Michigan State student Connor Berdy made a statement on Wednesday.
Berdy, a senior, jumped on a table during a Michigan State board of trustees meeting that saw former Michigan Gov. John Engler appointed as interim university president, which itself came in the fallout of the Larry Nassar sexual assault scandal. Where that statement leads the university now is an even bigger question after a faculty steering committee announced it will call for a vote of no confidence to oust the entire board at its next meeting.
MORE: Will Izzo, Dantonio keep their jobs?
It adds another divisive layer — this one political — that challenges the already-frail leadership at the university, given the resignations of former president Lou Anna Simon and athletic director Mark Hollis last week.
Demonstrator climbs atop the table at the MSU Board of Trustees meeting to make a statement: pic.twitter.com/dIh08Nzwfo
— Dale G Young (@DaleGYoungPhoto) January 31, 2018
"I'm only here to help the university community address this crisis and lay a positive foundation for the new president," Engler told reporters, via the Detroit News . "We have an extreme organizational challenge that needs to be changed."
Engler's appointment was met with protests from dozens of students, prompting the Michigan State University Democrats to release a statement calling it a "clear dismissal of the concerns and desires of the studet body and alumni." MSU Democrats president Dan Martel spoke out before Engler talked to reporters at the meeting, saying, "For the rest of my life I will have a diploma from Larry Nassar university."
"Sick and tired of being ignored," @MSUDems president Dan Martel had three questions for MSU interim president John Engler. pic.twitter.com/VX6kgDO4nK
— Michigan St. on BTN (@MichiganStOnBTN) January 31, 2018
MSU Democrats secretary Eli Pales told Sporting News the protests, which materialized in the 12 hours leading up to the board meeting, is a result of frustration from the student body around campus. The organization seeks to "have a voice" in the future of the university and is calling for more transparency, especially with the school's botched handling of sexual assault claims. He said more demonstrations can be expected before the next board meeting.
MORE: Failed leadership led to Nassar scandal
"The appointment amplifies the fact that we're frustrated with the process," Pales said. "It brings attention to the fact and further amplifies people's distrust. It puts more attention on what they're doing."
Pales also said the allegations in the ESPN Outside the Lines investigative piece "stung," but that the allegations against men's basketball coach Tom Izzo and football coach Mark Dantonio need further investigation.
"If (they) took the correct steps in reporting procedure, then the problem still lies on an institutional level," Pales said. "I think that the issue doesn't lie with those two if they took the correct steps. If they covered it up, that's a different story."
