by
The transfer of knowledge on college campuses flows in more than one direction, ideally. At Michigan State, young journalists starting their careers believe they have something to teach eight trustees well along in theirs.
"You hold back MSU from what it needs to become," says a sharply pointed editorial Thursday in The State News, decrying the board's "fierce protection and loyalty to the MSU brand" in response to sexual abuse by Larry Nassar and the administration's years-long failure to take it seriously.
The 700-word open message to trustees appears on Page 2, directly after the cover display at right. Excerpts:
The State News Editorial Board . . . is calling for every single one of you to resign, effective immediately.
Atmosphere and attitude reflect leadership. None of you know where to take this university or how to properly use your authority and power as trustees. It’s arrogant of you to think you can.
For a group who has heard so much from protesters and survivors, the basics of sexual assault cases and empathizing with survivors are lost on you. . . . You hold on to a supposed former glory, even though the reality is the "old MSU" was severely flawed. ...
Any trust you previously had with the students of MSU has been annihilated, and the university can’t rebuild what’s been lost. We need a clean slate.
The idea of having you choose our next president after you chose John Engler as interim president is simply terrifying. You all represent what needs to be left behind in this troubling MSU era — and you haven’t realized that. . . .
We are at the point where it's time you all step down and let people who know how to be leaders have the chance to do so. . . . For our university to be reinvented, we need to clean house. . . .
So grow up, and get out.
The unsigned editorial was overseen, and presumably drafted, by editor-in-chief Rachel Fradette, a senior from Livonia.
Eight other editorial board members are: Managing Editor McKenna Ross, Campus Editor Madison O’Connor, City Editor Souichi Terada, Features Editor Sasha Zidar, Sports Editor Jonathan LeBlanc, inclusion representative Maxwell Evans, staff representative Marie Weidmayer and copy chief Casey Holland.
