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Blog and Media Roundup - Tuesday, February 6, 2018; News Roundup
Topic Started: Feb 6 2018, 05:18 AM (108 Views)
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https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/Gymnastics-Doctor-Scandal-Goes-Beyond-Prison-Sentences-472887313.html

Gymnastics Doctor Scandal Goes Beyond Prison Sentences
Here's where things stand while Nassar sits behind bars:
By Ed White
(Published Monday, Feb. 5, 2018)


Larry Nassar's final sentence for serial sexual assault now turns the scandal's spotlight toward major institutions, including Michigan State University, where many of his abuses occurred.

The former sports doctor was sentenced Monday to 40 to 125 years in prison, his third punishment since early December.

Nassar admits penetrating young girls and women with ungloved hands while claiming to be treating them for back and hip injuries. He often saw young gymnasts, but a judge noted Monday that the 260-plus victims were in fine arts and other sports, too.

Here's where things stand while Nassar sits behind bars:

NEXT STOP

Despite his convictions, Nassar is unlikely to spend a day in a Michigan prison. He'll first serve a 60-year sentence in federal prison for child pornography crimes. And at 54, it's doubtful he would outlive the federal term, even if some time is shaved off for good behavior.

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons won't discuss where Nassar will be housed, although his assignment eventually will become a public record. Prison consultant Edward Bales says there are three or four sites that house sex offenders. He says federal prisons usually are safer and more comfortable than a state prison.

BEYOND MICHIGAN

Nassar's future is locked up, but criminal investigations aren't over. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last week ordered Texas Rangers to check "gut-wrenching" claims that Nassar assaulted some of the world's best gymnasts while they trained at a ranch used by USA Gymnastics, southeast of Huntsville.

The ranch is owned by former national team coordinators Bela and Marta Karolyi. USA Gymnastics has ended its relationship with the ranch. Olympic champion Simone Biles says she was abused there.

Separately, the U.S. Olympic Committee asked a law firm to investigate how the committee responded to allegations about Nassar.

WHAT DID THEY KNOW?

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Republican candidate for governor, is demanding that Michigan State empty its drawers and computers of any information related to Nassar, who committed assaults as a campus doctor.

The Meridian Township Police Department in Michigan admits it missed an opportunity to pursue charges in 2004 against disgraced former sports doctor Larry Nassar.Brianne Randall, then 17, reported that Nassar molested her. A police report released Wednesday says Meridian Township police dropped the case after Nassar said he was per...

Victims have repeatedly accused Michigan State staff of missing opportunities to stop Nassar as far back as the 1990s. Schuette named a special prosecutor on Jan. 27 and said no one is off limits as his office tries to determine if any other crimes were committed.

Reporters tagged along Friday as investigators collected some records, a step that was knocked as a "political stunt" by a spokesman for John Engler, MSU's interim president and the state's former governor. The school has denied any cover-up.

EVEN MORE SCRUTINY

Bill Beekman was named MSU's interim athletic director Monday. Besides running sports, he might have to respond to demands from the NCAA. The NCAA two weeks ago said it sent a letter of inquiry regarding potential rules violations related to Nassar's crimes.

Also, Congress is investigating USA Gymnastics, the university and the U.S. Olympic Committee. And the U.S. Education Department, which has power to enforce anti-discrimination law on campuses, said it's reviewing how Michigan State handled complaints about Nassar.

COMPENSATION FOR VICTIMS

Michigan State should be held liable for Nassar's crimes, according to lawsuits by more than 150 women and girls. The university took a beating during nine days of riveting testimony by scores of victims.

A teen said her mother still was getting bills from Michigan State for appointments with Nassar in 2016. "Good cases don't get worse with litigation. They can get better. We're not going away," says attorney Brian McKeen. Michigan State says it has "respect and sympathy" for victims but wants a judge to dismiss the lawsuits on many technical grounds.
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http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/02/05/michigan-state-john-engler-destroy-documents/110131452/

Engler to MSU employees: Don’t destroy documents
Jonathan Oosting, Detroit News Lansing Bureau Published 3:09 p.m. ET Feb. 5, 2018 | Updated 3:09 p.m. ET Feb. 5, 2018

Interim President John Engler on Monday asked all Michigan State University employees to cooperate with any investigations and preserve documents related to the Larry Nassar sexual assault scandal.

