As the top levels of MSU have publicly crumbled, so have student perceptions of the university. The controversies have caused psychology sophomore Jonathan Castro's trust in MSU to dwindle.

“If they can't really handle these really top, important cases, then how are they going to handle everything else in general in terms of the university, student life and stuff like that?” Castro said.

But it’s not just perception from within the university that has changed. Some students worry, since Stanley’s resignation and the surrounding problems have made national headlines, the overall reputation of the university is changing too. 

“Depending on what you hear and who you hear it from, it could totally change your perception of MSU and how people think about the school,” psychology freshman Sophie Kehr said. “I think that people hear different things, and they can think what they want, but I think that can definitely impact what they know about the school.”

History and political science sophomore Connor Le also said the controversy sheds a negative light on MSU.

“It's definitely gonna tank the reception that MSU has,” Le said. "Something new happens every day, and I'm like, ... 'What's going on? Why aren't we being told about these things?' So from an outside perspective, I think that it obviously shows that MSU is kind of going downhill.”

The events have led some students to feel as though they are not valued by the Board of Trustees. Castro said in his time at MSU, he only remembers receiving two emails from the board, and one of those was a response to Stanley’s resignation. According to Castro, the fact that the board makes decisions without notifying students or considering student demands is alarming. 

“We just have to live with it, basically, which is very unfortunate,” Castro said. “I really do wish that they did take a lot more student input because we're the ones that are living through everything.” 

Though many students feel left in the dark, some choose to keep it that way. Communications junior Haylee Corser has chosen not to stay up-to-date with recent events. Researching the issues, she said, may change how she views the university. 

“Maybe (that) is why I don't want to know about it,” Corser said. “Then I'm going to feel anxious and experience some sort of cognitive dissonance from the school and … I can't do anything about it.”

Though Le has more to learn, as a member of the Associated Students of Michigan State University, or ASMSU, he works with an involved group of students. Similarly, philosophy and social relations and policy senior Carl Austin Miller Grondin has been following the controversy closely. As ASMSU vice president for internal administration, Miller Grondin has been directly involved in the conversations with the board and administration. 

Miller Grondin said that his role in ASMSU has granted him the privilege to have a voice in those conversations. However, he said, most students don’t have that option, and the university must be better at ensuring that all students are informed, as all students are affected.

“It should be more of a university-wide effort from administration to ensure that the students who make this university what it is – as great as it is, are being informed of what is going on,” Miller Grondin said.

Throughout the past two months, Miller Grondin has learned that to accomplish this, students must demand to have a seat at the table. 

“I think that this entire situation really opened the eyes to a lot of students in the aspect that we really aren't told what's going on, and that the leaders that we have at this institution aren't going to tell us what we need to know unless we make our voices heard,” Miller Grondin said.

Moving forward, Miller Grondin is hoping that MSU learns from its mistakes, and he’s looking forward to new leadership with President Teresa Woodruff.