John Engler at Friday's meeting.
A bid to dump Michigan State University interim President John Engler failed on Friday.
Just after the start of Friday's Board of Trustees meeting in East Lasning, Trustee Brian Mosallam called for a motion to fire Engler, Matt Mencarini of the Lansing State Journal reports. The move was met by applause in the audience.
But motion failed 6-2 vote, with only Mosallam and Trustee Diane Byrum supporting it.
The trustees also approved a $500 million settlement of lawsuits filed by more than 330 of Nassar's accusers.
During the public comment section, people ripped into Engler.
Bryan Tarrant, the parent of a Larry Nassar survivor, said when he looks in the mirror, he sees a father who failed his little girl, reports the Detroit Free Press. Tarrant, who became very emotional, says Engler is a monster hiding in plain sight.
“The idea of John Engler leading this university one more day is sickening. Does your lack of moral code keep you up at night? Because your lack of a moral code keeps me up at night.”
Katie Paulot of Reclaim MSU, an advocacy group of students and faculty, said Engler should go. "His half-assed apology changes nothing," she said.
On Thursday, Engler issued a statement, apologizing for private emails suggesting that Rachael Denhollander, the first gymnast to publicly accuse Larry Nassar of sexual abuse, might get a "kickback" from her attorney for "manipulating" other victims, the Detroit News reported.
"I was wrong. I apologize," Engler wrote. "When I started this interim position in February, it was never my intent to have an adversarial relationship with some of the survivors."
