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MSU is investigating leak of Tucker accuser’s name

Michigan State University administration is arranging an investigation into who at the university may have played a role in leaking the identity of the woman accusing football coach Mel Tucker of sexual harassment, spokesperson Emily Guerrant said Saturday afternoon.

She declined to provide any details on the scope or nature of the investigation, but did say it was ordered by the university’s administration, not the elected Board of Trustees.

Pressure for an investigation began last Tuesday, when Brenda Tracy, the rape survivor and advocate who is accusing Tucker of harassing her while she was consulting for his team, said she was forced to publicly come forward after someone gave her name to the media.

Shortly after, MSU Trustee Dianne Byrum released a statement asking the university to “thoroughly investigate” whether someone at MSU was responsible for the leak.

MSU’s Office of Institutional Equity, which has investigated the harassment allegations leveled against Tucker and will decide whether he violated university policy at a hearing in October, does not release the identities of accusers. But, somehow, Tracy’s name was leaked to local media, Tracy said.

Byrum argued in her statement the outing of Tracy could discourage future victims from reporting misconduct at MSU.

Blue Owl Coffee relocates to Trowbridge

The rumors are true: Blue Owl Coffee, a staple for Michigan State University students and East Lansing residents, is moving from Ann Street to Trowbridge Road after five years. The Ann Street location will close during Thanksgiving break and the new location will officially open as an up-and-running coffee shop on Dec. 1st.

The Trowbridge location is currently being used, however, and has been in use since July. Beginning in the summer, Blue Owl has been utilizing their future location as a grab-and-go pop-up shop, and will continue to do so until December.

Amid the relocation, coffee drinkers and customers are wondering why Blue Owl is moving, as well as what changes will be made.

One of the owners and managers of Blue Owl Coffee, Rich Whitman, said he believes the new location is better than the current for a few reasons.

According to Whitman, Ann Street gets a lot of foot traffic from both students and East Lansing residents, especially during the summertime when the popular outdoor dining and entertainment Albert EL Fresco takes place; the road is closed to cars to promote walking around the streets and venturing out to various eateries and shops.

Whitman also revealed that the rent is a lot cheaper near Trowbridge than it is near Ann Street.

The new location will also have a covered patio that creates outdoor seating for another 30-40 customers, as well as two mobile espresso bars (inside and outside), a full menu and a lot of the aspects carried over from the Ann Street location.

Whitman said he is very excited about the move and to see how the company builds on itself, grows and helps the community, a mission they have been involved with for the past seven years.

Brody neighborhood centralizes package center to adapt to residents’ growing deliveries

Brody Hall is now the centralized location for all Brody neighborhood residents to retrieve packages. The move from several locations to just one is a result of an increase in the number of orders coming through residence halls and a decrease in the number of staff.

All on-campus residents could send packages to the halls up to a week before move-in day on Aug 24. In Brody neighborhood, 6,000 packages arrived between Aug. 1 and Sept. 5, MSU Residence Education and Housing Services Associate Director for Communications Bethany Balks said.

Balks considers this a pilot program, but this isn’t the first time Brody neighborhood has used Brody Hall as their only package center. Last year, the neighborhood opened only Brody Hall’s package center for move-in week, then continued opening the rest of the neighborhood’s centers. A lot of the packages were so large, though, that they had to stay in Brody Hall.

The centralization is also a result of fewer students working as service center representatives. Last year, this meant package centers were only open from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Balks believes combining all service center representatives to one package center makes staffing more reliable, as Brody Hall’s package center is now open from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.

While working in the package center, service center representatives log arriving packages and email students whose packages are ready for pick up. Once a student scans their ID, a representative finds their package from the storage center and checks it out.

Brody students picking up packages can scan a sign’s QR code, leading to a survey that asks for opinions on the new package center.

Based on original reporting by Alex Walters, PJ Pfeiffer and Willow Symonds.