| Blog and Media Roundup - Monday, December 25, 2017; News Roundup | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 25 2017, 05:46 AM (92 Views) | |
| abb | Dec 25 2017, 05:46 AM Post #1 |
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http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/18990/lengel_msu_needs_to_hire_an_ex-fbi_director_to_determine_if_president_should_stay#.WkDWuXlG2Uk Lengel: MSU Needs to Hire an Ex-FBI Director to Determine if President Should Stay By Allan Lengel allan@deadlinedetroit.com December 24th, 2017, 10:19 AM In 2011, Penn State University hired former FBI director Louis Freeh to probe child sex-abuse allegations against a former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. Though other investigations were going on, the school hired a serious gun slinger, showing it wasn't playing around anymore, that it was no longer placing the institution over the importance of people -- something universities too often do. It's clear Michigan State University needs to do the same: Hire a past FBI director like Freeh or James Comey or former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to oversee a real investigation of disgraced doctor Larry Nassar, who admits sexually assaulting female patients. That person needs to unearth the facts as quickly as possible and recommend to trustees whether MSU President Mary Lou Anna Simon should stay or be fired. MSU's board needs to get past politics and loyalty. Let chips fall where they may, as the saying goes. Enough b.s. Evidence suggests that Simon and the university cared far more about minimizing the damage and brushing the horrific news aside rather than unearthing the truth. Law firms hired by MSU to respond to allegations have barely talked to any of the 148 plaintiffs in a suit involving Nassar, The Detroit News reports. Those firm include one based in Chicago -- Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom -- which was hired in 2015 and whose senior counsel bills clients $990 an hour. "It casts serious doubt on the (Board of) Trustees and the administration’s commitment to finding the truth," John Manly, a California-based attorney who represents 107 victims in civil lawsuits against Nassar, MSU and others, tells The News. "The victims and their families have been subjected to a series of misrepresentations and insults painted over with (public relations) rhetoric. What Michigan State is doing is what institutions do when they have something to hide." Another report says Nassar continued to see patients during a criminal inquiry into abuse allegations. Nassar may have seemed like a great guy to the powers that be at MSU. But he was was a predator, who at minimum, should have been placed on paid leave while the serious allegations were investigated. Current and former students, taxpayers and Olympic athletes around the nation who were treated by Nassar deserve answers. One pressing question is whether Simon is worthy of staying in position that requires more concern about people than about MSU |
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| abb | Dec 25 2017, 05:48 AM Post #2 |
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https://luxoraleader.com/finley-ag-must-step-up-for-msu-victims/292127/ Finley: AG must step up for MSU victims December 25, 2017 Staff Writer Questions about Michigan State University’s role in the molestation of scores of female gymnasts on its campus are not going to answer themselves. And MSU, fearful of legal liability, obviously has no interest in sorting out how the university may have failed the scores of young girls and women who were the victims of Dr. Larry Nassar over the course of nearly a quarter century. So it will be up to someone else to determine whether anyone at Michigan State could have acted sooner to put a stop to this monster. The most likely someone is Attorney General Bill Schuette, who pressed the criminal sexual assault cases against Nassar but has shown little urgency to probe the university and its officials for possible negligence. But evidence is building that MSU continued to deliver victims to Dr. Nassar while ignoring clear warning flags about his behavior. These new reports are disturbing and demand a thorough investigation. That’s Schuette’s job, and he has to do it. The attorney general must empanel a grand jury to examine the evidence that suggests MSU has been engaged in a cover up that first enabled Nassar to continue his assaults and then sought to shield university officials from accountability. Over the past week, investigative reporting by The Detroit News, the Lansing State Journal and other outlets has uncovered, among other things, that for 16 months while MSU campus police were investigating the molestation allegations, the university allowed Nassar to continue treating female athletes. During that time, he was supposed to have another person in the room whenever he was seeing a patient. But a medical assistant whose job it was to be in the exam room was ordered out by Nassar. And after she informed university officials, she was fired. Also, Olympic gymnastic champion McKayla Maroney, who is suing MSU in federal court along with 150 other Nassar victims, revealed USA Gymnastics, which also used Nassar to treat its athletes, paid her $1.2 million to remain silent about the abuse, a settlement