MSU Doubling Down on Lou Anna Simon?
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/12/14/msu-simon-strampel-nassar/108618490/
A front page (via web) article has some news that reminds us that the culture of MSU's administration is far more akin to the Penn State "protect the fort" culture we saw in the wake of the Sandusky-Joe Paterno scandal.
Not only is MSU Trustee Joel Ferguson making "vote of confidence" statements, but he is contemplating giving MSU President Lou Anna Simon a pay raise for doing a great job.
Ferguson said Simon is “not going anywhere.” “We wouldn’t let her go anywhere,” said Ferguson, adding the trustees plan to issue a letter of her support for her. “She is doing a great job.”
It looks as though the Dean at the School of Osteopathic Medicine is stepping down from his deanship due to health problems. (I think the medical term is "child-rape enabling visibility syndrome" - so he may end up being the fall-guy here.) He's staying on as a faculty member, though.
William Strampel, dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the highest-ranking official at MSU known to have addressed Nassar’s behavior, announced Thursday he would take the leave of absence for medical reasons. He will step down as dean but remain a faculty member, said Jason Cody, MSU spokesman.
The entire article is worth a read - it's looking increasingly like a cover-up from afar, and it seems that excuse-maker in chief Simon is getting the backing of the trustees thus far.
December 15th, 2017 at 1:15 PM ^
Agreed. It was a dumb comment on my part that moved far afield from my original intent. I'd nuke it if I could. Negs are warranted.
December 15th, 2017 at 5:28 PM ^
Nah. You're among the most lucid and cogent of posters. You've earned a few passes at this point.
To your original point, I don't think it's just about the "legendary" status of Joe Paterno. More than likely, it's that Sandusky's victims included pre-pubescent boys. Most of society regards child molesters as the lowest form of organic substance.
December 15th, 2017 at 11:24 AM ^
Well they do always complain no one respects them. Here's the reason.
December 15th, 2017 at 11:25 AM ^
December 15th, 2017 at 11:31 AM ^
is the shadiest guy in EL and the msu programs. been that way for decades.
December 15th, 2017 at 5:23 PM ^
Where the inspiration for "Turd" came from!
December 15th, 2017 at 11:32 AM ^
Simon & Hollis should be in jail, along with the old gymnastics coach.
This is a travesty and is clearly lack of institutional control.
Something doesn't jive, as this has been going on for decades yet, MSU somehow claims they have no knowledge of anything pre-2015-16?
Playing stupid is only a band-aid - this will get ugly and I can only hope that Simon & Hollis pay dearly for this one day.
December 15th, 2017 at 1:46 PM ^
Yes they responded to the state's request saying there wasn't anything to investigate pre 2016. Yet even that article briefly mentions the 2014 complaint against Nassar. I really wish the reporter had done homework though, because there's a larger issue with that 2014 complaint that they haven't delved into.
1) The university is denying knowledge of the 2014 complaint yet they submitted a response to the victim in 2014 clearing Nassar and saying:
"the woman didn't understand the "nuanced difference" between sexual assault and an appropriate medical procedure."
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2017/03/20/attorney…
2) However, the women's statement of account is pretty clear (its also in the article) that what she was alleging was not an appropriate medical procedure. Compounding this, even Nassar's email at the time (in the article on the OP) indicates that he (Nassar) believed the victims statement of account was "nauseating". He must have meant a nauseating but appropriate medical procedure.
In short not only did the university get put on recent notice in 2014, the university had plenty of evidence in 2014 that the woman's account portrayed an act that was not an appropriate medical procedure, but ignored the evidence in clearing Nassar just based on the victims "lack of understanding".
December 15th, 2017 at 2:18 PM ^
"the woman didn't understand the "nuanced difference" between sexual assault and an appropriate medical procedure."
When I first saw this line in an article, I could not believe the level of condescendence it carried. The arrogance of it is just so sickening.
December 15th, 2017 at 11:34 AM ^
If you're wondering why LAS hasn't been shown the door, follow the money. University presidents this day and age are little more than academic ATM machines. Simon happens to be pretty good at it. Unfortunately for MSU, their Board of Trustees has made the calculation that LAS is better for their bottom line than abruptly firing her and going through an interim and a slapdash permanent search that could take months, if not the better part of a year after that.
December 15th, 2017 at 5:18 PM ^
And, given the current BoT, it's unlikely that they would remove her even given the bad publicity.
However, as with all universities, if the bigger donors (both individual and corporate) start expressing their dismay at the apparent lack of action and accountability, it won't take them long to move.
December 15th, 2017 at 12:28 PM ^
Someone mentioned a few weeks back that ESPN was in the process of producing an in -depth and damning piece on the whole situation.
Does anyone know if it is still in the works?
December 15th, 2017 at 12:31 PM ^
is still an active proceeding in the Michigan Court of Appeals involving ESPN and Michigan State and FOIA requests. I don't know if that is what is causing the hold up or what.
December 15th, 2017 at 2:21 PM ^
Ike, McNabb and the boys have them currently preoccupied with their own shit show
December 15th, 2017 at 2:49 PM ^
Literally and figuratively. It will be bad PR if the FOIA request makes it to the Supreme Court. They don't need more negatively publicity, but continuing to fight it will bring it.
December 15th, 2017 at 12:35 PM ^
over such ugly takes the blame, resigns whether they knew or not; Simon needs to fall on her sword, not orchestrate the cover-up OR slick PR response. This genie isn't going back in the bottle--Penn State isn't recovering its rep soon; neither will MS if it's not seen racing to finally get in front of this. Anything anything anything that isn't focused on getting the full story out now and punishing those who harmed or covered up is a disservice to MSU, and harms the school long-term.
Unless you think young women somehow have less value than small children, this looks like Penn State and worse: rape and pedophilia in numbing repetitive quantity. Those emails of support to Nasser, from an administrator who could barely write or spell. . .
December 15th, 2017 at 1:21 PM ^
December 15th, 2017 at 2:00 PM ^
She and their BoT need to go.
December 15th, 2017 at 5:14 PM ^
Their BoT is as much the problem as the Administration of the school itself.
December 15th, 2017 at 2:22 PM ^
Every article I have read on this topic continues to go back to the defense of no one in leadership at MSU knew anything prior to the summer of 2016 about the decades of child molestation going on in their own facilities, except the one coach (gymnatics maybe??) who was canned. As I read in an article in the LSJ, not being aware of these atrocities going on is just as bad as ignoring it and covering it up. To have such a structure that would allow this stuff to happen and no one in leadership at any level hear about it is such a failing in itself that heads should roll.
December 15th, 2017 at 4:02 PM ^
She wasn't canned. She was allowed to retire after the season was over. Even if everything the MSU brass is saying is true, the gymnastics coach should have been fired at least a month before the season ended.
December 15th, 2017 at 4:48 PM ^
It seems like they're clinging to the argument that they didnt know he was doing anything illegal, NOT that they weren't aware of what he was actually doing. MSU's own William Strampel, Dean of Osteopathic Medicine, said Nassar's techniques were above board, so the administration will throw him under the bus (see: stepping down for medical reasons) and say they didnt take action against Nassar because Strampel determined his techniques were acceptable. Nevermind the dozens of young girls that had complained to MSU staff about being sexually assaulted and been told to shut up. How Klages is the only head that has rolled (retired) so far is mind boggling.
December 15th, 2017 at 7:40 PM ^