John Engler Must Step down from Msu Presidency
By David Jesse
Interim Michigan State University President John Engler must step down immediately from his position leading the university, a growing number of lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, said Thursday. "The senator did not believe he was the right choice to lead MSU when he was appointed and doesn’t believe he is the right choice now," Stabenow spokesman Matt Williams said. Stabenow is an MSU alumna. Also calling for Engler to step down were state Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, and state Sen. Margaret O'Brien, R-Portage. Jones said he was at his daily breakfast with constituents at the Grand Ledge A&W Thursday morning when he saw a story about Engler claiming that Rachael Denhollander — the first person to publicly accuse Larry Nassar, a former MSU doctor, of sexually assaulting students — would likely get kickbacks from attorneys involved in lawsuits against the university. "And I was very angry,” Jones said. “Once again, John Engler has embarrassed Michigan State University. He was hired to try to heal the university, to end the culture of silence and to make sure people are reported so we don't have another Larry Nassar situation. And instead, he is constantly belittling victims. It absolutely is embarrassing to the university. He has not improved the image of MSU, he is actually hurting the image of MSU, and I am hearing that loud and clear from my constituents." He went on to say Engler should step down "before he does more damage to the image of MSU." O'Brien — who helped draft a variety of bills aimed at strengthening victim's rights — also called for Engler to leave, according to media reports. Joining them was the Michigan Association for Justice, formerly the trial attorneys association. “John Engler’s crass personal attack on Rachael Denhollander is detestable and a betrayal of all the survivors, and he should resign immediately," President Debra Freid said in a statement. "We support Rachael and every survivor, each of whom was strong enough to come forward in the face of years of Nassar’s abuse while Michigan State University looked the other way. "The trial attorneys who took up their fight for justice worked throughout this difficult process to protect the survivors and their right to speak out. Both the survivors and attorneys were instrumental in forcing a systemic change at the university so that protections are in place to prevent this abomination from ever happening again. "Mr. Engler’s appalling attack on a courageous survivor suggests that he still lacks compassion and empathy for Michigan’s most vulnerable citizens. He never should have been appointed to this position, and it’s time for him to go.” It's wasn't just lawmakers calling for Engler to go. "I went to MSU. My wife went to MSU. I've got two daughters who went to MSU," said John Michaels, 56, of Grand Rapids. "I thought he (Engler) would do a good job of cleaning everything up. He hasn't. I'm shocked by what he has said about the victims. I can't see how he can stay in charge." MSU student Marissa Williams, 24, of Lansing, agreed. "The survivors were so brave. I don't see how Engler can keep attacking them. He shouldn't be here any more," she told the Free Press. The calls came one day after the Detroit Free Press and the Chronicle of Higher Education published an email from Engler to his top adviser accusing Denhollander of likely getting kickbacks from trial attorneys. In the same string of emails, Engler's top aide — Carol Viventi — accused MSU board member Brian Mossallam of not doing a good enough job of protecting Engler. The Free Press obtained the emails from a source within the Engler administration. The Chronicle of Higher Education first obtained the emails under a Freedom of Information Act request. The email chain started with Nassar victim Kaylee Lorincz accusing Engler during a board meeting of offering her $250,000 in a private meeting to settle her lawsuit against the university. That weekend, Viventi emailed board members, saying she wanted to set the record straight. She claimed Lorincz's statements were totally inaccurate and the meeting was set up by Lorincz in order to "set up" the school. She then went on to say the trial lawyers were manipulating the survivors. That seemed to strike a chord with Engler. "Thank you for your strong defense,” Engler wrote in a 9:23 a.m. April 15 email. “It is deeply appreciated. At least we know what really happened. The survivors now are being manipulated by trial lawyers who in the end will each get millions of dollars more than any of (sic) individual survivors with the exception of Denhollander who is likely to get (sic) kickback from Manley (sic) for her role in the trial lawyer manipulation. " The reference was to John Manley, Denhollander’s lawyer. Engler took over as interim president after Lou Anna Simon stepped down under extreme pressure over her handling of Nassar, including being in charge when he was cleared by an MSU investigation in 2014 of any wrongdoing. Nassar, the MSU doctor accused of molesting dozens of female students and athletes, has been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on child pornography charges and is in a maximum-security federal prison in Tucson, Ariz. He also faces a 40- to 175-year sentence issued in Ingham County and a 40- to 125-year sentence from Eaton County for sexual assaults. Those sentences will not begin until he finishes the federal sentence. Engler was interviewed for the interim president's position in a private meeting with trustees on Jan. 29. He was the second interview that night, held at trustee Melanie Foster's house to avoid publicity. Also interviewed for the position that night: former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard. Blanchard previously told the Detroit Free Press that, during his meeting with the board, he got a strong sense that trustees feared the Michigan Legislature would punish MSU for the Nassar scandal by reducing state aid. “They thought it would be easier to put out the fires in Lansing with Engler because he had been there more recently and he was a Republican,” Blanchard said in the mid-February interview. “I thought that as well … the selection of Engler was quite logical.” Contact David Jesse: 313-222-8851 or djesse@freepress.com
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