As a Michigan State University Mom, I am wholly disillusioned with the degree of scandal permeating the school. More importantly as the parent of a Black woman, I am acutely aware of MSU’s failings in the forms of: a legacy of non-existent sexual abuse prevention policies, institutionalized forms of blatant racism, willful tolerance and inaction to seemingly all forms of human rights violations and as such, my family must seriously consider all alternative undergraduate options. Honestly, all families of the nearly 40,000 currently enrolled student roster of MSU, must similarly begin to assess and legitimately exercise financial leverage to guarantee our young adults more than just the abject public shame now uniquely associated with earning a degree from MSU – an increasingly beleaguered institution.
The school’s missteps have been plentiful, but the damage? Seemingly incalculable and ongoing, as MSU officials continue to showcase record levels of ineptitude. In addition to a demonstrated failure to appropriately address the rampant criminal sexual misconduct of Larry Nassar, a longtime university employee who victimized in excess of 250 young women; this past week William Strampel, the former dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine (and Nassar’s former boss), was arraigned on eerily similar, serious charges of criminal sexual misconduct of a host of MSU students. High profile staff reprimands are apparently commonplace, given that former President Lou Anna Simon and Athletic Director Mark Hollis resigned in absolute shame following their respective administrative lapses in effective leadership. And even now, despite mounting criticism and statewide calls for the resignation of the school’s eight-member and exceedingly out-of-touch Board of Trustees, this incompetent body of sycophants was incredulously allowed to appoint the woefully unqualified and legendary racist, John Engler (former MI governor), as the university’s interim President. Adding insult to injury, it comes as no surprise that MSU’s negative S&P Global credit rating now further deleteriously affects the university’s future. There is no illusion of a model to educate nor liberate at Michigan State University…sigh.
This week while the University of Michigan dominates the national news media in positive press for heading to its second men’s basketball championship game in just six years, MSU continues to bring dishonor to the state of MI and corner the market on negative press. MSU has consistently been in the hot seat for fostering a hate-filled campus climate conducive to producing alt-right attorney and former MSU campus organizer, Kyle Bristow and for recently hosting White supremacist icon, Richard Spencer. Amid news of their current position to protect the “free speech” of a Brighton resident, Jillian Kirk, who has been formally reported on for her rampant use of racial slurs both on campus and on all social media platforms – MSU continues to blithely offer more scandal than substance.
Since the university is so glaringly tone deaf to its own increasingly negative, racially hostile public image and worsening campus climate – the all-encompassing degree of widespread MSU shame is admittedly – the final straw. For the record, repeated refusals to take formal action against criminal sexual offenders and card-carrying racists alike, speaks volumes. The verdict is clear: Michigan State University offers more scandal than substance. Further, Michigan State University is overwhelmingly synonymous with dysfunction and as such, it appears that “Spartans Will”… be forced to exercise more feasible enrollment options elsewhere.