Freep alert:
https://www.freep.com/story/news/ed...hollander-msu-board-investigation/2209924001/
4 BoT members have been working for months to undermine the independent investigation they had agreed to do in consultation with Nassar survivors. They had even agreed on a firm. I'd say this is shocking, except it is MSU "leadership" being deceitful and stabbing Nassar survivors in the back, which are the things they do best.
A few excerpts:
A group of Michigan State University board members — including one elected based on a reform campaign — used months of behind-the-scenes emails, texts and phone calls to first stall a true independent investigation of the university's handling of the Larry Nassar scandal. Then they killed it.
The death came behind closed doors last week even as the federal government was issuing a scathing report of MSU's actions that both levied a record-breaking fine and still left dozens of questions unanswered.
The decision was a complete betrayal of Nassar survivors, a trio of survivors who had been working with the board said Monday.
"We are deeply disappointed and disgusted once again with the recent conduct of Trustees Diane Byrum, Brianna Scott, Melanie Foster and Joel Ferguson regarding their decision to block the pursuit of an independent investigation into Larry Nassar’s sexual misconduct," said a statement from Rachael Denhollander, Sarah Klein and Sterling Riethman. "These four trustees have continually demonstrated a complete lack of moral conviction to pursue the truth and ensure that what Larry did to hundreds of women and children never happens to anyone ever again on MSU’s campus.
"Moreover, Trustee Dianne Byrum’s weak, deceitful leadership and Trustee Brianna Scott’s complete lack of ethical integrity to do what is right is a complete betrayal of the promises and representations they have made in public to support survivors."
"This is a complete betrayal of your commitment to me and my sisters," Klein wrote in a late-night Saturday email to Byrum, Scott, Ferguson and Foster. "Worse, it means that you intend to carry on as you have been. By doing this, each of you are a clear and present danger to the safety of current and future students. Moreover, you will continue to drag MSU and its faculty/staff and students into the moral abyss that you have created.
"I must say that I do take a bit of consolation in that you all are too incompetent and self absorbed to see the freight train of public outrage that’s coming at you. The action you have taken here will effectively be the end of all of your public lives ... as it should be. In my view, you are all as morally responsible for what has transpired at MSU as Strampel, (former MSU President Lou Anna) Simon, (former MSU Provost June) Youatt or any other of the enablers you appointed and allowed to destroy the reputation of a great university."
Two months ago, the three survivors, along with board members Brian Mosallam, Dan Kelly, Kelly Tebay and Nancy Schlichting thought they had withstood months of infighting and had the board on the same page. The law firm of McDermott Will & Emery, a national leader in hospital, health and wellness compliance, would be hired to conduct a new investigation.
At the time, board members said the move would deliver the total accountability MSU's community has been demanding. The law firm would have access to everything and would write a report the board and the public would see only when it was complete. The report would also examine the board's actions in how it responded to the scandal and survivors over the course of several years.
It didn't happen.
In fact, board members never even officially hired the firm.
However, during early negotiations over the independent investigation, it was proposed that MSU appoint an independent third party to serve as a special master to review all 6,300 document previously identified as privileged by a judge in a dispute MSU has had with the state attorney general over turning over documents.
The plan would be for the special master to read the documents and see what factual or nonprivileged information could be separated out and given the law firm. MSU's outside law firm, the independent law firm and MSU's in-house lawyers told the board this would be a feasible way to keep privilege.
Scott, Byrum, Foster and Ferguson flatly rejected that argument.
In the spring, Scott pushed for the survivors who were advising board members on what firm should be hired and the scope of the investigation to sign nondisclosure statements and a conflict disclosure statement, emails obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request by the Free Press show.
Trustee Dan Kelly, the head of the board committee working to make the hire, shot that down.
"While I believe it is important for board members to acknowledge any conflicts, I am concerned about requesting (or demanding) a similar signed statement from non-board members," he wrote the afternoon of March 21. "All non-board members involved with this group have done so voluntarily and have not assumed the same obligations as the board."
Scott's demands and assertions hit the survivors hard, their statement Monday said.
"....this behavior is doubly appalling as the insinuation of receiving kickbacks for our advocacy is the same allegation John Engler previously made against Rachael Denhollander, which resulted in Trustees Byrum and Mosallam calling for his resignation and motioning for it during a board meeting. Trustee Scott’s behavior throughout this entire process was revictimizing, untrustworthy and lacked all ethical integrity."
"Trustee Byrum’s assertion that the OCR review was sufficient and there is nothing left to examine, is knowingly dishonest. We have personally and repeatedly discussed with Trustees Byrum and Scott why the independent investigation is necessary and distinct from other reviews. As the four non-supporting trustees are aware, the OCR review includes none of the facets the survivor committee identified as vital and foundational to reform at MSU.
"For these four trustees to state that the OCR process was complete and there is nothing left to be done is deceitful, and pointedly ignores the requests and input from survivors, as well as best practices. Put simply, it is a slap in the face.
