EAST LANSING (WKZO AM/FM) — The motion was made but there were not enough votes on the Michigan State University Board of Trustees to dismiss Interim President John Engler at this month’s meeting.
The motion was brought up by Trustee Brian Mosallam who had called for Engler to step down after a private email Engler sent was released concerning the survivors of Doctor Larry Nassar.
Engler issued an apology again at the Board Meeting, once again calling it a “mistake”.
Engler suggested in the original email that Rachel Denhollander of Kalamazoo, who first reported Nassar’s abuse, could be getting payments from her lawyers by encouraging other victims to join a lawsuit against the school. What Engler called “kickbacks”.
It was an allegation that Denhollander angrily denied, and sparked a general outrage that it would even be suggested.
Denhollander pointed out that it was the kind of cultural bias that demeans women that Engler should be busy eliminating.
MSU settled the lawsuit for 500-million-dollars. The Trustees identified the source of the cash and authorized their lawyers to begin the final process to get the Court’s approval and distribute the money at Friday’s Meeting.
Many attending the session booed the six to two vote to keep Engler in his post.
Trustees say they aren’t sure they could find anyone else willing to step into the middle of this quagmire on an interim basis, and have to have real fears that it will diminish the quality of the candidates when they try to fill the permanent post.
