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Blog and Media Roundup - Tuesday, January 23, 2018; News Roundup
Topic Started: Jan 23 2018, 05:04 AM (110 Views)
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http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2018/01/activist-angela-davis-to-speak-at-duke-in-february


Activist Angela Davis to speak at Duke in February
By Maya Iskandarani | 01/22/2018

She is a radical feminist and racial activist who gained fame in the 1960s as a leader of the Communist Party USA, and in 1969 Ronald Reagan attempted to bar the now-professor from teaching at any college in the state of California.

Now, Angela Davis is coming to Duke.

Duke’s Baldwin Scholars have recruited the scholar-activist to give a talk in the chapel next month. The Baldwins, who invite a distinguished speaker to Duke every year, nominated Davis from among five candidates to give a presentation on the topic of her choosing.

“Angela Davis is a world-renowned activist, scholar, author and academic,” said senior Katie Hammond, chair of the Baldwin Scholars program. “We’re bringing her to campus because obviously right now is a time of intense political discourse in this country, and we believe that she has some interesting ideas about activism that we'd love to hear.”

Since the 1960s, Davis has been involved in grassroots activist movements ranging from civil rights to gender equality and prisoner’s rights. Her radical feminist-activist image has roots in her association with the Black Panther Party, her former membership in the Communist Party USA and her 18-month incarceration following her placement on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List in 1970, which provoked an international campaign leading to her acquittal in 1972.

Today, she is distinguished professor emerita in the history of consciousness and feminist studies departments at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The talk will take place on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Chapel and is co-sponsored by the African and African American studies department, the gender, sexuality and feminist studies department, the history department, the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture, the Office of Undergraduate Scholars and Fellows, Trinity College and the Women’s Center. The talk is free and open to the public.

“In the coming weeks, the Baldwin community will be preparing for Angela’s visit by inviting guest speakers to our general body meetings who have knowledge of her work,” Hammond said. “That way we will be better prepared to take full advantage of her visit, so we can make sure we are asking the best questions of her when she is here.”
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http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2018/01/out-with-the-old-the-new-faces-leading-dukes-next-chapter


Out with the old: The new faces leading Duke's next chapter
By Nathan Luzum | 01/23/2018

From presidents to deans, a number of Duke administration members have left—or will be leaving—the University as they advance to the next stage of their lives. The Chronicle recapped who these key leaders are, and what's next for the positions left vacant by their departure.

Richard Brodhead

Perhaps most notably, former president Richard Brodhead stepped down from his position on June 30, 2017, turning the helm over to Duke’s 10th president Vincent Price. Becoming president in July 2004, Brodhead was quickly faced with a controversial situation in the Duke lacrosse case in 2006. His tenure also saw the creation of Duke Kunshan University and the beginning of the Duke Forward campaign, which ended July 30, 2017, having raised $3.85 billion.
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Forever and always, Brodhead will be remembered as the President of Duke when three innocent men were almost lynched. Nothing can ever change that.

It is his epitaph.
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https://www.chronicle.com/article/Michigan-State-s-Abuse/242312

Michigan State’s Abuse Scandal Draws Comparisons to Penn State’s
By Fernanda Zamudio-Suaréz January 22, 2018


As sexual-abuse victims continue to testify at the sentencing of Larry Nassar, the former Michigan State University professor and USA Gymnastics physician, many people have compared the case to the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal that shocked Penn State a little over six years ago.

In November 2011, prosecutors charged Mr. Sandusky, the Nittany Lions former defensive coordinator, with dozens of counts of molesting young boys (he was later convicted on most of those counts and was effectively sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison). Dr. Nassar pleaded guilty late last year to seven counts of first-degree sexual assault and has been accused of sexual abuse by more than 100 young women. Like Mr. Sandusky, Dr. Nassar is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison. Mr. Sandusky’s youngest known victim was 7 years old. Mr. Nassar’s was age 6.

As Dr. Nassar’s sentencing hearing has focused renewed attention on his case, many observers are asking, why has it not generated the same level of outrage as Mr. Sandusky’s did?