"We are disgusted at this betrayal once again by Trustees Byrum, Ferguson, Scott and Foster. Which board members are working together should speak volumes to anyone who is watching."
https://www.freep.com/story/news/ed...hollander-msu-board-investigation/2209924001/
4 BoT members have been working for months to undermine the independent investigation they had agreed to do in consultation with Nassar survivors. They had even agreed on a firm. I'd say this is shocking, except it is MSU "leadership" being deceitful and stabbing Nassar survivors in the back, which are the things they do best.
A few excerpts:
A group of Michigan State University board members — including one elected based on a reform campaign — used months of behind-the-scenes emails, texts and phone calls to first stall a true independent investigation of the university's handling of the Larry Nassar scandal. Then they killed it.
The death came behind closed doors last week even as the federal government was issuing a scathing report of MSU's actions that both levied a record-breaking fine and still left dozens of questions unanswered.
The decision was a complete betrayal of Nassar survivors, a trio of survivors who had been working with the board said Monday.
"We are deeply disappointed and disgusted once again with the recent conduct of Trustees Diane Byrum, Brianna Scott, Melanie Foster and Joel Ferguson regarding their decision to block the pursuit of an independent investigation into Larry Nassar’s sexual misconduct," said a statement from Rachael Denhollander, Sarah Klein and Sterling Riethman. "These four trustees have continually demonstrated a complete lack of moral conviction to pursue the truth and ensure that what Larry did to hundreds of women and children never happens to anyone ever again on MSU’s campus.
"Moreover, Trustee Dianne Byrum’s weak, deceitful leadership and Trustee Brianna Scott’s complete lack of ethical integrity to do what is right is a complete betrayal of the promises and representations they have made in public to support survivors."
"This is a complete betrayal of your commitment to me and my sisters," Klein wrote in a late-night Saturday email to Byrum, Scott, Ferguson and Foster. "Worse, it means that you intend to carry on as you have been. By doing this, each of you are a clear and present danger to the safety of current and future students. Moreover, you will continue to drag MSU and its faculty/staff and students into the moral abyss that you have created.
"I must say that I do take a bit of consolation in that you all are too incompetent and self absorbed to see the freight train of public outrage that’s coming at you. The action you have taken here will effectively be the end of all of your public lives ... as it should be. In my view, you are all as morally responsible for what has transpired at MSU as Strampel, (former MSU President Lou Anna) Simon, (former MSU Provost June) Youatt or any other of the enablers you appointed and allowed to destroy the reputation of a great university."
Two months ago, the three survivors, along with board members Brian Mosallam, Dan Kelly, Kelly Tebay and Nancy Schlichting thought they had withstood months of infighting and had the board on the same page. The law firm of McDermott Will & Emery, a national leader in hospital, health and wellness compliance, would be hired to conduct a new investigation.
At the time, board members said the move would deliver the total accountability MSU's community has been demanding. The law firm would have access to everything and would write a report the board and the public would see only when it was complete. The report would also examine the board's actions in how it responded to the scandal and survivors over the course of several years.
It didn't happen.
In fact, board members never even officially hired the firm.
However, during early negotiations over the independent investigation, it was proposed that MSU appoint an independent third party to serve as a special master to review all 6,300 document previously identified as privileged by a judge in a dispute MSU has had with the state attorney general over turning over documents.
The plan would be for the special master to read the documents and see what factual or nonprivileged information could be separated out and given the law firm. MSU's outside law firm, the independent law firm and MSU's in-house lawyers told the board this would be a feasible way to keep privilege.
Scott, Byrum, Foster and Ferguson flatly rejected that argument.
In the spring, Scott pushed for the survivors who were advising board members on what firm should be hired and the scope of the investigation to sign nondisclosure statements and a conflict disclosure statement, emails obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request by the Free Press show.
Trustee Dan Kelly, the head of the board committee working to make the hire, shot that down.
"While I believe it is important for board members to acknowledge any conflicts, I am concerned about requesting (or demanding) a similar signed statement from non-board members," he wrote the afternoon of March 21. "All non-board members involved with this group have done so voluntarily and have not assumed the same obligations as the board."
Scott's demands and assertions hit the survivors hard, their statement Monday said.
"....this behavior is doubly appalling as the insinuation of receiving kickbacks for our advocacy is the same allegation John Engler previously made against Rachael Denhollander, which resulted in Trustees Byrum and Mosallam calling for his resignation and motioning for it during a board meeting. Trustee Scott’s behavior throughout this entire process was revictimizing, untrustworthy and lacked all ethical integrity."
"Trustee Byrum’s assertion that the OCR review was sufficient and there is nothing left to examine, is knowingly dishonest. We have personally and repeatedly discussed with Trustees Byrum and Scott why the independent investigation is necessary and distinct from other reviews. As the four non-supporting trustees are aware, the OCR review includes none of the facets the survivor committee identified as vital and foundational to reform at MSU.
"For these four trustees to state that the OCR process was complete and there is nothing left to be done is deceitful, and pointedly ignores the requests and input from survivors, as well as best practices. Put simply, it is a slap in the face.
"We are disgusted at this betrayal once again by Trustees Byrum, Ferguson, Scott and Foster. Which board members are working together should speak volumes to anyone who is watching."
