EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University Trustee Mike Balow is refusing to sign a controversial new ethics code passed during an emergency Sunday night meeting, saying he'll accept sanctions including censure rather than compromise his constitutional oversight dutiess.
- MSU Trustee Mike Balow believes the new ethics code violates First Amendment rights of elected trustees.
- Balow connects the rushed ethics changes to his public criticism of Spartan Ventures transparency.
- Sanctions include potential censure, losing game tickets, bowl game travel and university legal representation.
WATCH: "I WAS PUT HERE TO DO A JOB, NOT BE A FAN": MSU TRUSTEE BLASTS NEW ETHICS CODE
The Plymouth Township Republican spoke exclusively with FOX 47 News about the meeting, where trustees gave just 12 hours notice for a meeting scheduled during Game 7 of the Detroit Pistons-Cleveland Cavaliers NBA playoff series.
A new ethics code, approved by the board 5-3, requires trustees to support majority board decisions, even when they voted against them. It also restricts when trustees can speak publicly about university business.
Balow says the document was "more red ink than black", essentially a complete rewrite dropped on trustees Wednesday night without the typical committee review process.
"I think it really strikes at the first amendment rights that we have not only as citizens, but especially as board members at MSU, where we're supposed to conduct oversight under the state constitution. And there's no way we could be told you can or can't talk about something," Balow explained.
Balow believes the timing isn't coincidental. He recently co-authored a Detroit News op-ed with fellow Trustee Dennis Denno criticizing the lack of transparency around Spartan Ventures, the athletics deal that brought in $100 million in private equity investment.
"I do think that part of the reason that the code of ethics was rushed in [Sunday] night is there was some angst on behalf of some board members that I co-authored an op-ed with Trustee Denno in the Detroit News," Balow said.
The board also voted 6-2 to double President Kevin Guskiewicz's base salary from $1 million to $2 million. Balow voted against that increase too, citing the rushed process and budget concerns.
The MSU Union of Tenure Faculty and Student Faculty released a statement opposing the president's raise, citing budget constraints affecting regular employees while the state legislature considers funding cuts.
MSU’s Union of Tenure System Faculty (UTSF) is outraged by the MSU Board of Trustees’s actions at its “Special Board Meeting” held at 8pm on Sunday, May 17. In this meeting, the Trustees approved a compensation increase for MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz that included a $1 million raise in his base salary (effectively giving him a 100% raise) and a $250,000 annual award.
Further, although Guskiewicz only started at MSU in March of 2024, the vote included a two-year contract extension from March 2029 to March 2031. Last night’s Trustee meeting was not scheduled and was held with the minimum public notice period allowed under law. The public was not allowed to comment and the meeting took place on a Zoom webinar that limited the number of attendees.
“Clearly, the Board intended to hide their actions from public scrutiny and the university community,” said Dr. NiCole Buchanan, UTSF President and MSU psychology professor.
In the Spring of 2025, the Office of the President demanded 9% across-the-board budget cuts, which pose dire threats to academic positions and programs as well as the quality of education and research across the MSU community.
Despite the devastating impacts of looming budget cuts to MSU’s core mission, the Board of Trustees doubled down on its support for highly-paid administrative positions, over the needs of students, faculty and academic programs.
Buchanan added, “UTSF was born out of the deep commitment of the tenure system faculty to students, to teaching and research, and to the belief that better conditions for faculty strengthen the quality and integrity of the University. This action by the Board of Trustees stands in direct opposition to those goals.
The Union of Tenure System Faculty represents nearly 1,800 tenure-system faculty and librarians at MSU and was officially recognized as an employee union by the university in September of 2025.
"The thing was, we didn't have a collective conversation with the president for whatever reason. So different people were talking to him, hearing different things. So I just wanted to make sure it was done right," Balow explained.
If Balow doesn't sign the ethics code by May 24th, he'll lose his football tickets, bowl game travel privileges, and access to university networking events. Balow would also face potential censure by a three-person panel.
"Maybe I'll go sit with the students in the student section and cheer for the Spartans from there and enjoy the game just as much," he said.
Trustee Rima Vassar has indicated she may ask Michigan's Attorney General Dana Nessel for an opinion on whether the new ethics code violates state law.
Balow says he would support that request.
The controversy highlights ongoing tensions on the MSU board over transparency and governance, issues that have plagued the university since the Larry Nassar scandal exposed widespread oversight failures.
Fox 47 News reached out to Nessel's office for comment as well as comment from other members of the MSU Board of Trustees. Members didn't respond or were not available to comment.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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