LANSING, Mich. — An MSU dean implied he'd be willing to given students a break in return for sexual favors. That's according to new testimony in the trial of William Strampel.
The former dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine is charged with misconduct in office and criminal sexual conduct.
The student told the court Strampel not only made sexually suggestive comments to her in private, he did it in front of of families at a public ceremony.
Alicia Flores began her education at Michigan State's College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2015.
Her first interaction with Strampel the following summer, at an honor society ceremony, told her that something wasn't right.
"Dean Strampel gave a speech at the podium...In between speaking he stopped and said 'this song reminds me of this one time i was at Deja Vu.' for those of you that don't know, that's a strip club in downtown Lansing," Flores said. "It struck me as odd...Our families were there. I don't know what that had to do with the ceremony."
She met with Strampel the next year, for the same reason as other witnesses say they did -- to appeal a practice exam.
And just like the others -- Flores' pitch was denied.
"He said, 'if i did it for you, i'd have to do it for everybody else."
The conversation continued, and Flores says Strampel told her her case reminded him of when another one of his students got a DUI.
"'So I call her into my office and i have to reprimand her, but I don't end her career right there. Later, she leaves my office and another student asks how she got away with it -- we're not allowed to get DUIs. It looks really bad. So she was asked how she got away with it, and she says, 'well, I gave the dean a blowjob.'' and then he said, 'what do you think about that?"
Strampel's lawyer went after that specific comment during today's cross-examination.
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