As calls for Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon to resign are mounting, the MSU Board of Trustees is asking Attorney General Bill Schuette for a review of the events surrounding Larry Nassar.
"Although we have confidence in the integrity of the various reviews conducted by law enforcement, subject matter experts, and outside counsel to the university, we are making this request because we believe your review may be needed to answer the public's questions concerning MSU's handling of the Nassar situation", said the board in a letter to Schuette's office Friday morning.
The request comes as Larry Nassar's survivors give impact statements at his sentencing hearing. Many have called out MSU and President Simon during their testimony, accusing the university of not taking the necessary action to stop Nassar.
"After watching many of these heartbreaking statements and reading accounts about them, we have concluded that only a review by your office can resolve the questions in a way that the victims, their families, and the public will deem satisfactory and that will help all those affected by Nassar's horrible crimes to heal."
Several state Lawmakers, MSU's student newspaper, the Lansing State Journal, and the Detroit News have called on Simon to step down in the wake of the Nassar scandal. In a statement to FOX 47, Simon said this week's testimony has made her listen to the survivors and the community in a different way.
"It is clear to the board and me that a review by the Attorney General's Office can provide the answers people need. As I told the Attorney General in December, MSU will fully cooperate with any inquiry by law enforcement authorities. I hope this review will help the survivors and the entire MSU community heal and move forward."
