Michigan State U. students protested the university’s handling of the Larry Nassar scandal during a meeting of the Board of Trustees in December. Some students plan to call for the resignation of Lou Anna Simon, the president.Dale G. Young/Detroit News via AP Images
Students at Michigan State University will protest on Friday to demand the resignation of Lou Anna K. Simon, the university’s president.
A news release for the event, Students for the Resignation of Lou Anna K. Simon, says students no longer trust Ms. Simon’s leadership after the still-developing sentencing hearing of Larry Nassar, a former Michigan State professor and USA Gymnastics physician. Dr. Nassar was convicted on seven counts of first-degree sexual assault, and hundreds of women have accused him of sexual abuse.
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Michigan State U. students protested the university’s handling of the Larry Nassar scandal during a meeting of the Board of Trustees in December. Some students plan to call for the resignation of Lou Anna Simon, the president.Dale G. Young/Detroit News via AP Images
Students at Michigan State University will protest on Friday to demand the resignation of Lou Anna K. Simon, the university’s president.
A news release for the event, Students for the Resignation of Lou Anna K. Simon, says students no longer trust Ms. Simon’s leadership after the still-developing sentencing hearing of Larry Nassar, a former Michigan State professor and USA Gymnastics physician. Dr. Nassar was convicted on seven counts of first-degree sexual assault, and hundreds of women have accused him of sexual abuse.
During the sentencing phase of Dr. Nassar’s case, criticism from his victims about how Ms. Simon handled the situation, and about her absence from the courtroom, has only intensified.
“It has become clear President Simon has not only intensified the pain of dozens of sexual-assault survivors who are forever impacted by the terrible actions of Larry Nassar, but has also lost the faith and trust of the MSU student body, its alumni and faculty, and several of the state’s top elected officials,” reads the release.
Michigan State’s student government passed a resolution last week asking administrators to make a leadership change “at the highest levels.”
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But the Board of Trustees doubled down in support of Ms. Simon’s leadership on Friday, releasing a statment that Ms. Simon “has our support.” However, one trustee, Mitch Lyons, dissented and asked Ms. Simon to resign so the university could move beyond the controversy.
Fernanda is the engagement editor at The Chronicle. She is the voice behind Chronicle newsletters like the Weekly Briefing, Five Weeks to a Better Semester, and more. She also writes about what Chronicle readers are thinking. Send her an email at fernanda@chronicle.com.
