Vassar has disputed the allegations in her initial response on Monday. She called some of them "fabrications" and admitted to others, arguing the conduct wasn’t problematic.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who can remove trustees from the board, has said she is "alarmed" by the allegations and is discussing changes to the board. However, she is yet to say whether she would remove Vassar.

In her comments at Friday's meeting, Vassar was clear that she took issue with many of the allegations and will not be stepping down. But, she did, for the first time since the letter was sent, acknowledge some wrongdoing.

"I apologize to the 2.3 million people that voted for me, and to the students and faculty, for the spectacle that this board put you through and for some of the things I probably could have handled better," Vassar said.

On Monday, MSU ordered an outside investigation into Vassar's conduct. She said in her remarks that she's "looking forward to the review" because she is "not aware of any policy (she has) violated."

Vassar also said that on Thursday, she agreed to turn her phone over to the firm investigating who at MSU leaked the identity of the woman accusing now-fired football coach Mel Tucker of sexual harassment.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday she found Scott's allegation that Vassar had previously not complied particularly "alarming."

Vassar called for three changes in the wake of the clash.

1. A policy clarifying guidelines for private jet travel by board members.
2. A policy clarifying guidelines for board members appearing in advertisements.
3. A “360 culture and climate survey” of MSU conducted by an outside firm to provide the board with “diagnosis, treatment, plan, and progress monitoring” to assist the board in mitigating controversies.

Trustee Dianne Byrum backed Vassar's call for clearer guidelines on board travel and matters of conflict of interest. Trustee Renee Knake Jefferson similarly advocated for reform of the board's policies to "hold each other accountable," though she did not specify which policies she wanted reformed.

Scott's response

Scott tearfully disputed public comments that claimed that her call for Vassar's removal was racially charged and said its purpose was to prompt an investigation into Vassar's alleged conduct.

She said her colleagues warned her against writing the letter. Following its release, Scott said, she received threats of physical harm and racial insults.

"You all have no idea the stuff that has been said about me this week," Scott said, crying. "And all I wanted to do was stand up for people who don't have a voice. People, they are so afraid to do what I have done and take the darts that they have aimed at me for standing up for what is right. And if I had not stood up, we would continue to withstand this chaos."

Scott disputed allegations from Vassar and her supporters that she has not worked with Black student groups and was responsible for the continued withholding of the Nassar documents.

She said that since joining the board, she talked to the administration about Black representation at MSU, met with Black student groups and pushed for the creation of the new multicultural center and MSU's Juneteenth celebration.

Scott said she was not the reason for a lack of a vote on the release of the Nassar documents and that the decision to do so was put in place long before her time on the board. She said the public doesn't understand the full situation.

"Sometimes you don't have the background to understand because we can't share everything we know as trustees," Scott said.

Scott reiterated claims that Vassar bullies her colleagues and said she's the only one brave enough to speak out against her.

"Do you know how hard it is for me to have come out?" Scott asked. “Do you? Nobody understands what I feel inside. And I'm tired of it. I'm tired of the bullying. I feel sorry for our interim president because she's not even speaking out because she's afraid. People can't talk because they're afraid. And we say we want transparency? If you want transparency, then you let this investigation go through, and you hold your comments 'til you see what the facts say because I didn't put one damn lie in that letter."

What other trustees said

Byrum, who publicly supported Vassar's removal, said the board considered adding a section to the meeting's agenda where members could vote for Vassar's removal. Items need at least three votes to be added to the agenda, which Byrum said the vote failed to get.

Jefferson disputed Vassar's claim she was "aggrieved" that Vassar had won board chair instead of her in an unexpected vote.

"I'd like to ask you to stop attacking me," Jefferson said, turning towards Vassar. She denied she had anything to do with Scott's allegations.

"I find it regrettable that circumstances compelled a trustee to decide that public exposure is the only viable way to address grave concerns about leadership on the board," Jefferson said.

Trustee Dan Kelly said that leaders' reputations and fear of embarrassment have to be put aside when serving the public, which sometimes can be challenging.

“But if you're on this board to do what's in the best interest of the university, then that's your only goal,” Kelly said.

Kelly, who is the chair of the board's committee on Audit, Risk and Compliance, said the investigation into Vassar's alleged conduct that was initiated Monday morning will be conducted by an independent third party. Not only will it investigate the allegations in Scott’' letter, but "any other allegations involving a board member's violation of our code of ethics,” Kelly said.

Sandy Pierce, who was appointed to the board by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in December 2022, said the conflict should have been kept behind closed doors.

Public comment

Representatives from MSU’s Black Students' Alliance, or BSA, spoke in support of Vassar, saying they've interacted with her more than other board members.

BSA parliamentarian Jordan Roebuck said Vassar and the board should prioritize issues like releasing the Nassar documents over Vassar's potential removal.

He said he first met Vassar this summer when she made a presentation to students. Roebuck said that in his interactions with her since, Vassar has been "nothing but kind, sweet, and encourages me daily to be proud of my Blackness."

He said he hasn't felt the same connection with other trustees.

Roebuck also took issue with Scott's decision to release the letter publicly, saying he was "confused and terribly disappointed that this letter would be released at this time for MSU, especially to the news."

Council of Graduate Students President Hannah Jeffery said her organization has not yet decided about Vassar but is "diligently taking the time to review the evidence and develop an appropriate response with input from our constituents."

Associated Students of MSU President Emily Hoyumpa said her organization is broadly disappointed with the board because "the school is always in a new scandal."

"Students, faculty, staff and alumni should not be ashamed to be Spartans," Hoyumpa said.

Faculty senate chair Jack Lipton presented a resolution they passed last night calling for Vassar's removal over concerns that she could have jeopardized MSU's accreditation.

Some of the allegations that Vassar didn't dispute could endanger MSU's accreditation, Stacia Moroski-Rigney, MSU's director of accreditation, curriculum and compliance, said on Thursday. Losing accreditation would mean a loss of federal funding and the ability to provide financial aid for students.

He also read a statement from former faculty senate chair Karen Kelly Blake thanking Scott "for her courage in exposing the continued deterioration of board functioning" and calling for Vassar's removal.