National News
Michigan State Students Disrupt Trustees Meeting After Interim President Confirmed
One student leapt onto a table and demanded to be heard.
The Michigan State University (MSU) Board of Trustees confirmed at a meeting Wednesday that they have selected Michigan Gov. John Engler as interim president. That decision did not go down well with students, who interrupted the meeting to express their displeasure at the choice.
According to ESPN, senior student Connor Berdy jumped on a table in the meeting room and sat down in the middle of it.
VIDEO: #MSU students protest Board of Trustees decision to approve Fmr. Michigan Gov. John #Engler as interim MSU president. pic.twitter.com/LqzrETjFnQ
— WXYZ Detroit (@wxyzdetroit) January 31, 2018
The MSU student paper, The State News, reported that Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to go public with her story of abuse by disgraced former MSU doctor Larry Nassar, was also dismayed at the choice of Engler.
It appears Engler will indeed be the interim president at MSU. My hope is that despite his close ties, he will act with…
Posted by Rachael Denhollander on Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Former Michigan Gov. John Engler (Image: Flickr Public)
The News also reported that the MSU Steering Committee will call for a vote of no confidence in the Board of Trustees if over the Engler appointment.
MSU College Democrats president Dan Martel, told The Lansing State Journal that hundreds of students marched on campus seeking transparency and asking board members to help restore trust in the university’s leadership.
“What we got were shady backroom dealings, which resulted in the political appointment of a straight, white, wealthy male who is just conservative enough to keep our elected officials down Michigan Avenue pacified for a little while longer,” he told the Journal.
UPDATE: The @michiganstateu Board of Trustees voted to name former Gov. John Engler interim president. Not everyone is happy about that choice https://t.co/aDcBImK2Ks pic.twitter.com/bpB6G65mOI
— The Detroit News (@detroitnews) January 31, 2018
It's not that John Engler isn't a smart guy, it's that MSU needed to send a message that this pick isn't political, but rather about installing someone that everyone can trust will be 100% focused on rooting out the institutional problems at the university.
Big swing & a miss
— Robert McCann (@mccannr1) January 30, 2018
Good choice by MSU Board of Trustees to pair two former Michigan governors (John Engler and Jim Blanchard) to lead the university through this interim period.
— David Harns (@DavidHarns) January 30, 2018
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