- Tuesday, MSU's Faculty Senate approved a resolution that encourages the school's leadership to join with other Big Ten Schools to share legal resources, among other things.
- This resolution comes after continued legal battles between Harvard University and the Trump Administration.
- Video shows a breakdown of the resolution, as well as comments from the university.
If you've been to Spartan Stadium on a gameday, you know that Big Ten teams can be ruthless as they battle each other on the field. But now, there's an effort for the schools to work together.
The MSU Senate Faculty wants university leaders to be part of what's called a defense compact with other Big Ten Universities. It would set up a shared pot of money, and allow for universities to share legal counsel and resources with "any member institution under direct political or legal infringement".
This comes after continued legal battles between Harvard University and the Trump Administration, as the Administration is looking into changes to the school's tax-exempt status. Most colleges across the country are tax-exempt, so they don't pay most taxes.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said Wednesday that while that's just a conversation for Harvard right now, she thinks it's possible the IRS could look into doing the same at other schools.
"I've only heard the reference right now to Harvard," McMahon said. "But I think if the IRS looks at it, they might look at it at other universities. But that's a guess on my part."
I reached out to MSU for comment on the idea to band together on this with other Big Ten schools. MSU sent me the following statement from Spokesperson Amber McCann:
“The President meets regularly with the Faculty Senate and understands their valid concerns regarding the impact of federal policy and funding changes on higher education. Michigan State University is an active member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), the American Council on Education (ACE), the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and other organizations as part of our ongoing advocacy efforts. The university has joined relevant litigation in support of critical research, is providing available support to international students impacted by recent visa revocations and is actively engaged with elected officials on behalf of our students, faculty and staff. The university will continue to work in support of our campus community in accordance with our values and in compliance with the law.”
We do want to be clear that MSU does not seem to be in any immediate danger of finding itself in a similar situation to Harvard at this time.
But just how much does federal funding mean to MSU? According to the university, MSU spent nearly $500 million of federal money on research in the last budget year.
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