In his first official day on the job, the Republican former governor penned a letter to university staff, faculty and other employees, calling it a “privilege” to be back on campus but acknowledging that the Nassar scandal has produced “likely the most difficult times ever faced by MSU.”

Engler on Monday also named Bill Beekman as interim athletic director to replace Mark Hollis, who resigned Jan. 26, two days after former President Lou Anna Simon stepped down.

Engler’s letter noted multiple law enforcement investigations and government inquiries into the way MSU handled allegations against Nassar, a former athletics doctor accused of assaulting more than 200 women over more than two decades. Engler reiterated that the university intends to fully cooperate with investigators.

“If you are contacted by the Office of the General Counsel for assistance in responding to any such inquiry, you are expected to provide full assistance and give that request your prompt attention,” he wrote.

Engler also told employees to preserve any and all documents, records or electronically stored information related to the inquiries or investigations.

“In addition, I ask that you exercise the utmost caution not to dispose of any document, record, or electronically stored information that could reasonably be relevant to the pending inquiries or any other investigation that involves allegations of sexual abuse or misconduct,” he said.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette’s office executed search warrants at the university Friday after special prosecutor Bill Forsyth had requested “the immediate production of physical items assigned” to former College of Osteopathic Medicine dean William Strampel, Nassar’s former boss who recently stepped down from his position on medical leave.

“This has not occurred,” Schuette spokeswoman Andrea Bitely said Friday. “We are continuing to investigate with our partners at the Michigan State Police and will not be providing further comment.”

The university is also subject to a U.S. Department of Education Clery Act compliance review, a National Collegiate Athletic Association request for information regarding potential violations of rules, an inquiry and request for records from the Michigan House of Representatives and a U.S. Senate request for information, Engler wrote.

“I know that all of Spartan Nation grieves for what has happened at the hands of an evil perpetrator,” he said, noting the “courage” of survivors who shared their stories of abuse. “…You have my full commitment that I will do everything in my power to fix the broken systems that allowed this to happen.”

Engler’s letter to employees comes amid continued criticism of school leadership, including professors pushing a Faculty Senate vote of no confidence in the MSU Board of Trustees. College of Education faculty are also helping plan a Tuesday morning march across campus.

Nassar was sentenced to another 40 to 125 years in prison on Monday in Eaton County, his second sentence for sexual assaults and third overall. The former MSU and USA Gymnastics doctor was previously sentenced to 40 to 175 years for sexual assaults in Ingham County and 60 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography.

John Truscott and the Lansing-based Truscott Rossman public relations firm are working with Engler in his new role. Truscott, who served as Engler’s gubernatorial press secretary for most of his 12 years in office, said Monday morning that terms of the new consulting deal have not yet been finalized.

Engler is also working without a contract at this point, Truscott said, noting trustees may need to approve the terms and are not scheduled to meet again until next week.

In a Monday morning radio interview on WILS1320-AM, Truscott said Engler hasn’t missed a beat and “hasn’t changed” since his tenure as governor.

“It’s still get the information, make decisions and march forward,” Truscott said. “The question he asks and the way he processes information I think will definitely signal a new day at MSU.”

Firm co-founder Kelly Rossman-McKinney previously did public relations work for MSU Trustee Joel Ferguson, but the firm dropped him two weeks ago after helping him issue an apology for dismissive remarks about the Nassar scandal.

Engler on Friday announced the hiring of Carol Morey Viventi to serve as his vice president and special counsel. She previously worked in the Engler administration as deputy chief of staff and counsel to his cabinet.

The MSU Board of Trustees last week unanimously voted to appoint Engler as interim president, but his political past and personal ties have generated backlash from students, faculty and Democrats. Engler was known as a strong-armed governor and sits on the board of Universal Forest Products, a Grand Rapids company whose former chairman is major MSU and GOP donor Peter Secchia.

Faculty and students from MSU’s College of Education are organizing a 10 a.m. Tuesday march from Erickson Hall to the administration building. They intend to present a list of demands, including calls for Engler and all eight elected trustees to resign.

“I think the most important thing to me is that students on this campus, particularly survivors of sexual violence and sexual assault, know that faculty are listening, that we’re here, that we also are standing up,” said associate professor Terah Venzant Chambers, who is helping organize the march.

