The U.S. Education Department is sending investigators from its Office for Civil Rights to Michigan State University to inspect that institution’s handling of reports of sexual violence by Larry Nassar, as it launches a new investigation of the university.
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The U.S. Education Department is sending investigators from its Office for Civil Rights to Michigan State University to inspect that institution’s handling of reports of sexual violence by Larry Nassar, as it launches a new investigation of the university.
“This new Title IX investigation will look at systemic issues in the university’s handling of sex-based incidents involving Dr. Larry Nassar,” said the education secretary, Betsy DeVos, in a written statement announcing the new investigation. “Our Office for Civil Rights team will be in East Lansing shortly, where they will join the Federal Student Aid team already on site. FSA is currently performing a Clery Act compliance examination regarding MSU’s reporting of crimes committed on campus.”
The university has faced a barrage of criticism for its failure to respond to sexual abuse by Nassar. In January, Lou Anna K. Simon, the university’s president, resigned in the wake of public outcry. “As tragedies are politicized, blame is inevitable,” Simon wrote in a university news release at the time. “As president, it is only natural that I am the focus of this anger.”
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.
John Engler, a former governor of Michigan, has assumed the post of interim president. And earlier this month the Faculty Senate voted no confidence in the institution’s Board of Trustees.
In her statement, DeVos said she appreciated Engler’s directive requiring compliance with investigations into the university’s actions.
“The crimes for which Dr. Nassar has been convicted are unimaginable. The bravery shown by the survivors has been remarkable,” DeVos wrote. “My heart goes out to them as they have had to relive their horrific experiences and as they begin the long road to healing. Every student across every campus should know that I am committed to ensuring all students have access to a learning environment free from sexual misconduct and discrimination and that all institutions that fall short will be held accountable for violations of federal law.”
Adam Harris, a staff writer at The Atlantic, was previously a reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education and covered federal education policy and historically Black colleges and universities. He also worked at ProPublica.
