Today’s weather forecast is predicting cloudy skies with a high of 47 degrees and a low of 31 degrees.

Attorney general renews call for release of MSU board’s Nassar documents

Following a change in board leadership and public pressure at a recent meeting, a letter from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel renews her demand for the release of thousands of documents relating to Michigan State University’s handling of disgraced ex-MSU doctor Larry Nassar.

The documents have long been withheld by the university’s Board of Trustees.

In March 2021, under the leadership of then-chair Dianne Byrum, the board privately agreed not to release the documents until related legal disagreements with the university’s insurers were resolved. At the time, MSU was suing 12 insurance companies which argued they didn’t have to pay in settlements to survivors of Nassar’s abuse.

Today, the legal battles with all but one of those insurers are resolved. If a settlement isn’t reached, MSU and that insurer will resolve the dispute in a jury trial beginning on Oct. 30.

The documents include records of internal complaints and investigations, personnel files of those who worked with and above Nassar and any texts or emails relating to Nassar to or from 20 MSU employees and leaders — including current trustee Byrum and board vice chair Dan Kelly.

Nassar is currently serving an effective life sentence for numerous county charges of assaulting young women and girls and federal child pornography charges.

Friday, the board will meet publicly for the first time since the public comments in February and the attorney general’s letter. The agenda has not yet been released.

Students share their research findings at University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum

The Breslin Center was lined with posters, exhibits and displays last Friday as over 900 undergraduate students participated in the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum, or UURAF.

Students talked guests through their work and received constructive feedback from judges. Some students also gave presentations virtually.

Human biology junior Aidan Davis presented the work he did with the Spartan Motor Sport performance lab. He studied the physical stressors of professional race car drivers.

Davis’s research found that females yield a higher G-force tolerance compared to males, giving them an advantage for race-car driving on oval tracks where individuals tend to go through high G-forces. This could be due to the higher estrogen levels in females, which acts as a vasoconstrictor allowing them to undergo high G forces for longer amounts of time, he said.

Biochemistry and molecular biology junior Sam Sanderson presented his research on ovarian cancer that focused on the correlation of the gene TPPP3 and tumor growth in mice.

Sanderson found that the mice that had high levels of the gene had a lower chance of survival compared to the ones with low levels –concluding that getting rid of TPPP3 in their system helps reduce tumor growth.

Sanderson hopes that his findings in the mice can translate to help with ovarian cancer treatment in humans, and that doctors can use TPPP3 amounts in humans as an indication of tumor aggressiveness.

African Student Union invites students to ‘dabble’ in African culture at annual gala

The annual African Student Union gala was back with a ‘Roots to Africa’ theme this year which was held this past Saturday.

The gala’s purpose was to showcase cultures within the different regions of Africa.

The gala is ASU’s biggest event of the year. The gala gave members of ASU, a chance to celebrate their cultures with fellow African students.

‘Roots to Africa’ featured skits, modeling, and a dance performance. The models wore clothes from their respective cultures.

It was held at the Marriott Hotel in Downtown East Lansing and was open to any MSU student who had an interest in learning more about African culture.

Based on original Alex Walters, Hannah Holycross, Jaden Beard.