EAST LANSING, Mich. — MSU claims the update by the AG's office into MSU's handling of campus sexual assault, vindicates the university. That's not going over well with some members of the Michigan State community.
The administration's response to the special prosecutor is only four sentences long. The first line reads "we are extraordinarily sorry that Larry Nassar was on our campus and has hurt so many people."
MSU student and member of Reclaim MSU Natalie Rogers said the university is missing the point.
"I feel that they think the problem was Larry Nassar and Larry Nassar alone but as we've seen in the past year since all this it wasn't just Larry Nassar it was so many people at so many levels that enabled him," said Natalie Rogers, Reclaim MSU.
Friday attorney general special prosecutor William Forsythe released a 16-page update into the MSU's handling of Larry Nassar. The report blasts MSU again for not owning up to how it handles sexual assaults on campus.
"It's frustrating. It seems like at this point they can admit that there are mistakes made, yet they don't do that, said Rogers.
This MSU statement also states that "Today's announcement shows that the attorney general's office has found no criminal conduct beyond those formally charges, even after reviewing half a million documents." Natalie said that is an oxymoron because MSU continues to fight to hide documents regarding Nassar.
"It feels like everything they do they do to appear transparent and to appear accountable. But in reality they kind of dig in their heels and aren't making real changes to ensure accountability and transparency," said Rogers.
The report accuses MSU of covering up for predators like Nassar to protect its own reputation. Natalie said the university already tarnished on its own reputation.
"I feel as though MSU would get a lot more credibility if they were to come forward and say 'hey they made mistakes, there are problems within our culture, but we are making efforts from our leadership to change and move forward. And maybe if that's done we can rebuild that reputation," said Rogers.
Natalie says although the reputation has changed since she first enrolled, she's proud to be apart of a group, like Reclaim MSU, that fights for change in leadership and policy.
