Michigan State board to discuss interim president’s future following remarks about Larry Nassar survivors

Engler said some survivors were “enjoying” the “spotlight.”

The Michigan State University Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting Thursday morning to debate the future of interim president John Engler.

“John Engler’s reign of terror is over,” said board member Brian Mosallam, according to the Detroit Free Press. Mosallam has been rallying against Engler for a year. “Michigan State University will be returned to its people.”

Engler took over from disgraced outgoing president Lou Anna Simon in January 2018, when she stepped down after it was revealed she had knowledge of sexual abuse perpetrated by Larry Nassar while he was employed by the university for two decades, but did not take any action.

Renewed calls for Engler to be removed come after an interview with The Detroit News last week during which Engler went so far as to insinuate that some of Nassar’s survivors are “enjoying” the spotlight placed on them by being victims of sexual abuse.

“You’ve got people, they are hanging on and this has been … there are a lot of people who are touched by this, survivors who haven’t been in the spotlight,” Engler said. “In some ways they have been able to deal with this better than the ones who’ve been in the spotlight who are still enjoying that moment at times, you know, the awards and recognition. And it’s ending. It’s almost done.”

Engler’s tenure as interim president has been fraught with turmoil since he took over in January 2018. Less than three months into his tenure, an abuse survivor came forward to say that Engler attempted to coerce survivors of Nassar into taking settlements in exchange for dropping civil cases against the school. The survivor also alleged Engler lied to her, saying that Rachel Denhollander, one of the first women to come forward against Nassar, had accepted a settlement from the school.

Engler also cancelled a $10 million healing fund in December, established by the school to provide counseling to victims of abuse, saying the money was being misappropriated and survivors had already been taken care of by a $500 million settlement. The MSU board overturned Engler’s decision.

The school’s alumni magazine wanted to dedicate an issue to the Nassar scandal, which was cancelled by Engler. Instead it was replaced with a Q&A with Engler himself, in which he outlined the positive changes being made at the university.