Today’s weather forecast is predicting overcast with continuous clouds with a high of 20 degrees and a low of 11 degrees. For the weekend it looks like it will be mostly cloudy skies with temps in the high 20s and low 30s.
MSU board leaders encouraged faculty member to sue board, court filings suggest
Federal court filings suggest Michigan State University Board of Trustees Chair Kelly Tebay and Vice-Chair Brianna Scott encouraged former Faculty Senate Chair Jack Lipton to sue the board, raising concerns about their adherence to board policies.
Lipton filed a lawsuit against the board in September, seeking damages in relation to trustees Rema Vassar and Dennis Denno’s alleged encouragement of students to publicly label him as racist–a characterization he denies, calling it retaliatory, untrue, and made in bad faith. Last month, Lipton amended his lawsuit, adding details from an April 11, 2024, conversation he had with Scott and Tebay, which revealed new concerns about the trustees’ conduct.
In his amended complaint, Lipton described his conversation with Scott and Tebay, in which he shared his unsuccessful attempts to resolve his issues with the board “amicably” through a settlement process. This conversation and its implications formed part of the allegations against Scott, Tebay, and Trustee Renee Knake Jefferson, which were outlined in a letter sent by Lipton and others to MSU’s Office of Audit Risk and Compliance on Tuesday. The letter calls for an investigation into the actions of these three trustees.
Lipton’s original lawsuit, filed in September in the U.S. District Court for Western Michigan, contends that Vassar and Denno retaliated against him for his opposition to their actions after a contentious board meeting on October 27, 2023. An investigation into these allegations found that Vassar and Denno improperly sought to punish Lipton for his comments.
The investigation led to a recommendation that Vassar and Denno be censured, and referred the matter to the governor for possible removal from office. The board voted to take these actions during a special meeting in March, shortly before Vassar resigned as board chair.
Additionally, the investigation found that Vassar had encouraged a student to file a complaint with MSU’s accrediting body, accusing Lipton’s language of endangering Black and brown students. However, the student later denied Vassar’s involvement in initiating the complaint and stated that the evidence used to support the claim was insufficient and incorrect.
Vassar, in response to the investigation, criticized the findings in a letter from her attorneys in March. They argued that she had not been afforded due process during the investigation, and that it relied on insufficient evidence to reach its conclusions.
Another former patient reports abuse by Nassar after MSU cleared him
Disgraced ex-Michigan State University doctor Larry Nassar has been accused of sexual abuse by another former patient, who told university police she was assaulted in a key period between MSU’s investigation of Nassar and the end of his practice.
The patient said she was groped and molested by Nassar repeatedly over the summer of 2016, just months before the then-renowned sports doctor was exposed in newspaper reporting, arrested, and criminally charged.
She went to MSU Police in February 2024. A police report detailing the interactions was released to The State News last week in response to a public records request, following months of delays from the university.
The case was referred to the Michigan attorney general, as is the university’s practice with new Nassar claims.
Nassar is currently serving an effective life sentence for numerous county charges of assaulting young women and girls under the guise of medical treatment and federal child pornography charges.
Daughter of Malcolm X, Ilyasah Shabazz, speaks on continuing father’s legacy at MSU forum
“On February 21, 1965, my mother, sisters and I witnessed the assassination of her husband, our father, Malcolm X. He was only 39 years old. I’m old enough to be his mother today.”
That was one of the first things that Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz told a room of MSU students and community members about her father when she visited campus Tuesday.
Shabazz was a featured speaker at the fourth annual Malcolm X Muslim Studies Community Forum, which was organized by the MSU Muslim Studies Program and MSU Libraries. After her speech, Shabazz signed copies of her most recent novel, “The Awakening of Malcolm X: A Novel,” released in 2021.
Shabazz’s talk focused on the importance of becoming “agents of hope” and making a “creative society that works for everyone” in an act of preserving her parents’ legacy.
Part of this process, Shabazz said, requires us to “nurture the aspirations of all our young people, provide them with mentors who encourage them to see beyond the limits others might place on them.”
Shabazz ended her speech with an encouraging statement toward the room.
“Together, you have the power to create meaningful change and build a world that reflects the values of love, truth and compassion,” she said. “Let us replace division with unity, complacency with action, and fear with hope.”
Based on original reporting by Owen McCarthy, Alex Walters and Ria Gupta.
To end our last episode of the week, here are a few announcements!
Here is the MSU Athletic line-up for the weekend…
Today
- Women’s Tennis will take on Xavier at 5 P.M. at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center.
- Hockey will play at 7 P.M. vs. Minnesota at Munn Ice Arena.
- Wrestling will go against Indiana at 7 P.M. at Jenison Field House.
Tomorrow
- Hockey will take on Minnesota again at 6 P.M. at Munn Ice Arena for a fun theme, Star Wars Night.
Sunday
- Women’s Tennis will play West Virginia at 10 A.M. at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center.
- Wrestling will vs. Nebraska at 1 P.M. at Jenison Field House.