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As questions swirled around MSU’s role in protecting Larry Nassar’s abuse, the university sent a representative to meet with one particularly concerned state lawmaker.
In that meeting, Sen. Margaret O’Brien made it clear she was “very disappointed in MSU,” but wanted ideas on how to improve the law to better prevent a repeat of the Nassar scandal, wrote MSU’s then-liaison to the state government David Bertram in a December 2017 email.
But what may have started as cooperation quickly turned into covert maneuvering to quash several of the bills’ momentum, which MSU believed would further inflate the already mounting cost of a settlement with survivors.
Internal communications between university lawyers — among thousands of long-secret MSU documents released by Michigan’s attorney general last week — reveal the lengths MSU went to stop O’Brien’s bill package.
The bills were a “direct assault” on MSU’s legal defense, one attorney wrote. If passed, “all of our settlement leverage disappears,” another fretted.
MSU’s lawyers closely analyzed the bills and considered appealing them if they were passed as proposed. They also realized they would need to find “proxies” to publicly “fight” the battle on MSU’s behalf, anticipating backlash if the university itself were to oppose the bills.
But they struggled to do so, especially when looking for influential politicians in the state legislature who would be willing to “get in front of the train” during an election year.
Many of the bills — which extended the time survivors could sue over past abuse and limited governmental immunity, among other things — still ended up passing, but with scaled-back provisions, thanks partly to MSU’s behind-the-scenes advocacy.
Students brought together by bow and arrow
For college kids, student organizations are a way to pursue various passions and connect with others while doing so.
The Michigan State Archery Club echoes this idea in its fullness, providing a space for students who enjoy archery, or even those who are new to the sport to connect with others, improve their craft and compete against some of the best archery talent in the nation.
Every Sunday, the club meets at Demmer Shooting Sports and Education Center on campus for target practice. There, members of the club shoot and learn from those around them while getting to know their peers with similar interests.
To join the club, members don’t need any prior experience in archery. The goal isn’t just to hone one’s archery skills, but to provide a community surrounded by the sport.
But for many members, they have spent a majority of their lives competing in or practicing archery and the club allows them to continue on a path they’re passionate about while also helping those with less experience.
Archery is often swept under the rug amongst the vast world of sports. However, members of the archery club believe the sport is misrepresented in the world of sports.
Though not an official MSU athletic team, the club has given students the opportunity to face some of the top talent in the country.
Competitive in its craft and welcoming in community, the MSU archery club is a safe space for students, archers or not, to meet new friends and maybe gain a new hobby.
First annual Lansing Lit steals the hearts of bookworms
From last Friday morning to Sunday afternoon, Lansing’s literary hidden gems came alive collectively to highlight their vibrant community during the first annual Lansing Lit Festival. From REO Town’s Wayfaring Booksellers to the college cult classic, Curious Book Shop, 13 different locations opened their hearts and doors to book lovers and writers alike to join in on the fun.
The event kicked off at East Lansing’s very own Hooked, where co-owner and MSU Political Scientist Matt Grossman launched his very own book “Polarized by Degrees” to a crowd.
From there, guests embarked on a variety of activities, allowing them to “choose their own adventure” across Lansing’s literary landscape.
Some locations, like Schuler Books Okemos, hosted activities designed for children to engage with books and foster a love for literature. Others catered to more mature audiences, such as The Robin Books, which held a poetry publication workshop for aspiring poets, providing guidance on advancing their careers, said The Robin Books owner Dylan Rogers.
The origins of Lansing Lit trace back to 2021 when Rogers, founder of The Poetry Room Masaki Takahashi and other local bookstores used poetry events and author readings to raise funds for local libraries to expand their poetry collections.
One exciting element that set this year’s Lansing Lit apart from past literary events was the introduction of the Lansing Book Crawl.
For each transaction made at one of the 13 participating locations, attendees received a stamp on their Book Crawl Passport. After collecting stamps from all locations, they could redeem their passport at Hooked or Wayfaring Booksellers for a special Lansing Lit book tote.
Events like this provide a platform for people to grow and connect, Rogers said. It isn’t about just raising money for these shops, it’s about raising awareness for local talent. Lansing Lit bridges the gap between what writers and readers want to be and what they can become.
Based on original reporting by Owen McCarthy, Theo Scheer, Douglas Doty, and Gabrielle Yeary.
