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In the news today: For our first story of the day focusing on campus news, how MSU's faculty record-keeping of Nassar delayed scrutiny. For our second story focusing on sports, MSU women's hockey frustrated by lack of support from MSU. For our final story of the day focusing on student life, the best ways to celebrate fall, according to MSU students.
Creators & Guests
What is The State - A Podcast from The State News + Impact 89FM?
The State is a daily rundown of the headlines that matter to the East Lansing, MI community.
This is The State for Thursday, September 26th where we bring you the headlines that matter. I'm Rachel Fulton.
For our first story of the day focusing on campus news,
Text messages were deleted. Investigatory files went missing. Documents were withheld.
When state investigators requested records detailing Michigan State University's handling of Larry Nassar, many didn't realize that they weren't being given the full story.
Thousands of recently released documents reveal that the university's records-keeping, when it was needed the most, was laden with mistakes.
A former university president admitted she deleted personal text messages when an investigation required a probe of her phone. Nine investigatory files needed by an outside Title IX attorney went missing for months because a department didn't organize its files.
And the very documents that reveal these missteps? MSU refused to hand them over to Attorney General Dana Nessel for years, delaying her investigation into Nassar and prolonging survivors' hope of accountability.
Nessel concluded her investigation less than two weeks ago, saying the thousands of documents about MSU's handling of Nassar contained information that was "embarrassing" for the university, but not "incriminating."
What was clear, Nessel argued, is that MSU wrongly withheld the documents for years.
Relating to attorney-client privilege, MSU has long said the documents are subject to this which protects communications between a lawyer and their client from being publicly released.
Many of the documents outlined the university's communications strategy, not legal conversations. Others were shown not to be privileged by their own authors' admission.
The university's withholding of the thousands of documents related to its handling of Nassar has been a source of controversy for years. The decision inspired a lawsuit and continual pleas from survivors.
Throughout it all, MSU defended its withholding of the records.
Nessel completed her investigation and publicly released the documents nearly two weeks ago. But the move, not unlike MSU's record-keeping, didn't go smoothly.
Nessel's office had to temporarily remove access to some of the documents days after releasing them to the public, because the office didn't fully redact names and information about survivors in them. But even after the documents' release, some survivors' names remain unredacted.
For our second story focusing on sports,
The MSU women's hockey season will officially start the first week of October, but the ACHA Division I team isn't considered a club at MSU.
It applied to be a club and got denied, so the members that make up the organization are in charge of their own funding for buses, hotels, uniforms and ice time for practice.
Most of the teams in the Central Collegiate Women's Hockey Association, or CCWHA, such as Michigan and Indiana Tech, are funded by their respective universities. Michigan State's team is on its own despite being located in Michigan, one of hockey's biggest hotspots around the world.
The players attribute the lack of funding to a shortage of team recognition around campus.
The women also said they don't receive any of the accommodations the men do.
In 2022, Munn Ice Arena underwent renovations to its weight room, shooting stations, player's lounge, training area and coach offices. The women's team isn't allowed to use any of those new additions.
The team doesn't just want support from MSU athletics, but the student body itself.
This winter, the team looks to win its fourth CCWHA championship, its first since 2013. The first game of its season is slated for Oct. 4 against Miami of Ohio. MSU's home opener is Oct. 6 against Grand Valley State at 3:30 p.m.
For our final story of the day focusing on student life,
September is in full swing, bringing chilly mornings and crisp air with it. The arrival of September marks the beginning of fall, a season beloved by many Michigan State University students.
From cider mills to haunted houses, fall offers an abundance of fun activities for individuals to enjoy and celebrate all around Michigan.
Advertising management junior Kaitlyn Beckwith said her favorite fall activity in Michigan consists of two things, including cider mills and eating cider donuts.
It's important to remember that fall can be celebrated on MSU's campus as well. Kaitlyn said her favorite fall activity on campus is enjoying the natural beauty the season has to offer.
With many fall events, both on and off campus, to choose from and attend, it may be hard for students to decide where they want to visit first. It just takes a little research and a bit of adventuring out for some fall fun.
Before we end our episode, today's weather forecast is predicting partly cloudy skies with a high of 76 degrees and a low of 52 degrees.
Thank you for joining us for The State... Produced by The State News and Impact eighty-nine F-M. You can find us online at State News dot com and Impact eight-nine F-M dot org. We'll be back tomorrow with more.