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Undergraduates writing and editing The State News are at Michigan State to learn, but they may be more savvy than some of those running the place.
For the second time in six days, the campus paper's editorial board tries to educate MSU trustees.
"Last week, we warned you. We told you your house was burning," says an editorial posted after President Lou Anna Simon's resignation Wednesday night. It adds:
We asked you to take a hard look at your leadership. We asked you to put out the fire, starting with our president, and you listened, but it's just the start.
Now, instead of slowly extinguishing the fire, all you’ve done is drench your house in gasoline. . . .
The flames consumed Simon. And the flames are spreading.
Six of the eight trustees stood behind Simon until she resigned. Mark Dantonio, Tom Izzo and Suzy Merchant supported their leader until the end. Mark Hollis' statement Wednesday about the NCAA investigation lacked even a mention of why it's investigating.
Mark, Tom and Suzy: The world is watching and you failed miserably. Just because Simon is gone, doesn't mean we are done. We're still here, watching, waiting for you to step up for the community.
Just because you’re revered as some of the most influential people in the college realm doesn’t mean you can hide behind your ignorance.
The editorial board, led by Livonia senior Rachel Fradette, stresses that it's "not against MSU. We are MSU."
The editorial expresses fear that "MSU is so close to becoming forever associated with the Nassar scandal."
We don’t want MSU to be defined by this. We want MSU to make things right, to take ownership and to prevent something like this from ever happening again. Maybe we’re stupid for continuing to put our faith in this university. But we want our university back. . . .
The world is watching, MSU. What are you going to do?
Eloquent words from students worth listening to, as a Detroit publication notes in praising the paper's Jan. 18 call for Simon's departure. "The students in this case know more than the adults on the board," says a Crain's Detroit Business editorial.
Members of The State News editorial board, in addition to editor-in-chief Fradette, are:
Managing Editor McKenna Ross, Campus Editor Brigid Kennedy, City Editor Riley Murdock, Features Editor Sasha Zidar, Sports Editor Sam Metry, Copy Chief Blair Baeten, Staff Representative Madison O'Connor and Inclusion Representative Souichi Terada.
