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MSU student protestors arrested for refusing to leave administration building sit-in

Five student protestors were arrested for trespassing last Friday after refusing to leave the Hannah Administration Building, where they had staged a sit-in for divestment following the morning’s board meeting.

MSU spokesperson Emily Guerrant said the protesters were “given multiple notices” regarding the building’s closing time throughout the day as they sat in the lobby of the president’s office. The office closed at 5 p.m., and the building closed an hour later.

When protestors refused to leave the building after posted hours, they were arrested. MSU DPPS spokesperson Nadia Vizeta said they were issued misdemeanor appearance citations and released from custody the same evening.

Guerrant said that MSU DPPS made the call to arrest the protesters in accordance with protocol.

One of the students arrested was comparative cultures and politics senior Jesse Estrada White, a member of the Hurriya Coalition. Jesse said the goal of the protest was to continue pushing the university to consider divesting from Israel, and to demand MSU walk back on its comments from an April board meeting in which it said the university would not consider “divestment of any kind” in regards to its Israeli bonds.

Jesse said despite the reason for the sit-in, it was a “joyful” space of community and learning that he wished President Kevin Guskiewicz and trustees were a part of.

There were at least 25 people still in the area around 5 p.m., Jesse said. When the building closed and protestors remained adamant on meeting with the president, they refused to leave.

Though many people were nervous, Jesse said, everything that led up to the arrests was peaceful.

Brenda Tracy skewers MSU board for mishandling leak of her name

Brenda Tracy and her attorney delivered an emotionally charged condemnation of Michigan State University’s handling of her sexual harassment case against former football coach Mel Tucker at Friday’s Board of Trustees meeting.

Tracy always knew she would have to “protect” herself from public scrutiny if the story were to leak, she said, but she “shouldn’t have had to protect” herself from the MSU board itself.

She criticized one trustee’s refusal to participate in an outside investigation into who leaked her name, suggesting that means he isn’t yet acquitted of wrongdoing, and chided another for her engagement with victim-blaming texts sent by a former trustee.

She also refuted an allegation that trustees improperly communicated with her and her attorney during the leak investigation in an attempt to influence its findings.

Tracy said at a town hall in Okemos earlier this month that she’s been unemployed since the leak and donations have stopped coming into her nonprofit, Set The Expectation.

The town hall was held shortly after Tracy sued Tucker for defamation. She said that while she reserves the right to add MSU as a defendant to her lawsuit, the university is not her current focus.

Tucker is currently suing MSU, claiming he was wrongfully terminated, though university lawyers asked a federal judge this week to dismiss the case, calling it a “kitchen sink complaint.”

USA Today revealed in September 2023 that Tucker was being investigated for sexual harassment. He was quickly suspended and later fired.

Tracy said that Tucker made sexual comments and masturbated on a phone call with her while she was working as a consultant for his team — a claim that MSU’s Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct office later determined to be true.

Tracy said she never wanted to go public with her story, but shared documents and personal testimony with USA Today in case her name was ever leaked.

She gave the outlet the go-ahead on publishing the story after it became clear her name was, in fact, leaked. Days before the story went out, a local reporter told her attorney “that they were hearing Brenda’s name,” Karen Truszkowski said.

An independent investigation couldn’t identify the source of the leak, but reported that Trustee Dennis Denno refused to give up his phone to investigators.

In her address to the board, Tracy criticized Denno’s lack of cooperation in the investigation and suggested he can’t be fully exonerated of wrongdoing because of it.

Trustee Rema Vassar claimed trustees interfered in the leak investigation by improperly communicating with Truszkowski and Tracy, a claim Tucker repeated in a lawsuit against the university.

Health Vending Machine installed at MSU’s Union

East Lansing Emergency Contraceptives (EL EC) received approval for the installation of a Health Vending Machine at Michigan State University’s Union. This move aims to promote student wellness and increase access to essential healthcare resources on campus.

The health vending machine underscores the importance of accessible, affordable health care by offering a range of reduced-priced items and life-saving resources.

Located in the Union, the health vending machine serves as a one-stop shop for a variety of health and wellness products. It is stocked with items such as over-the-counter pain relievers, condoms, bandages, pregnancy tests and Narcan. From safe-sex products to feminine hygiene items, the vending machine ensures that students have access to what they need, when they need it.

EL EC has been in operation since October 2023. With the support of volunteers, the organization distributes emergency contraceptives and other safe-sex products through peer-to-peer meetups and various on-campus resource locations. The group began working on the health vending machine initiative in the winter of 2023, aiming to improve healthcare access on MSU’s campus following the closure of the Olin pharmacy.

The university’s decision to introduce this service stems from a growing recognition of the importance of easily accessible health care. By providing these items in a self-service format, MSU helps students avoid the inconvenience of traveling off-campus, balancing their schedules and managing financial burdens.

MSU’s health vending machine marks a step forward in the university’s broader efforts to create a healthier, more supportive environment for its students.

Based on original reporting by Demonte Thomas, Owen McCarthy, Theo Scheer and Jessica Pruitt.