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MSU board silent on proposed Nassar docs special meeting
Michigan State University’s board is silent on a proposed special meeting to publicly consider the release of thousands of long-withheld documents relating to the university’s handling of disgraced ex-MSU doctor Larry Nassar.
The idea was spurred by a surprise motion at the board’s last regular meeting on Oct. 27.
During comments from the faculty liaisons to the board, trustee Dennis Denno leaned forward and asked that the board take a much-requested public vote on releasing the documents. But, his abrupt motion was killed by the board’s parliamentarians, who said it was not allowed by the board’s bylaws.
Trustee Dan Kelly then interjected and suggested the board instead plan a special meeting to take a public vote on the documents before its next regular meeting in Dec.
Board chair Rema Vassar was supportive of Denno’s motion but eventually moved on with the meeting, acknowledging that the rules prohibited it.
To make the special meeting happen, five trustees would need to request it, according to the bylaws.
MSU spokesperson Emily Guerrant said she is not aware of calls for a special meeting on the Nassar docs.
ASMSU, the undergraduate student government, voted “no confidence” in the board on Nov. 2, the second time they’ve done so in little over a year. Their bill lists several instances in which they claim the Board of Trustees acted against the best interests of MSU and its students, including refusing to release the Nassar documents.
MSU says active violent intruder training no longer mandatory, still being developed
Weeks following the Feb. 13 shooting at Michigan State University, MSU leadership announced it would require all students, faculty and staff to undergo active violent intruder training the following school year.
More than halfway through the fall semester, however, the training remains unavailable, and MSU has said its completion will be optional rather than mandatory.
MSU Department of Police and Public Safety spokesperson Dana Whyte said the decision to make active violent intruder, or AVI, training optional came after receiving feedback from the community concerned with the emotional impact the training could have on traumatized individuals.
The new AVI training, which is currently being developed, will take the form of an online program that Whyte described as an “all-encompassing and accessible” approach to AVI training, in contrast to the smaller, in-person training currently offered by the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety.
Rapper, singer Kurtis Blow coming to Wharton Center for ‘The Hip Hop Nutcracker’
As of Aug. 11, 2023, hip-hop welcomed its 50th anniversary as a genre. For those who love the music style, as well as the upcoming holiday season, “The Hip Hop Nutcracker,” coming to Michigan State University’s Wharton Center is the event to attend.
An adaptation of “The Nutcracker,” “The Hip Hop Nutcracker” fuses the rap music genre with classical strings into a contemporary dance Broadway show.
Among the show’s stacked cast is legendary rapper and singer Kurtis Blow. Blow, the MC for “The Hip Hop Nutcracker,” called the role “another feather in (his cap)” over his over 40-year career.
Blow mentioned the “togetherness” of the cast and what it’s like to work with so much talent. He said the collaborative atmosphere and constant love makes the group a family.
Blow urged people to bring out their families to “The Hip Hop Nutcracker” for the holiday season which will take place at MSU’s Wharton Center in East Lansing on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Based on original reporting by Alex Walters, Theo Scheer, Emilio Perez Ibarguen and Jayden Hewitt.