Chris Thelen, a graduate student in the College of Education, said the march is intended to support survivors and highlight campus sexual assault problems that extend beyond the Nassar scandal.

“There are a lot of people here in the College of Education and the university at large who feel that these issues have gone completely unaddressed by the university administration and people who have the power to do something about it,” Thelen said.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, said earlier Monday he “would have preferred” an interim president from “outside the university, outside of Michigan, not tied to donors, not tied to any of the current Michigan State leadership.”

“You need someone who brings some fresh eyes and is aggressive getting to the truth and aggressive in making changes that may be uncomfortable to the status quo but are absolutely essential to prevent this from every happening again,” Peters said.

joosting@detroitnews.com

Staff Writers Kim Kozlowski and Ian Thibodeau contributed.
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https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/05/greek-life-criticizes-bill-ban-fraternities-sororities-state-schools/302492002/

Tennessee sororities, fraternities oppose bill that would ban Greek Life: 'It's a misguided approach'
Joel Ebert, USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee Published 10:19 a.m. CT Feb. 5, 2018 | Updated 4:23 p.m. CT Feb. 5, 2018


A host of organizations are joining forces to oppose a bill that would ban fraternities and sororities at Tennessee colleges and universities.

In a joint statement, officials from six organizations say a bill sponsored by Rep. John DeBerry, D-Memphis, would "sever the partnership" between state universities and colleges and Greek Life organizations.

Last week, DeBerry introduced HB 2042, which would prohibit fraternities and sororities "to associate with, or operate on the campus of, any state institution of higher education."

The legislation, which is also sponsored by Sen. Reggie Tate, D-Memphis, would allow professional fraternities that promote "the interests of a particular profession" and honor societies.

The bill comes as fraternities and sororities around he country have come under fire while dealing with a series of high-profile hazing incidents.

"It is a misguided approach that...will not solve deeply-rooted campus culture issues and would likely make them worse," the organizations said in a statement Friday.

The group includes the National Panhellenic Conference, the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, the National APIDA Panhellenic Association, the National Multicultural Greek Council, the North-American Interfraternity Conference and the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors

Calling on DeBerry to withdraw his legislation, the organizations say the measure would have a "chilling effect" on students' constitutional rights.

Judson Horras, who is the president and CEO of the North-American Interfraternity Conference, said fraternities acknowledge the challenges facing colleges around the country but remain committed to working to improving the culture on campus.

Citing the legislature's 2016 measure to divert funding from the University of Tennessee's Office of Diversity, Virgor Lam, vice chair of the National APIDA Panhellenic Association, said Greek Life organizations provide a strong voice for Asian American identity.

Lynda Wiley, executive director of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors, said eliminating Greek Life from public schools would be a disservice to students.

"Doing so does not solve systemic problems of alcohol abuse, sexual assault or hazing that occur within the college community or broader society," said Wiley.

On Friday, DeBerry said his bill is an effort to get sororities and fraternities to answer questions about "behavior that has been consistent and constant."

"The old Animal House mentality and that culture and that imagery, it has to go away," he said. "It's not cute anymore and it most certainly is not acceptable anymore."

DeBerry called his legislation a "shot across the bow" in an effort to bring more accountability and transparency among sororities and fraternities at state schools.

As of publication, the bill has yet to assigned to committees in the House and Senate.

Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com or 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.
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http://reason.com/blog/2018/02/05/blame-binge-drinking-for-tulane-universi


Blame Binge Drinking for Tulane University's 2-in-5 Female Sexual Assault Rate
A survey reveals an unbelievably high sexual assault rate at one university campus.

Robby Soave|Feb. 5, 2018 8:40 am

TulaneTulaneTulane University has a serious rape problem, if a recent survey can be believed: Nearly 2 in 5 female students reported being sexually assaulted. If that number is indeed real, the most likely culprit would be the university's binge-drinking problem.

Keep in mind that the infamous 1-in-5 statistic, which supposes that between a quarter and a fifth of female university students will become victims of sexual assault, is controversial; critics point out that the pollsters who arrived at this number often ask broad questions and count as victims people who never described themselves in such terms. Such high rates of sexual violence strike many people as self-evidently ludicrous.

