EAST LANSING, Mich. — In a few weeks, voters will decide who will fill two open spots on the embattled Michigan State University board of trustees.
The board remains shrouded in controversy following symbolic ‘no confidence’ votes from three different campus organizations and the departure of University President Samuel Stanley.
Four candidates are in the running, including two democrats and two republicans.
While traditionally, down-ballot races may not draw as much attention, the issues they'll decide on couldn't be more significant. Several stem from unanswered questions surrounding Larry Nassar, the disgraced former MSU sports medicine doctor.
“How old was your daughter when the abuse occurred?”
“She was 11.”
Valerie von Frank said her daughter, Grace, was in sixth grade when the former sports medicine doctor began a pattern of abuse that continued for nearly a decade.
“It's not something that happens, and then you heal, and then you "move on" because it's a trauma that you live with, that these women and survivors live with every day,” she related.
She said Grace later took the stand as part of Nassar’s landmark abuse sentencing.
Valerie later helped form ‘Parents of Sister Survivors Engage’ or POSSE to advocate on behalf of the hundreds of survivors who came forward.
“Some of that work has been done, but a lot of it is at the policy level, and we see major problems on campus,” von Frank noted.
The group interviewed each of the candidates vying for the two open trusteeships, with specific questions addressing changing campus culture and prioritizing student safety.
All four candidates consented to the hour-long interviews, including:
- Michael Balow, republican
- Dennis Denno, democrat
- Renne Knake Jefferson, democrat (incumbent)
- Travis Menge, republican
POSSE later published a letter reviewing its findings.
“People should be allowed to make their own selections based on what they think is reasonable, and who they think is going to be the best leader,” von Frank said, noting trustees would decide significant issues geared to prevent future abuse and address myriad unresolved questions.
“There was not ever an independent investigation. The board decided it was not going to release six-thousand or more documents,” von Frank explained, referencing a previous investigation by the Michigan attorney general. “We need to release those documents.”
Mired in recent controversy, the University continues to deal with fallout in the wake of President Stanley’s high-profile-exit over a loss of confidence in MSU’s elected governing board with regard to its responsibilities under Title IX and other concerns.
A third party review of the University’s grievance process addressed to Stanley and Board Chair Dianne Byrum assembled in February, found that while administrators had made progress, ten of the cases it investigated “reflected significant challenges around timeliness,” and that the University ”lacked documentation” explaining the delay.
“If that office is not functioning, something that happened to our daughters could happen again,” von Frank said.
Outside of potential policy tweaks, a change, she said, would also have to be made closer to home: equipping children--from a young age--with the tools and the terminology to effectively articulate their stories.
“All the things that women are told constantly that we need to do to protect ourselves don’t make a hill of beans difference if you're going to have perpetrators who are determined to do what they do,” von Frank related. “We want young people to be safe. That's what our daughters stood for.”
The incoming board will also likely determine MSU’s next president.
Trustees serve eight-year terms.
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