The holiday break is an excellent opportunity to unwind and unplug from the real world. But as our much needed period of rest comes to a close and we settle back into life in East Lansing, here are four pieces of MSU news to catch you up on what you missed over break.
Students gathered outside the Hannah Administration Building on Monday to protest the reopening of Berkey Hall, one of the sites of the Feb. campus shooting that killed three and injured five. Monday marked the first day that classes have been held in the building since the shooting, which occurred nearly a year ago.
An external investigation was unable to identify anyone at MSU who leaked the identity of Brenda Tracy, the rape survivor and advocate who accused then-football coach Mel Tucker of sexual harassment.
NiCole Buchanan, a member of the organizing committee for the union of tenure stream faculty, said that “well over 54%” of the group have signed authorization cards indicating they want to join the union.
Students and survivors gathered to protest the MSU Board of Trustees meeting. Though the meeting was online, they were joined by trustee Dennis Denno and trustee Rema Vassar.
Hundreds of graduates and their loved ones gathered at the Breslin Center to celebrate for fall commencement to celebrate their accomplishments. Keynote speaker John Hildebrand, the international secretary for the National Academy of Sciences was among them, receiving an honorary Doctor of Science Degree.
“It's clear that (our voices have) had an impact,” Elizabeth Maurer, a sister survivor, said. “Hearing the ‘yes’ was still just so surreal.”
If the documents contain evidence of MSU leaders failing to report information about Nassar’s serial sexual abuse, Nessel said criminal charges would likely “have come and gone in terms of the statute of limitations.”
Several students at Friday’s Board of Trustees meeting demanded that Berkey Hall— one of the sites of the February campus mass shooting—remain closed despite the university’s plans to open the building for the spring 2024 semester.
Michigan State University will publicly release the findings of an outside investigation into who at the university may have leaked the identity of Brenda Tracy, the rape survivor and advocate who the university found to have been sexually harassed by fired football coach Mel Tucker.
The pledges — which were endorsed by Guskiewicz and passed by the board — say the trustees are committed to “building trust” through a clarified role in running the university.
The board approved this resolution at a meeting Friday.
Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted Friday to begin the release of more of thousands of long-withheld documents relating to the university’s handling of years of sexual abuse by disgraced ex-MSU doctor Larry Nassar.
Alcohol will be available at the Breslin Center and Munn Ice Arena starting in January 2024, Associate Athletic Director Matt Larson announced Thursday.
If students, faculty and staff experience discrimination at Michigan State University, reporting their experience to the Office of Civil Rights is a click away. But misinformation and a lack of education on the university’s Anti-Discrimination Policy, or ADP, can prevent community members – often students – from doing so.
“I guarantee you and promise you that we will work with the community with the highest level of integrity and honesty, with hopefully an appreciation and understanding that we can't always be as transparent until a certain point, especially around personnel matters," Guskiewicz said. “But, I believe in transparency.”
After being raped by a football player, this MSU student's search for accountability ended in her deemed not credible
Kevin Sedatole is the Director of Bands at MSU, but his credits don’t end there. Sedatole is a Professor of Music, Chair of the Conducting Area in the College of Music and administrator of the entire band program at MSU including: Wind Symphony, Symphony Band, Concert Band, Chamber Winds, Campus Bands, Spartan Marching Band and Spartan Brass.
The Associated Students of MSU debated impeaching the vice president of student allocations at its last general assembly meeting of the semester. The Dec. 7 meeting also included bills that supported a Big Ten movement to stop campus hazing and the Equality Act.
With the appointment of Michigan State University president-elect Kevin Guskiewicz, students say they hope for a new administration marked by stability and open communication with the student body.