But Tulane, a private university in New Orleans, appears to have an even more staggeringly high sexual assault rate. I've parsed the data and found no obvious flaws—sexual assault was defined fairly unambiguously as "unwanted sexual contact," "rape," or "attempted rape." Unwanted sexual contact was further defined as "fondling, kissing, or rubbing up against a person's private areas of their body (lips, breast/chest, crotch, or butt), or removing clothing without the person's consent by incapacitation or force." Without consent was further defined as "taking advantage of me when I was too drunk or out of it to stop what was happening."

What's more, the survey is extremely comprehensive: 47 percent of the school's students participated in it.

According to the survey, 41 percent of undergraduate female students experienced sexual assault while at Tulane. That includes off-campus violence, and it includes violence committed during breaks and holidays. Still, it's an incredibly high number.

For undergraduate men, the sexual assault rate was 18 percent. Sexual assault rates were significantly higher for LGBTQ men, 44 percent of whom experienced violence, compared with just 13 percent of straight men. Students of color were less likely to be victims than white students. In all cases, the perpetrators were overwhelmingly male students; the violence was just as likely to have occurred on campus as off.

What can explain these bafflingly high rates of sexual violence? The statistics relating to alcohol abuse on campus start to suggest an answer.

"Seventy-four percent (74%) of women and 87% of men who experienced any form of sexual assault reported they were incapacitated by alcohol at the time of the incident," according to the survey. Perpetrators were also more likely than not to be drinking alcohol, respondents said.

How many students were drinking, and how often? Quite a lot: 43 percent of undergraduate men and 39 percent of undergraduate women reported drinking alcohol three or more times each week. That's a whole lot of 18- to 20-year-olds drinking regularly.

TulaneScreenshot

Their consumption levels were also telling. For women, the most common number of drinks to have in one sitting was between three and six. A third of the men were consuming between seven and 11 drinks.

TulaneScreenshot

To my mind, these numbers indicate a significant drinking problem: Many students, both male and female, are regularly and illicitly consuming copious quantities of alcohol.

A few things are worth bearing in mind.

First, a 120-pound woman who consumes more than three drinks in two hours is typically going to be very drunk. The same goes for a 180-pound man who consumes five drinks.

Second, most of these students are under the age of 21, and thus are not allowed to drink at all. They can't drink at bars, and they are less likely to consume alcohol in the presence of authority figures. They may not know their limits very well. They might not have much experience taking care of themselves, or other people, while under the influence.

Third, people who frequently drink to excess are taking risks, even of a non-sexual kind. Very drunk people impose obligations on others to take care of them. As Emily Yoffe said in the December Reason:

You cannot do something to someone else's body without their permission. But when you get incapacitated, you give up that integrity, because other people must take care of you.

You can walk off a roof, which has happened. You can choke on your vomit, which happens all the time. So you're turning yourself over to other people, and let's hope they're all guardian angels, but they're not always going to be. They could be bad people, or they could be fellow drunk people whose inhibitions are lowered, and you end up together, and potentially he does something criminal to you.

Yoffe and others who have pointed out the link between binge drinking and sexual assault are often derided as victim-blamers, and even now there's a profound reticence to make the obvious connection. When asked to comment on the survey's alcohol figures, Tulane President Michael Fitts told Washington Post readers, "It's very, very important to note that in no way, shape or form is this blaming or holding victims responsible. Alcohol is a tool of perpetrators."

But what if the campus would have fewer perpetrators if it had fewer abusive drinkers? The vast majority of sexually victimized students became victims while in a state of alcohol-induced incapacitation.

The current strategy—prohibition—clearly doesn't work. It would be for the best if local decision-makers at Tulane and elsewhere could experiment with some other approach, but because of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, states must keep the drinking age at 21 if they want federal funds. But there's reason to believe that if teens could legally drink at an earlier age, they would encounter fewer alcohol-related campus pitfalls.

"If the drinking age were lower, it not only would move drinking out of unsupervised frat basements and into public, but might have a shot at changing our youth culture of excess, moving toward the European model of wine with dinner instead of crushing empty beer cans on one's head," Vanessa Grigoriadis writes in Blurred Lines: Rethinking Sex, Power, and Consent on Campus. "Lower the drinking age so that the psychological rush of trespassing, of engaging in binge-drinking culture because illegality is exciting, is deflated."
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