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Penn State Scandal

In Ingham County Circuit Court in Lansing, Mich., Dr. Nassar’s victims have criticized the university’s failure to protect them from their abuser. And the volume of the criticism against university administrators — particularly Michigan State’s president, Lou Anna K. Simon — has increased throughout the hearing.

A Detroit News investigation published last week found that at least 14 people at the university had heard abuse allegations against Dr. Nassar starting as early as the 1990s, and Ms. Simon was warned at least once has about his behavior.

The Nassar and Sandusky cases share obvious similarities: Both spanned years, involved both sexual abuse and athletics, and raised troubling questions about what keeps some colleges from investigating claims of criminal behavior by their employees.

But many observers have focused on the differences in explaining the disparate level of outrage surrounding both cases.

Jessica Luther argued in a column on BuzzFeed that the Nassar case was largely overlooked because gymnastics is a women's sport. Dr. Nassar’s victims, all girls and women, are seen as more vulnerable to abuse compared with the boys that Mr. Sandusky assaulted, so there is less of a public outcry to punish administrators at Michigan State, Ms. Luther argued.

Jemele Hill echoed that argument on the sports website The Undefeated, writing that “because this is gymnastics and not big-time college football, and young women versus young boys, the public outrage hasn’t matched the magnitude of the atrocities committed.”

The role of big-time college football was a key component of the Sandusky case. Mr. Sandusky’s association with Penn State’s prestigious program elevated the case’s prominence and raised uncomfortable questions about whether the abuse was kept under wraps because of potential damage to a football dynasty.

The cases also differ in how closely their universities were associated with the abuse.

Dr. Nassar’s abuse extended beyond Michigan State athletes to his work with USA Gymnastics. Prosecutors say 144 victim-impact statements will be delivered or read in court.

At Penn State, Mr. Sandusky used his college-football clout to abuse young boys he met through the nonprofit he founded, the Second Mile. He abused young boys, not students — but at university facilities.

The fallout from the scandal at Penn State was intense. The president, Graham Spanier, was forced out and eventually convicted on a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of children. It’s still unclear how Michigan State’s administration will fair in Dr. Nassar’s case.

“Nassar will go to prison, probably for the rest of his life. He will, finally, be held accountable,” Ms. Luther wrote for Buzzfeed. “But he wasn’t able to do what he did in a vacuum, and it’s remarkable how little has changed, how few people have been punished in the wake of these systemic failures at two major institutions, and how little public outcry there has been around these failures.”

Michigan State’s leadership hasn’t toppled. Ms. Simon remains at the head of the institution, but state lawmakers, newspaper editorials, and some of Dr. Nassar’s victims have called for her to resign.

The institution’s governing board, however, issued a unanimous statement of support for Ms. Simon on Friday. A day later, a lone trustee broke ranks and asked the president to step down so that “the healing process” could begin.

Meanwhile, Ms. Simon’s opponents are exploring other means of ousting her. One man filed a petition on Monday asking Gov. Rick Snyder to remove Ms. Simon from her position. A spokesman for Mr. Snyder’s office said the governor lacks the authority to do so, the Lansing State Journal reported.

Outside the university, however, the fallout came swiftly. Three top executives of USA Gymnastics — the chairman, vice chairman, and treasurer — resigned from the organization on Monday.

Fernanda Zamudio-Suaréz is a breaking-news reporter. Follow her on Twitter @FernandaZamudio, or email her at fzamudiosuarez@chronicle.com.
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http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-23/usa-gymnastics-board-members-resign-over-larry-nassar-abuse/9351852

Larry Nassar's sexual abuse sees three USA Gymnastics board members resign
1/22/17

Three USA Gymnastics board members have resigned in the wake of its former team physician sexually abusing female gymnasts, a step the organisation said would support its reform efforts.
Key points:

Judge describes sex assault victims as an army of "sister warrior survivors"
USA Gymnastics cancels deal with Texas training facility where abuse occurred
Michigan State university board resists pressure to axe president

USA Gymnastics has been criticised by several of the sport's top gymnasts during the sentencing hearing of former team doctor Larry Nassar, who pleaded guilty in November to 10 counts of molesting female gymnasts.

