William Strampel First Michigan State Official Tied to Larry Nassar to Be Convicted
By Megan Banta
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Wednesday's verdict sends a clear message. "It’s time to change the culture in our schools and medical communities so that our female students and doctors receive the same treatment and respect as their male counterparts," Nessel said in a statement. "Public officers who brandish their power to demean, insult, harass, objectify, and abuse female students will be held accountable." Nessel, a Democrat, took office in 2019 after her Republican predecessor Bill Schuette initiated the investigation into Strampel and other MSU officials. Strampel was charged in March 2018. "I’m proud of the victims who had the courage to step forward to tell their stories. You helped ensure that William Strampel could no longer wield his power to prey on women," Nessel added. Verdict comes 15 months after charging Strampel was charged on March 27, 2018. He was the first current or former MSU employee the AG charged as part of an inquiry into how MSU handled allegations against Nassar, who abused more than 500 known victims. Strampel served as dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine from 2002 to mid-December 2017, when he stepped down from his role as dean and took a leave of absence citing medical reasons. He retained a professorship and was receiving an annual salary of $217,903 plus benefits, MSU officials have previously said. Former interim MSU president John Engler announced he would pursue action to fire Strampel in February 2018, but his protection as a tenured faculty member meant a lengthy process. Instead, Strampel and the university negotiated a retirement agreement, effective June 30, 2018. In the agreement, Strampel agreed to forego emeritus status, which is a traditional honor for retiring faculty, and forfeited other benefits tied to his executive level retirement. He did receive basic retiree health care coverage and a $175,000 final payment which represented a compromise over how much salary Strampel would have received over the course of the tenure revocation process. “Today’s verdict reinforces the need for Michigan State to continue improving the climate for all faculty, staff and students at the university,” university spokesperson Emily Guerrant said. “We will continue addressing the culture that allowed such abhorrent behavior as we work on meaningful actions to be more aware and more accountable. We have improved our dean review process, improved patient-care policies and our College of Osteopathic Medicine is developing a forward-looking strategic plan to improve and assess the educational climate. We know we have more work to do and are committed to the changes needed.” Sexual misconduct vs. 'locker-room talk' Prosecutors argued Strampel clearly had a sexual, corrupt intent when he made innuendos and crude comments to female medical students. "These statements are made to them by the person who is the dean of their medical school," Assistant Attorney General Danielle Hagaman-Clark said during closing arguments Tuesday. "That’s what makes this criminal." She said testimony from three women who were not medical students at the College of Osteopathic Medicine supported that view of Strampel's intentions. Two women testified Strampel recruited them to be standardized patients, a role that involved removing clothing and donning a medical gown to help demonstrate sensitive exams. One said Strampel examined her alone and commented on her lack of pubic hair and made eye contact while his fingers were inside her vagina. The other said Strampel took her out to dinner and drinks after exams and, after the fifth of 10 or so exams, told her he wasn't demonstrating for students anymore because examining her aroused him. He paid both in cash and never had them apply for the role through the official process, which involved interviews and orientation. The third woman had Strampel as her attending physician during a month-long rotation at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. She testified he flunked her after she told him she wouldn't have sex with him. Strampel's attorneys argued he didn't have any such intent. "We know he can be gruff. We know he speaks his mind," Dakmak told jurors Tuesday. "We know that he has the filter of a soldier and a physician." Turning that into criminal conduct is "taking a leap across a river that we don't get to make in a criminal courtroom," he argued. Prosecutors argued Strampel took on responsibility for Nassar Prosecutors argued Strampel made himself Nassar's supervisor following a complaint of sexual assault in 2014. Though the investigation of alumna Amanda Thomashow's Title IX complaint found Nassar didn't violate university policy, he was required to implement new protocols when performing sensitive exams, including wearing gloves, obtaining informed consent and not being alone in a room with a patient. But prosecutors argued Strampel allowed Nassar to return to work before the investigation wrapped up then failed to ensure he followed those protocols or to delegate that responsibility to anyone else within the school. Dakmak argued, while Strampel served as the school's point of contact during and immediately following the Title IX investigation, that didn't make him responsible for Nassar. He reiterated an argument from briefs and that he hinted at in cross-examination — "somebody's got to answer for (Nassar)," so MSU is making Strampel a scapegoat. AG has charged two other former employees The AG's office has charged two other former MSU employees during the inquiry. Prosecutors charged former MSU gymnastics coach Kathy Klages in August 2018 with lying to police about her knowledge of sexual assault complaints about Nassar prior to 2016. She was the second person charged in the AG’s inquiry. Investigators accused her of denying that she had been told prior to 2016 of Nassar’s sexual misconduct. “Witnesses have said that they reported Nassar’s sexual abuse to Klages dating back more than 20 years,” AG officials said in a statement at the time. Klages’ case is pending in Ingham County Circuit Court. Former MSU president Lou Anna Simon was charged in November 2018 with lying to police. Because she was interviewed at State Police facilities in Dimondale, those charges are filed in Eaton County. A preliminary hearing to determine whether Simon will stand trial, which began in February and has spanned five days, is scheduled to continue in July. Simon resigned as MSU president in January 2018 on the day Nassar was sentenced for sexual assault in Ingham County. Under her contract, she was allowed to assume a tenured professorship in MSU's College of Education and take a 12-month research leave at her former presidential salary of $750,000. She took an unpaid leave of absence to defend herself from the criminal charges. MSU is paying the full costs of Simon and Klages' defenses. The university is paying for half of Strampel's defense, since only two of his charges related to the Nassar scandal. Next steps Strampel’s time in court isn’t done yet. He’ll return at 8:30 a.m. July 31 for Draganchuk to determine his sentence. The misconduct in office charge carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison. The willful neglect of duty charges carry a one-year maximum each. Strampel had faced up to 15 years in prison on the second-degree sexual assault charge. The jury could also have found him guilty of fourth-degree sexual assault, a high court misdemeanor, but did not. Dakmak said Strampel's defense team is preparing for sentencing. They haven't yet decided whether they will appeal any part of the verdict. Contact reporter Megan Banta at (517) 377-1261 or mbanta@lsj.com
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