that appears to violate California law. Previous reporting revealed gymnasts had complained of Nassar’s treatment to MSU Coach Kathie Klages, who ignored them, and that Nassar’s boss, Dr. William Strampel, was aware enough of what was going on to urge the doctor to alter his practices. There’s too much smoke not to think there is a fire somewhere. The attorney general must reopen the Nassar investigation to focus on whether MSU officials failed to protect these women and girls, some as young as 10 years old. A spokesman for the AG said last week he couldn’t comment on whether that’s his intent. There’s no indication that these victims have been interviewed by investigators to find out who at MSU they told about what was happening to them. That would be a good place for the attorney general’s staff to start. Duty demands Schuette dig out the answers these young sexual assault victims crave to help put the trauma behind them. Answers MSU, a public institution, refuses to give them. |
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| abb | Dec 25 2017, 05:49 AM Post #3 |
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http://www.timesdaily.com/news/local/former-una-professor-named-in-sexual-assault-lawsuit-seeking-damages/article_18f4e577-1776-5606-bf23-623f01649319.html Former UNA professor named in sexual assault lawsuit seeking damages from state By Jennifer Edwards Staff Writer Dec 25, 2017 MONTGOMERY — A former University of North Alabama business professor accused of sexual assault in a civil lawsuit against the university is now seeking nearly $7 million through the State Board of Adjustment. David Dickerson filed a claim with the State Board of Adjustment last week stating the university denied his due process and "publicly defamed" him to the point that he can no longer work in academia. Dickerson was named in a Jane Doe lawsuit filed in August accusing the university of mishandling the unnamed student's sexual assault accusations. The lawsuit accused Dickerson of touching her inappropriately and kissing her against her will at a hotel pool and undressing her in his hotel room after buying her alcoholic beverages at a restaurant while in Orlando at a conference in November 2015. A criminal case was never opened. Dickerson stated in his claim against the university he's owed $4 million for back wages and future earnings, $1.6 million for health insurance, $855,000 in supplemental pay for summer and interim session courses he would have taught, $453,000 in retirement benefits on wages he would have earned and unspecified "punitive damages to be decided" for emotional distress/loss of earning capacity/loss of consortium. The State Board of Adjustment is a division of the state Department of Finance. It provides an outlet for individuals or businesses seeking restitution for damages caused by the State of Alabama or its agencies, commissions, boards, institutions or departments. Dickerson was a visiting professor in marketing in 2015-16, but claims the university executed a "bait and switch" scheme because he stated he was initially offered a "tenure-track position" that was changed to a non-tenure track visiting professor position after interviewing for the job. He claims he was "coerced" to sign the employment agreement because of time constraints and financial hardship. Dickerson was placed on paid administrative leave on Jan. 8, 2016, and was informed then that his position would not be renewed. He signed a separation agreement on Jan. 6 that provided salary through May 2016, the end of his contract with the university. He claims UNA violated its procedures by offering a position different from the one advertised and that the university furthered violated its own procedure for termination because "there was never a cause of termination," therefore, Dickerson claims he is owed the back and future wages, and related benefits. Dickerson claims after the civil lawsuit against the university was filed "UNA inflicted upon him intentional, malicious and bad faith actions" in social and news media posts. He lost his job at Metropolitan State University in Denver in August, after the lawsuit was reported. Dickerson denies in his claim to the Board of Adjustment the allegations in the unnamed student's lawsuit and states UNA gave "credence to the allegations" by "openly convicting (Dickerson) in front of the media." The university released a statement after the lawsuit became public stating a university investigation found Dickerson violated university policy related to faculty/student relationships and removed Dickerson from the classroom and ordered him to stay away from the campus and students. "UNA's resulting guilty conviction of the plaintiff in their press release has labelled and defamed the plaintiff, spoiled his opportunities for gainful employment in the marketplace, polluted his professional reputation and denied him the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Dickerson stated in his claim to the Board of Adjustment. The Board of Adjustment holds hearings on claims filed with the board. It is a four-member board, with members being the director of finance, the state treasurer, the secretary of state and the state auditor. UNA must answer the claim to the board within 30 days, according to Board of Adjustment rules. Edited by abb, Dec 25 2017, 05:49 AM.