About 160 victims were expected to make statements in Ingham County Circuit Court in Lansing, Michigan.

The resignations include board chairman Paul Parilla, vice-chairman Jay Binder and treasurer Bitsy Kelley, who comprise the gymnastics governing body's executive leadership team, USA Gymnastics said in a statement.

"We believe this step will allow us to more effectively move forward in implementing change within our organisation," the body said.

"We remain focused on working every day to ensure that our culture, policies and actions reflect our commitment to those we serve."

Prosecutors have asked for a sentence of 40 to 125 years for Nassar, 54, who was also a prominent physician at a Michigan State University sports clinic.

Nassar is already serving a 60-year sentence in federal prison on child pornography convictions.
An army of 'sister survivor warriors'

Ingham County Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who is overseeing the sentencing, said more than 120 girls and women who had given statements so far at the five-day hearing were "sister survivor warriors".

"I want you to know that your face and the face of all of the sister survivor warriors — the whole army of you — I've heard your words," she said after a woman spoke in her Michigan courtroom.

"Your sister survivors and you are going through incomprehensible lengths, emotions and soul-searching to put your words together, to publicly stop [the] defendant, to publicly stop predators, to make people listen."

Clasina Syrboby was among a number of victims criticising Michigan State, USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic Committee for not doing enough to stop Nassar when initial complaints were made years ago.

"Larry, how many of us are there? Do you even know?" she asked, as she fought back tears while speaking for more than 20 minutes.

"You preyed on me, on us. You saw a way to take advantage of your position — the almighty and trusted gymnastics doctor. Shame on you Larry. Shame on you."

The sentencing hearing will resume today.

Emma Ann Miller, 15, said the school was still billing her mother for medical appointments in which Nassar molested Miller as recently as August 2016 — a week before he was fired.

University spokesman Jason Cody said that Miller's allegation was being addressed.

"I can tell you that patients of former MSU physician Larry Nassar will not be billed," Mr Cody said.
Training facility deal terminated

USA Gymnastics last week terminated its agreement with the Karolyi Ranch in Huntsville, Texas, where a number of top gymnasts said they were victims of Nassar's sexual abuse. The facility had been used for regular training camps.

Last March, USA Gymnastics president and chief executive Steve Penny resigned as the organisation was criticised for how it handled complaints about Nassar.

On Friday, Olympic gold medallist Aly Raisman blasted US gymnastics officials for failing to protect her and other women from years of sexual abuse, calling the governing body "rotten from the inside".

Raisman, co-captain of the US women's gymnastics squad at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games, called for an independent investigation into US gymnastics and Olympic officials who she said had the power to stop Nassar.

"It's clear now that if we leave it up to these organisations, history is likely to repeat itself," Raisman, 23, said, referring to USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic Committee.

USA Gymnastics also said in the statement that it would work to promote athlete safety and prevent future abuse by adopting and enforcing its new "safe sport" policy that more clearly defines misconduct and prevents inappropriate interaction.
University stands behind president

Michigan State's gymnastics coach — who is accused of downplaying complaints made by two teens in 1997 — and another university sports doctor quit under pressure last year.

But the governing board has stood behind university president Lou Anna Simon, despite calls from legislative leaders and others that she resign or be fired.

A probe conducted by the university cleared Nassar of sexual assault allegations in 2014.

At least 12 reported assaults occurred after the investigation ended, according to a university police report that was provided to the FBI for review by the US attorney.

The school let Nassar see patients for 16 months while the campus police also conducted a criminal investigation into the allegations. The local prosecutor declined to charge Nassar.

One of the eight members of Michigan State's governing board said over the weekend that Ms Simon should quit, saying he did not think she could survive the "public outcry".

Board chairman Brian Breslin, however, said all of the other trustees support her.

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