EAST LANSING, Mich. — MSU's Board of Trustees met with community members Thursday for the university's first "stakeholder forum," but the closed-door nature of the event raised concerns among some students.
- The forum included about 55 participants from various parts of the MSU community.
- Unlike regular Board of Trustees meetings, this forum was not open to the public.
- Some students expressed concern about transparency and whether their voices would be heard.
The fall semester is back at Michigan State University, and to kick off the new school year, university leadership spent time Thursday hearing from the community.
WATCH: MSU leadership hosts first stakeholder forum
"We had about 55, 60 participants, and everyone in the room was an active participant," said MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz.
From students to alumni, Guskiewicz said the community members engaged in small group conversations with MSU trustees about several topics, from engagement to infrastructure.
"I felt it accomplished what I had hoped for," Guskiewicz said.
But Thursday's forum was held behind closed doors, unlike a typical Board of Trustees meeting. That brought concerns from students who weren't sure their voices would be heard.
"If you're proud of it, you should be telling people. So I don't know why they're going behind closed doors and doing it. Like is it a problem or not? It just raises an eyebrow," one student said.
President Guskiewicz and Board Chair Kelly Tebay said exclusion wasn't their intention, and felt like the forum's setting allowed for deeper conversations than if it were held in public.
"I think in a lot of environments, and I think this goes not just at MSU but in any work environment. It allows people, when there's not an audience, it allows people to have real conversations and people don't feel guarded and like they have to hold back," Tebay said.
Guskiewicz added that I am always available to listen to feedback, and any member of the Spartan community with concerns or suggestions is able to share them at any time.
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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