DETROIT (MI)
Detroit Free Press
June 8, 2018
By Gina Kaufman and Joe Guillen
Michigan State University interim President John Engler was directly involved in the crafting of a detailed public rebuke of a rape accuser’s allegations, a statement that potentially violated a federal privacy law and endangered grant funding for sexual assault counseling services, the Free Press has learned.
Emails obtained by the Free Press show Engler and his closest advisers sharing “essential facts” and edits to be included in the university’s official response to a lawsuit, which accuses MSU counseling staff of discouraging a student from reporting she was raped by three basketball players. Among the emails was one where a spokeswoman acknowledged they had moved quickly “to get materials the President wanted out the door.”
The statement was posted on MSU’s website and sent to reporters April 11. It said allegations in the lawsuit were untrue and refuted the claims with information about the woman’s counseling center history.
MSU’s decision to release details about the woman may have violated a federal student privacy law, experts previously told the Free Press, because the information could be used to piece together her identity. Details in the statement included when the woman sought counseling, services provided to her and that she never filed a police report or Title IX complaint.
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