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| abb | Dec 25 2017, 05:50 AM Post #4 |
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http://wkar.org/post/gov-candidate-whitmer-calls-msu-president-simon-step-down#stream/0 Gov. Candidate Whitmer Calls For MSU President Simon To Step Down By Reginald Hardwick & Associated Press • 12 hours ago According to WLNS-TV, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer has written a letter to Michigan State University's Board of Trustees urging the removal of President Lou Anna K. Simon. She is the latest to ask for changes at the top after the discovery of a campus doctor who sexually assaulted girls and women. On Sunday afternoon, Whitmer, who is an MSU graduate and former Minority Leader of the Michigan Senate, posted the following comment on Twitter: "Only with a change of top management can MSU begin to restore confidence that our great university conducts itself in a manner befitting one of the world's great public institutions." She linked to a WLNS-TV report which reports her letter to Board of Trustees chairman Brian Breslin asking the board to "seek and accept" the resignation of Simon. Whitmer, who briefly served as a Lansing-area prosecutor, also wants state police to look at how Michigan State dealt with Larry Nassar. Nassar pleaded guilty last month to molesting girls at his campus office and elsewhere. He lost his physician's license in April and admitted his conduct had no legitimate medical purpose and that he did not have the girls' consent. The 125 girls and young women who have filed reports of abuse with campus police will be able to speak at his Jan. 12 sentencing. Earlier in the month, Whitmer called for an independent investigation at Michigan State. "I don't believe any of the victims will have confidence that we've got all of the facts," Whitmer said. Michigan State officials have denied accusations the school covered up misconduct by school administrators. The university police and the FBI conducted a joint investigation earlier this year to determine if any school employees besides Nassar committed crimes. Republican gubernatorial candidate and Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette urged the school to give him an internal report but the school has said there isn't one. At the December board meeting, it was announced the university would create a $10 million fund for mental health services for sexual assault survivors. Simon also received the board's support at the meeting. She also declined a $150,000 raise approved by the board. "We extend our deepest sorrows and sadness for what has happened to each of you," Simon said after victims and a supporter spoke. Earlier, she praised the "survivors," and told them that Nassar betrayed their trust and wouldn't be in prison "without your voices and courage." The Lansing State Journal editorial board and Michigan Speaker of the House Tom Leonard have also asked for Simon to step down. |
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| abb | Dec 25 2017, 08:30 AM Post #5 |
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http://deadline.com/2017/12/michael-ferro-tronc-5-million-payout-after-layoffs-outsourcing-1202232409/ Top L.A.Times Shareholder Michael Ferro Pays Himself $15M After Slashing Staff Before Christmas by Anita Busch and Jeremy Gerard December 24, 2017 2:00pm Chicago tech multi-millionaire Michael Ferro, the largest shareholder of Tronc (owners of the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and, most recently, the New York Daily News) has entered into an agreement with Tribune Publishing Co. to receive a payout of $5M in the first quarters of 2018, 2019 and 2020 as a consultant through his Merrick Ventures LLC. He is, in essence, paying himself $15 million. This comes after his publishing concerns have outsourced jobs and laid off hundreds of employees. Ferro took over the foundering Daily News from previous owner Mortimer Zuckerman in September. Just after Thanksgiving, Tronc swung the scythe through the Daily News‘ advertising, finance and IT departments. The $5M a year is akin to covering about 65 to 70 journalist jobs, according to one expert. An SEC filing dated December 20 states: On December 20, 2017, Tribune Publishing Company, LLC (“TPC”), a subsidiary of tronc, Inc. (the “Company”) … entered into a Consulting Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Merrick Ventures LLC (“Merrick Ventures”) and, solely for certain sections thereof, Michael W. Ferro, Jr. and Merrick Media, LLC (“Merrick Media”). Mr. Ferro is (1) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Merrick Ventures and (2) the manager of Merrick Venture Management, LLC which is the sole manager of Merrick Media. The Agreement provides for the engagement of Merrick Ventures on a non-exclusive basis to provide certain management expertise and technical services for an annual fee of $5 million in cash, payable in advance on the first business day of each calendar year. See the filing here. Ferro, who wants to be a media mogul, was (at one time) the biggest investor/owner of the fierce Tribune competitor Chicago Sun-Times. He currently is Tronc’s largest shareholder, with about a 28 percent stake in the company. The new agreement does not provide details of what Merrick Ventures’ consulting duties will be. It does, however, say that Tronc will no longer be responsible for Ferro’s private jet. Those bills are to go directly to Merrick. |
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| Quasimodo | Dec 25 2017, 08:40 AM Post #6 |
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Reminds me a bit of Duke laying off 400 service personnel, instead of slashing admin salaries and perks (and maybe reducing some unneeded but PC-correct departments). So much for concern for the lower classes... |
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