by Hon. Rosemarie E. Aquilina
Michigan State University (MSU) is still getting it wrong. And it breaks my heart.
In 2018, after putting a serial sex offender employed by the university behind bars for life and then some, I was hopeful MSU would get to work and take the necessary actions to protect its students and communities from relationship violence and sexual misconduct (RVSM). But four years and four presidents later, our state’s largest university and one of the world’s most renown R1 research institutions hasn’t fixed the problem. Despite the best intentions of the president and the board of trustees — people who I know care deeply about MSU — the university remains broken because it has failed to address the core issue of this crime – the inability to prioritize student safety on campus with an accountable administrative structure. This means everyone — the president, the administration and the board of trustees — must work together to fix this problem.
Make no mistake. The problem is very real. Universities around the country continue to work on it – from implementing enhanced training programs to installing Title IX experts in leadership positions. Still, campuses are the most unsafe environment for our young people, especially for young women. A full 32% of all college students nationwide report forcible sexual offenses. We know the actual number is significantly higher because studies show many victims of assault do not go to the police. The Race, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) reports sexual violence is the most prevalent crime on college campuses, and those between the ages of 18 and 24 are at elevated risk.
I have been a practicing attorney, law school adjunct professor, and district and circuit court judge in Ingham County for nearly 40 years. While serving as the judge in the criminal sexual conduct and violence trial of the former MSU-employed doctor, Larry Nassar, and in the years since, I have continued to work for survivors of this horrific crime. In doing so, I made it my business to learn all I could about RVSM. I consulted with experts around the world. I regularly talk with survivors and learn from their advocacy work.
The common thread running through these discussions is the failure of accountable administrative structures that protect students and other community members. What does that mean? It means that reported crimes should be published along with their investigative status and outcomes. Reporting protocols should be guided by human empathy not online forms. Police response dispatches should include trauma-informed social workers. Student surveys should be conducted to on a regular basis measure their feelings of safety and security. And all of it should be transparent – open to the public.
Specific to MSU: I recommend that the university immediately instill a permanent top leader in the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX Education and Compliance who is given the resources and authority to effectively do its job.
MSU has tried to remedy this problem, and its desire to do so is commendable. However, the troubled relationship between the president and the board of trustees continues to get in the way of remedy.
Meanwhile, the rest of the institution – from enrollment numbers to athletic recruiting and access to research dollars – could be adversely affected. We owe it to the larger MSU community to get this right. Failing to do so threatens the legacy of MSU as the first and greatest land-grant institution in the nation as well as the integrity of the Izzo-model of collegiate athletics.
Further, this problem stands in the way of the university accomplishing its Strategic Plan 2030, which, among other notable objectives, seeks to advance equity and be “a vibrant, caring community.”
More specifically, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goal of the plan envisions MSU “as a national leader in increasing diversity, promoting inclusion, ensuring equity and eliminating disparities on our campus and beyond.”
The administration and the trustees have had since 2018 to establish MSU as the world’s model in addressing RVSM. But it has not. And we are seeing the fallout, yet again. I am willing and determined to do what I can to help my great alma mater get it right.
If we don’t, MSU will not accomplish its Strategic Plan goals nor preserve its legacy. Rather, MSU will long be remembered as the place that employed a so-called doctor who sexually assaulted more than 500 girls.
Think about that: Five Hundred Girls.
(Rosemarie E. Aquilina, a 1979 graduate of Michigan State University, has been a practicing attorney, adjunct law professor, district court judge and circuit court judge in Ingham County for nearly 40 years. She was the judge for the 2018 trial of MSU-employed Dr. Larry Nassar and is a recognized national and international expert in RVSM.)
Judge Rosemarie Aquilina earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Western Michigan Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1984 after earning her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Michigan State University in 1979. She was the first female JAG Officer in the Michigan Army National Guard and retired with 20 years honorable service. After owning a successful law practice she was elected to the 55th District Court she served 4 years as Chief Judge and Sobriety Court Judge and was then elected to serve as a 30th Circuit Court where she is in her 14th year. Judge Aquilina is a Law Professor at Western Michigan Thomas M. Cooley Law School and Michigan State University College of Law. She is a motivational speaker and author. She authored three fictional novels: Feel No Evil, Triple Cross Killer and All Rise. Her memoir, Just Watch Me, was released December 2020 in partnership with Audible, Reese Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine. Judge Aquilina, is the mother of five children, has three grandchildren, and resides in East Lansing, Michigan.