hackneyed view of things: “From now on parents and students can be certain that nothing like this will ever happen again.” Such would be a gross insult to anyone’s intellect. 

Here’s the problem. We are all contaminated with the dread disease, “Human Nature.” No correction in current behavior can be expected to be adopted by a future generation. Each generation will face its own set of issues. But there is an axiom that every generation can rely upon for its own steadiness, consistent through the ages and until the end of time: In my view it will be a Christian ethic and its adherence at the time any problem first develops. What is that ethic? DO UNTO OTHER AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO TO YOU. In other words, do the thing.

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