Disturbing story from East Lansing

True, but I think everyone can admit MSU has an ongoing pattern of these events/allegations which makes them unique. 

I say this as a Lansing resident:  I do not feel safe letting my daughter go there.

Right, that it happens everywhere isn't a reason to not talk about it; it's a reason to talk more.

Like, if this is a case where Michigan's house being made of glass is presented as a reason for not throwing rocks at MSU, I'm coming back with a fucking onager and a mountain of quarry rubble because I don't give a shit about protecting corrupt institutions.

I teach juniors and seniors in high school and when they're talking about college choice, it's hard to not think about this stuff.  No institution seems to handle it great, and Michigan obviously isn't immune, but god MSU sucks at handling it.

Rachel Denhollander's talked a lot about how lucky she was she drew the right detective and the right prosecutor who both really cared.  And that she feels like getting both of those things is like a 1 in 100 shot.

It is not only that but East Lansing is frankly a nihilistic place.  I do not mean to demean it as an academic institution, MSU has some world class programs.  But it largely feels like an immoral community and gives off bad vibes.  They need to start over there but they cannot seem to figure out how.

Source of quote and link, please.

Apologies for double post!

Sparty fans would like to turn your attention to Paula Lavigne. Throwing a picture of Miles Bridges on your homepage, taking about sexual assault, and he had nothing to do with the article. No, they were not clairvoyant. They were going for clicks and were wrong for it.

you would think, but they're more concerned with the cover up vs the actual fix. 

you can't honestly think i was "suggesting this article shouldn't be shared."  you just can't.

Don't forget:

• Former Ingham County prosecutor who helped cover up a lot of MSU crimes in the 90s/early 2000s went to jail for pandering prostitutes.  
• Mel Tucker sexually assaulted a sexual assault survivor. 
• Keith Appling and Adriene Payne got away scott free after their victim was intimidated.
• Dean Gupta was forced to resign because he didnt report a professor from the business college inappropriately touching a female at a party full of students.
• MSU health physicist Joseph Hattey admitted to sexually assaulting his dog
• James Kielbaso, a former professor emeritus in the Department of Forestry, was found in 2018 to have made inappropriate comments and unwanted sexual advances toward a student. 
• Robert Wiseman, a physiology professor in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, made inappropriate and sexually charged comments or jokes towards at least 6 women.

I'm sure this isn't even a complete list...just the recent ones I remember.  There is a culture/pattern here that is unique to MSU.  And I say that as someone who has extended family who were Nassar survivors and also has extended family who works in the MSU Sexual Assault center on campus.

It's not at all OK at any institution, and throwing back "Well, you guys did it too!" only showcases how widespread and bad the problem is. This goes well beyond institutional rivalries or athletics. 

I think if you're "raised right" your parents don't need to have that conversation with you as they would've had that chat with you, indirectly, many times over the course of your life by just teaching you to be a good human. 

I think it's mostly about respect. Respect others, respect yourself. We need a lot of both. Males tend to be the aggressors in these situations, and teaching them to respect others is indispensable. It's not easy in today's age where everything, including people, is objectified and commodified to be made into a consumable product. Similarly, females tend to be the victims in these situations, and it's critical that they are empowered to respect themselves and not be stigmatized for protecting themselves (which unfortunately they all too often are); but this is a delicate side of the issue, because we must be sure that empowering self-respect and self-defense does not turn into victim-blaming, which is also all too common.

It's an uphill battle to teach respect as the aggregate forces of consumer culture are arrayed against it, but it's all the more important for that very reason.

You start by teaching your child to respect other people's bodies and boundaries and letting him have some control over his body.  He doesn't get to touch (hug, poke) other kids' without their permission and he gets to decide who touches him (within reasonable limits)  For example, I ask my grandkids for a hug but if they're not feeling it in the moment, I don't force it.  Drinking and drugs talk can start early too.  We saw the results of a drunk driver on a stop sign when my daughter was 6- I explained in simple language what alcohol does to one's brain (and thus driving) and she said "Oh, like Uncle X ?"  They understand SO much more than we think they do. You don't (and shouldn't) wait for an awkward, stilted talk when they're adolescents.  And as you pointed out in regards to your parents-- modeling is ultra important, and I bet you're already doing that.

Same here, but I have a son whom is 18 now and you need to have regular talks with him as well as just instilling respect.

It starts simply with just being sure he sees women as equal growing up and can be as easy as getting into following USWNT soccer and watching some games, anything, multiple things. Help him understand from an early age what women deal with in terms of wage gaps, discrimination, etc.

As he gets to middle school, you will talk about "bird and bees" stuff and any conversation around that should include some discussion of what consent means. Then, you should have some discussions around just consent itself, and don't limit it to "no means no," be sure to also talk about nuanced situations where even just "unsure" means stop...."uncomfortable" means stop, drunk/high/tipsy means stop. Basically, if she isn't completely there, completely and positively into it, slow your roll way down. I taught my son to always pull back a bit at certain junctures and let her take the lead to either stay where they were or progress and if she doesn't, you stay right where your at and go no further. Never pressure, never urge, never act frustrated. 

Once you have him responsible for himself (hopefully...teenage boys), you start in telling him to also be aware and step in if he sees something wrong or even close to wrong. Never stand by if you think something wrong is happening, always say something, always get in between, always get her somewhere safe. 

Agreed with many good points on here about respecting others and their bodies and no meaning no. 

The other thing that i think is really important, however, is to model consent for your kids as a parent. You are in a position of power over your child, so practicing consent with them when it comes to things like bodily autonomy is important. We're taught as kids from an early age to give those things up in little ways and parents can play a role in that unconsciously. When we model consent for kids, they learn it much better than just preaching a value.

Best advice I can give to people at MSU is to:

Avoid parties/relationships with athletes.  Sucks to say that since most are probably good kids, but if it's your word against theirs for any dispute (sexual, a fight, etc) the scales tip to their favor.  Don't get yourself into a situation where something even CAN occur.  And yes, I know this is victim blaming, but since ELPD doesn't seem to want to hold athletes accountable, there is really no choice but to be extra vigilant

.Also dont be out at night alone if possible.  Walk with a friend.    Watch your drinks so you dont get drugged.  In general, don't get caught up in others business, but watch out for other's safety.

I don't know what else the legal system can do.  "Trust the accuser" runs counter to how our legal system is built.  It is supposed to do the opposite.  it is an impossible dynamic.