MSU Trustee Brianna Scott called for the removal of Board of Trustees President Rema Vassar in a letter Sunday accusing her of orchestrating major university decisions without the knowledge or consent of other members of the board of directors or the interim president.
Vassar rejected all of Scott’s claims, calling them “fabrications” and denying any wrongdoing in a written response released Tuesday.
Intimidate the president
- The claim: Vassar intimidated interim President Teresa Woodruff by single-handedly orchestrating many major university decisions without her knowledge and attempting to usurp her at public events.
- The answer: Vassar rejects the “coded language of ‘tyrant'” and asserts that “none of the claims made” are true.
VassarEdit hosted a donor event at Woodruff’s and tried to exclude him against the advice of staff, according to emails obtained by The State News.
Her too met with Lansing city officials for in-depth discussions about MSU’s presence downtown behind Woodruff’s backcreating problems for university administrators charged with developing these partnerships.
Woodruff said in a statement Monday that working under Vassar had been “difficult.”
Texts “blaming the victims”
- The allegation: Vassar engaged in “victim blaming” texts with former administrator Pat O’Keefe when discussing Brenda Tracy, the woman accusing now-fired MSU football coach Mel Tucker of sexual harassment.
- The answer: The text exchange was “one-sided, without any input from me.”
Vassar was indeed interested in O’Keefe’s texts.
A copy of the messages obtained by The State News shows Vassar reacted warmly to a text in which O’Keefe explained how he thought the woman accusing Tucker could be better discredited.
The exchange ends with Vassar saying, “I need to talk to you.” » O’Keefe then said “call me”.
Escape from the Accuser Tucker
- The claim: Vassar refused to allow lawyers investigating the leak of Tracy’s identity to examine the contents of her cell phone to rule out that she was the source of the leak.
- The answer: Vassar claims no board member “presented their phones for forensic examination.” Vassar also says it is inappropriate for Scott to speak publicly about an ongoing outside investigation.
Vassar says no one on the board has turned over their phones, but a person close to the board says it’s complicated.
The person — who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation — said at least one administrator had already agreed to have his phone examined, but that investigators hadn’t done it yet.
The other directors have not yet met with the firm, the person said.
Vassar was questioned, the person said.
Release from Gupta investigation
- The claim: Vassar unilaterally released an independent investigation into the controversial ouster of former business dean Sanjay Gupta, against the advice of MSU attorneys and outside counsel who led the investigation in March.
- The answer: Vassar points out that in February the board of trustees voted unanimously to release it when completed. She said the board “confirmed” the decision before it was made public.
Emails exchanged between board members over the release of the survey show disagreement.
The exchange, which was obtained by The State News through a public records request, begins with Vassar sending a draft statement announcing the release, then includes heavily worded discussions of the release decision, and ends with sharing an invitation to a Zoom meeting so administrators can further discuss the topic.
In an email, Trustee Renee Knake Jefferson said, “As you know, Professor Gupta has now sued the university. Additionally, we now benefit from the advice not only of our general counsel, but also of our external counsel, who advises us (redacted).
Advertisement for a former trustee firm
- The claim: Vassar violated the board’s ethics policies by appearing in an advertisement for former trustee Brian Mosallam’s wealth management company. Vassar’s appearance in the ad is a “de facto endorsement” of the company, Scott claims.
- The answer: Vassar did not address this accusation in its response.
Gupta case settlement
- The allegation: Vassar single-handedly attempted to settle a lawsuit filed by Gupta in January 2023. Its attempts “interfered” with the administration’s attempts to settle the lawsuit.
- The answer: Vassar claims “the entire board was then and still is engaged in this matter” and criticizes Scott for making “confidential” settlement discussions public.
Private jet travel
- The claim: Vassar created a conflict of interest by flying on a private jet and accepting on-court tickets for the 2023 NCAA March Madness men’s basketball tournament. Board policies state that administrators will not should not accept valuables from people outside the university, as this could influence their decision-making.
- The answer: Vassar says there is no board policy specifically regarding private jet travel and defends its choice, saying the trip “cost the university nothing.”
Softening the filming review
- The claim: Vassar has asked consultants reviewing MSU’s handling of the campus shooting in February to tone down a finding suggesting administrators overreached during the emergency response.
- The answer: Vassar says it was “another trustee, not me” who objected to the finding, and it was an “appropriate question” that is consistent with the board’s “obligation to ensure security of our community.”
Threatens to call critics racist and ‘read a book’ remark
- The claim: Vassar threatened to call board members who voted against her racist and told Scott to “read a book” when she challenged her.
- The answer: Vassar says she told Scott to “read a book on leadership, race and racism, as well as literature related to board responsibilities.” But this constituted an act of “transformative leadership.”
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