Today’s weather forecast is predicting sunny along with a few clouds with a high of 75 degrees and a low of 49 degrees.
Former MSU Faculty Senate chair suing board after trustees told students to call him racist
The former chair of Michigan State University’s Faculty Senate, Jack Lipton, is suing the Board of Trustees, arguing two trustees improperly retaliated against him for comments he made criticizing one of them and incorrectly characterized the comments as racist.
The lawsuit argues that retaliation Lipton faced from Trustees Rema Vassar and Dennis Denno for comments he made following an Oct. 27, 2023 board meeting violated his first amendment rights and has caused “irreparable damage” to his “reputation and career.” The lawsuit was filed two days ago in the U.S. District Court of Western Michigan.
As a result of the trustees’ retaliation against him, “Lipton has sustained injuries and damages” including loss of professional opportunities, economic loss and “humiliation and embarrassment,” the lawsuit said.
Lipton told The State News that the lawsuit was born out of a necessity to hold the trustees accountable. He said the trustees incorrectly characterized his comments in a way that “silenced” him and “materially hurt his career.”
Lipton’s comments were made following the board’s first public meeting after a letter from Trustee Brianna Scott earlier that month detailed widespread allegations of misconduct by then-board Chair Rema Vassar and called for her resignation.
The investigation also found that Vassar had encouraged a student to file a complaint with MSU’s accrediting body arguing Lipton’s language endangered Black and brown students. That student has since denied that she was instructed by Vassar to file the complaint and said the evidence used to support said claim was insufficient and incorrect.
The lawsuit also argues that the board has “continued retaliation against to the Present Day.”
Namely, the lawsuit details a Sept. 5 “lunch meeting” attended by both Lipton and Vassar wherein faculty liaisons requested that the board “develop a statement regarding their own commitment to civil discourse.”
That request was apparently in relation to MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz’s continued promotion of “civil discourse” on campus.
In that meeting, Vassar asked Lipton to “share an example of a lack of civil discourse in the last year by the board,” the lawsuit said.
In response, Lipton cited an incident at the March special meeting where Vassar appeared to raise her middle finger while other trustees were speaking. MSU’s Office of Audit Risk and Compliance investigated that incident and determined that Vassar’s gesture was intentional and “prolonged.”
Vassar responded to Lipton that the claim she intentionally raised her middle finger was false and “inexplicably, ‘a result of eczema,'” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit also criticizes the board for not holding the two trustees accountable for their misconduct, potentially “exposing” others to future “abuse” by Vassar and Denno.
Lipton said the two trustees’ presence at the ceremony “shows that this board is more interested in maintaining its interpersonal relationships than securing and advancing the future of the institution and protecting its people.”
MSU study abroad programs featured at campus expo
Yesterday, The Office for Education Abroad hosted its annual Global Learning Expo, displaying hundreds of programs spanning over 60 countries in the Breslin Center.
At the 40th annual expo, students were able to talk to program directors, representatives from partner institutions, former participants and academic advisers.
It featured several kinds of programs like study, research, internships and service-learning.
Tables were grouped by college and had displays that ranged in a variety of things featured. Some had photos or videos while others had food from abroad.
For those apprehensive about studying abroad due to financial constraints, the event also had a table with a representative from the Office of Financial Aid to answer questions and walk people through the process of applying.
How nutrition in dining halls fuels success inside and outside the classroom
College life gives way to newly found independence. Many students find themselves maintaining the balance of juggling classes and academic pressures. It can become fairly easy to forget the importance of a balanced diet and what role it can play in a student’s overall success and health.
Michigan State University dining halls are working to combat this.
Nutrition is important among all individuals because it helps support boosted energy levels, immune health and enhances quality of life. Among college students, nutrition can directly impact academic performance and cognitive functions.
With the help of MSU dining halls, which are known for their variety of foods, students are able to establish long-term healthy eating habits based on nourishing and convenient meals. Since this is the first time that many students get to control their own diet, they are dependent on dining halls to provide options for them.
MSU dining halls work with a nutritionist and dietitian who review all of the menus to ensure student meals are healthy. Dining halls participate in four-week rotations to help prevent boredom with the menu options. Each dining hall also has an all-organic self-serving salad bar, featuring vegetables grown at MSU.
By prioritizing nutrition now, college students can avoid chronic diseases or the creation of bad eating habits.
Another nutritional resource is the EVERYbody Project, an on-campus program for undergraduate students. It aims to address the ways that cultural appearance norms excluded individuals with diverse identities and how to challenge these appearance ideals. There will be in-person and zoom sessions beginning the week of Oct. 14, which students can register for online.
Nutrition-focused dining halls and extra programs for students help them be more mindful about eating healthy while maintaining a body-positive mindset.
Based on original reporting by Owen McCarthy, Anish Topiwala and Jessica Pruitt.
