Engler directs MSU alumni magazine to focus on positives after Nassar

David Jesse | Detroit Free Press

The image is striking. A black-and-white head shot of a woman, her eyes staring straight into you. The only color on the page — teal lipstick on the model and in the nameplate of the magazine.

There's another version of the "Spartan" alumni magazine cover with more color. The single page, all teal, with a giant survivors' ribbon smack-dab in the middle.

Both carry the title "Finding Our Way" and explain the focus of the magazine: How did the Larry Nassar scandal affect Spartans and what they think about the school? The chosen color for the design was purposeful — teal is the color Nassar survivors and supporters wear to show solidarity.

But MSU Interim President John Engler and his top advisers have deep-sixed those plans before publication, according to multiple sources within the university's administration. And while the upcoming magazine will still talk about the crisis, it will showcase the positive moves Engler has made since taking over, like adding more counselors.

It's another example of how Engler and his advisers have been trying to shape the message coming out of the East Lansing school — something that has brought them controversy repeatedly and led to calls from lawmakers, two board members and 120 Nassar survivors for Engler to step aside.

Engler said last Friday he has no plans to do so.

"Whatever the tensions were before, we have successfully negotiated a settlement agreement — something that is fair and equitable to both sides, and that both sides agreed to. We are now committed to continuing our efforts to strengthen sexual misconduct prevention on and off campus and to respond promptly to and appropriately if prevention fails.

"I am looking forward to the Board of Trustee meeting next week where we will continue our progress and efforts to move forward. I believe actions matter, and that is how the success of our work will be determined.”

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MSU has bungled its public communications, said Rachael Denhollander, the first Nassar survivor to go public.

"They should approach their public communications with, 'What is the right thing to do and did we do it?' " she told the Free Press. "If they haven't done it, they should apologize for it. I expect my 2-year-old to do that. Why do we not hold adults to the standards we hold preschoolers to? It's not wanting to do the right thing, to stand up for what is right."

MSU spokeswoman Emily Guerrant acknowledged Engler has been reviewing drafts and has "provided feedback" to the alumni magazine. She also said the upcoming issue — no date for publication has been shared — would address the crisis.

But, according to multiple sources within the administration who weren't authorized to speak to the media, out are the long-form essays exploring cultural issues on MSU's campus, how the scandal has tainted MSU and other related issues from faculty and alumni.

The reason for the switch? It's part of Engler's push to pivot toward positive news, multiple people close to Engler said.

It's a different approach than was taken at Penn State University when the Jerry Sandusky sex assault scandal broke. In that case, the scandal was exposed in November, just as the planning was being done for the January-February issue of "The Penn Stater."

Editor Tina Hay and staffers there decided to do a theme issue, something they normally don't do.

The cover of the issue was arresting: a black border surrounding a black page. Most of the letters of the magazine's name — "The Penn Stater" — are in a jumbled mess at the bottom of the cover. A small box gives the magazine's title: "Our darkest days."

The rest of the issue contains photos of students protesting, Sandusky being led to a court appearance, football coach Joe Paterno talking to the media, and stories exploring what it meant to be a Penn Stater.

When Hay showed the cover to her boss, she held her breath, awaiting the reaction, only to be greeted with, "That's brilliant."

"We asked ourselves what could we add to the conversation?" Hay told the Free Press. "We looked at what does it mean to be an alumni of Penn State and all the feelings that were going on then."

The issue broke down into five major sections, each with multiple essays:

Collapse: How could this happen

Darkness: Understanding child sexual abuse

Identity: Everything we thought we knew

Legacy: What Joe Paterno leaves behind

Responsibility: Our pride, and going forward

The response? Most readers loved it.

"The magazine has a long history of being honest with readers," Hay said, citing issues looking at civil unrest in the 1960s or an issue in the 1980s about being black at Penn State. "We were lucky that there was an expectation that we would cover it."

"Readers either loved it or hated it and they loved it 4 to 1. We heard from one person in Idaho who said they were all alone there, no other alums around, and reading the issue made them feel connected — that there were others trying to deal with the same things they were dealing with."

In his short tenure in charge of MSU, Engler has been hands-on with shaping the message of the university.

Engler was directly involved in the crafting of a detailed public rebuke of a rape accuser’s allegations, a statement that potentially violated a federal privacy law and endangered grant funding for sexual assault counseling services, according to emails obtained by the Free Press.

Those emails show Engler and his closest advisers sharing “essential facts” and edits to be included in the university’s official response to a lawsuit, which accuses MSU counseling staff of discouraging a student from reporting she was raped by three basketball players. Among the emails was one where a spokeswoman acknowledged they had moved quickly “to get materials the President wanted out the door.”

The Free Press also obtained other emails from Engler to his top adviser where Engler accused survivor Denhollander of likely getting kickbacks from the trial attorneys involved in lawsuits against the school. Denhollander has denied the accusation.

Engler was also involved in other instances where he has pushed for the university to pivot toward the future and away from the case that put Nassar behind bars for what amounts to the rest of his life.

In a recent meeting, according to sources, Engler walked in and told a team planning an event: "Get that teal shit out of here."

Engler's comments have sent a clear message, Denhollander said.

"Engler's attitude toward us survivors is a whole new set of problems. It's just compounding (the issues). It's why survivors aren't coming forward. They've seen what has been happening to the Nassar survivors

"They (Engler and the board) think it's all about money. They are too worried about liability, It's been like that since the start.".

Contact David Jesse: 313-222-8851 or email djesse@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @reporterdavidj