John M. Engler, the interim president of Michigan State University, is under fire for saying in an interview on Friday that sexual-abuse survivors are “enjoying” the “spotlight” that they’ve drawn since they went public with stories of being sexually assaulted by a former sports doctor at the university.
“There are a lot of people who are touched by this, survivors who haven’t been in the spotlight,” Engler, a former Republican governor, told The Detroit News’s editorial board. “In some ways they have been able to deal with this better than the ones who’ve been in the spotlight, who are still enjoying that moment at times, you know, the awards and recognition.”
Within a year the university lost two chief executives — Lou Anna K. Simon, sank by the scathing, heart-rending testimony of the sports doctor’s scores of victims, and John M. Engler, whose interim presidency ended amid a backlash over his bare-knuckled tactics.
Dianne Y. Byrum, who this week was elected chairwoman of the university’s Board of Trustees, criticized Engler’s comments in a message on Saturday to The Chronicle.
“His remarks were ill advised and not helpful to the healing process, survivors, or the university,” Byrum, a former Democratic lawmaker, said in a direct message on Twitter.
In the same interview with The Detroit News, Engler said that a fund approved by the board this week to provide counseling to abuse survivors might not cover all of the victims of the sports doctor, Larry Nassar, who is now serving a long prison term. The more than 300 women with whom Michigan State has already reached legal settlements are “probably OK,” Engler said.
Michigan State infuriated survivors in December, when it closed the so-called Healing Assistance Fund. The board’s recent decision to reopen the fund was meant to allay those concerns, but Engler’s comments further inflamed the situation. In a tweet on Saturday, Byrum sought to assure people that the board, not Engler, has the authority to determine the parameters of the fund.
“John Engler does not speak for the board and does not have a vote,” Byrum tweeted. “The Board of Trustees has the authority to determine the details of a new fund to assist survivors. This will be discussed at the MSU board meeting scheduled for February 15, 2019.”
A spokeswoman for the university did not immediately respond on Saturday to a request for comment from Engler.
Engler’s remarks are the latest in a series of inflammatory comments that have pitted him against abuse survivors and led to calls for his removal. Engler was tapped a year ago to lead Michigan State, following revelations that Nassar, a former osteopathic physician at the university, had sexually assaulted women and girls under the guise of medical treatment. Nassar is serving a minimum 40-year prison sentence.
But far from stabilizing the university, Engler has fueled outrage on the campus. In June, The Chronicle published a private email, sent by Engler to one of his deputies, in which the president suggested that Rachael J. Denhollander, an outspoken abuse survivor, was likely to get a “kickback” from her lawyer for stirring up other victims. He later apologized for the comment.
In a tweet on Friday, Denhollander admonished Engler for his latest insensitive remarks.
“Engler references survivors enjoying their time in the spotlight,” she tweeted. “You mean, like having to change the day I grocery-shop so my three kids don’t see a photo of their mom demonstrating what was done to her body? Tell me more about how enjoyable this spotlight is.”
The board expects to name a new president in June.
Jack Stripling covers college leadership, particularly presidents and governing boards. Follow him on Twitter @jackstripling, or email him at jack.stripling@chronicle.com.
