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MSU coach Tucker says grounds to fire him are “flimsy”

Michigan State University Head Football Coach Mel Tucker formally responded to the university’s intent to fire him amid sexual harassment allegations, arguing that the university has no right to sever his contract.

Last week, MSU Athletic Director Alan Haller wrote a letter announcing that he intended to fire Tucker. He argued that while the investigation into the harassment allegations is ongoing, what Tucker has already admitted to investigators – that he made sexual remarks and masturbated on a phone call with rape survivor and activist Brenda Tracy who was consulting for his team — is enough to terminate him under the “moral turpitude” clause of Tucker’s contract.

Haller’s letter gave Tucker seven days to respond with reasons why he should not be fired, or else the termination will take effect Sept. 26.

In the response – written on behalf of Tucker by his attorneys Jennifer Belveal and John Birmingham – he argues that the “moral turpitude” clause is “flimsy” and hard to define.

For Haller’s other justification – that the media attention generated by the allegations embarrassed the university – Tucker argues that the only reason the university was “embarrassed” is because it investigated his “personal relationship.”

He says the university had no jurisdiction to investigate his conduct and that the process was “terribly flawed, unfair, biased and devoid of due process.”

MSU has since retained a firm to conduct an independent investigation into the leak.

‘We should not be settling’: MSU faculty respond to Trustee’s president search ideas

Michigan State University’s Faculty Senate passed a non-binding resolution at their September meeting pushing back on comments made by presidential search committee chair and trustee Dennis Denno.

Earlier this month, Denno told The State News that by Thanksgiving, the board intends to announce the university’s next president. He said the chosen person does not necessarily need to have an “academic background” or be recommended by the search committee.

That means the candidate chosen by MSU’s elected Board of Trustees could be different from those recommended by the separate search committee which includes representatives of students, faculty, staff and alumni.

The resolution also asks that the entire search be allotted as much time as is needed, rather than being “limited by arbitrary deadlines” like Denno’s Thanksgiving goal.

The faculty senate’s role is advisory. Resolutions like this one are non-binding but are intended to democratically voice opinions of the faculty to those like the board and president who can enact the policies they propose.

Research continues on the health and wellness of the Red Cedar River

From Fowlerville to Lansing, the Red Cedar River spans two counties, six local governments, 461 square miles of watershed and is 52 miles in length. The Red Cedar River is an iconic natural feature of Michigan State University’s campus.

This heart, however, has a long and storied history with the pollution that comes alongside industrialization and urbanization. Game day trash, cans, plastic bags, a few bikes, the occasional electric scooter and more can be seen getting dredged out of the river during the semiannual student-led cleanup.

It is perfectly within reason to see the state of the river and assume the worst.

Biology secondary education sophomore Meredith Jones has spent time collecting water samples and monitoring macroinvertebrate species variation to indicate pollution. Macroinvertebrates are insects that do not possess a spine or spinal structure.

Monitoring macroinvertebrate populations is one instance of researchers using what is called an indicator species. These species can range from bugs to mammals all the way down to bacteria present in a given body of water. They are chosen by their ability to reflect the current state of an environment.

With Jones’ research, she found a good mix of tolerant and intolerant species, proving to her that the river is on a healthy trend.

Looking at the water monitoring report from 2022, the Red Cedar River exceeded partial body contact levels four times out of the 17 times it was tested, and never exceeded full body contact levels out of the 17 times it was tested.

This means that the water is healthy enough to dip a foot or hand into, but not enough to submerge one’s head in. Either way, the tests depicted the Red Cedar as healthy to an extent.

New research continues to be conducted on the state of the Red Cedar River, keeping the “heart of campus” in check and healthy for generations of Spartans to enjoy.

Based on original reporting by Alex Walters and Joe Lorenz.