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MSU, Tucker to be sued by Brenda Tracy

Michigan State University and Mel Tucker are set to face a lawsuit from Brenda Tracy, a rape survivor and advocate who the university found to have been sexually harassed by the disgraced former coach while consulting for his team.

Tracy filed intent-to-sue notices in Michigan’s Court of Claims last Thursday, the first step in suing a government agency.

The letters allege that her reputation and future earnings were greatly hurt by Tucker’s conduct, his release of private text messages with her deceased friend, and an MSU leak that prompted her to come forward with her allegations publicly.

Tracy, who worked with Tucker’s team in the past to teach them about healthy sexual conduct, alleged that during an April 2022 phone call, Tucker engaged in sexually explicit behavior and masturbated without her consent.

Tracy voluntarily shared documents pertaining to that investigation with USA Today while it was ongoing, but intended to wait for the investigation and hearing to be completed before coming out with her story.

But, in September, Tracy instructed USA Today to publish their story, as she believed her name had been leaked to the media by someone at MSU, the publication reported.

The intent to sue letters say MSU failed to assure that Tracy’s identity would remain confidential, and she was “subjected to the relentless bullying and threats” from the public as a result.

Tucker was suspended and then fired by MSU in September, shortly after Tracy came forward in USA Today.

REDress Project installation on MSU campus mourns, honors missing and murdered Indigenous women

In the Beal Botanical Garden, along West Circle Drive and surrounding Beaumont Tower, approximately 60 red dresses without owners hang suspended in the air, each of them representing countless missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

The dresses, a combination of dresses from Red River Métis artist Jaime Black-Morsette’s collection and others gathered from Native American communities in the surrounding area, make up the most recent iteration of Black-Morsette’s REDress Project.

Created in 2009, the project is meant to draw attention to the ongoing crisis of violence against Indigenous women and girls across the United States and Canada.

The installation, brought to MSU through a collaboration between the MSU Museum, Beal Botanical Garden, Native American Institute and other campus partners, is also being used by the museum to commemorate Women’s History Month. Director of the MSU Museum Devon Akmon said he hopes that the installation helps inform and educate students and visitors who may be unfamiliar with the ongoing crisis.

Black-Morsette said the decision to use the imagery of empty red dresses came after considering the significance of the color red across various cultures. Black-Morsette also emphasized the spiritual element of the color, noting that in many Indigenous cultures, it’s believed that spirits can only see bright colors such as red.

MSU hockey head coach Adam Nightingale receives a five-year contract extension

With the continuing success of the Michigan State hockey program, including a record season and a Big Ten regular-season championship, a new five-year contract for head coach Adam Nightingale has been announced.

Under the helm of Nightingale, Michigan State’s hockey team has had one of the best turnarounds in the history of college hockey and has not gone unnoticed, resulting in the announcement of the contract from MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics, Alan Haller.

The contract will give Nightingale five more years as the head coach to his Alma Mater, as well as a raise for him and for his hockey staff that continues to help the team in their record-breaking season.

Based on original reporting by Alex Walters, Emilio Perez Ibarguen and Madilynn Warden.