Now, three months later, faculty, students and public commentators walked into the Hannah Administration building ready to voice their concerns with a still-fractured board.  

Code of Ethics and Conduct 

In one of the university’s last attempts to retain Guskiewicz before his now-reversed departure for Clemson University, the Board of Trustees was asked to revise their code of ethics and conduct. 

After not supporting the board’s newly enforced code of ethics and conduct — which bars trustees from publicly dissenting from majority board decisions in their individual capacities — trustees Rema Vassar and Mike Balow were censured.

Since the May 17 special meeting, concerns about the code's restrictions on free speech have cleaved the board in two. 

“The policy is not about limiting speech or restricting board members from raising concerns, providing oversight or questioning decisions,” Board Chair Brianna Scott said. "Instead, it establishes standard governing practices.”

Trustee Sandy Pierce emphasized the code's importance from a “fiduciary” perspective, saying these standards are common “across sectors."

Regardless, Balow said the revised code “probably needs to change if we're gonna be true to our ideals.”

During a press conference after the meeting, Scott said “it will take six people to change the code of ethics, and at this point, I doubt that there will be any changes.” 

Guskiewicz said the revisions allow for the administration and board to “move forward together."

"Whether you agree or disagree with the decision has been made, that we move on and accept that," Guskiewicz said. "If you disagreed with the decision — the board majority felt this was the right direction to move forward."

In May, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a Philadelphia-based nonprofit, sent a letter to MSU's board saying the new code of ethics and conduct is unconstitutional. FIRE was one of many free speech critics, accusing the revised code of ethics and conduct of "silencing dissent."

Scott clarified the MSU Office of General Counsel helped the board amend the code and a third-party legal review confirmed it follows the Michigan Constitution. 

Spokesperson Amber McCann did not respond to The State News's requests for comment on which third-party firm reviewed the revised code. 

Threats following censuring 

Just 10 days after the trustees voted to give Guskiewicz a $1 million raise in May — effectively doubling his salary — MSU's president decided to take the top job at Clemson University. 

Upon his closing remarks to the school, he said board dissension created an "unsustainable situation" at MSU. 

Men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo’s call for “Spartan Nation” to stand up, paired with Guskiewicz's remarks, fueled existing public criticism of the trustees on social media, where students and alumni jointly championed petitions, mass email campaigns and spreadsheets doxxing trustees' personal information amid calls for the immediate resignation of members of the Board of Trustees.   

At Thursday's stakeholder engagement forum, Vassar was accompanied by bodyguards. Vassar said strangers have followed her home at Friday's board meeting, adding she has received calls and messages to never come back to East Lansing. 

“I will be here today. I'll be here in the weeks to come,” Vassar said. “I'll continue to show up. And with the security detail, if that's what's necessary for my safety.”

Trustee Rebecca Bahar-Cook told The Detroit News in June she had to have police dispatched to her home for her safety.

MSU Department of Police and Public Safety Chief Mike Yankowski said that all trustees received additional security resources during the summer and were instructed to forward any threatening communications to police. He clarified that “nothing rose to the level of a criminal charge.”

In reference to Vassar, Yankowski said he had conversations with the Detroit Police Department over safety concerns.

Stakeholders 

The five weeks between Guskiewicz's then-impending departure and his decision to stay felt like “whiplash" for MSU faculty, Faculty Senate Chair John Aerni-Flessner said. 

“Most members of the public, MSU's faculty were left in limbo for five weeks, wondering about the strategic direction of the institution, and what institutional leadership might look like in this academic year,” Aerni-Flessner said.  

The Academic Congress overwhelmingly voted in July that they lack confidence in the Board of Trustees, while a separate vote showed a majority support Guskiewicz.

These sentiments were echoed by President of the Council of Graduate Students Priyanka Kothari: “We experienced a summer of uncertainty within the MSU administration that has led to an erosion of trust in the community,” she said. “As we return back, it is important that the full board regains that trust. We need to acknowledge and address the elephant in the room.”