Michigan House approves resolution calling on Lou Anna Simon to resign or be fired

LANSING -- The drum beat of opposition to Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon got even louder Wednesday when the full state House of Representatives called on the embattled president to resign.

The resolution, which passed on a vote of 96-11, is nonbinding, but it builds on a consistent message coming from the state Capitol that Simon has to go because of the university’s handling of the sexual abuse case against former sports doctor Larry Nassar. Many legislators, including all four leaders of the House and Senate, have called on Simon to leave her job at the helm of MSU or be fired by the university's Board of Trustees. The resolution adds more pressure.

The vote came just hours after Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina finished hearing from more than 150 girls and women over the last week, who said they were molested by Nassar over the last 20 years. In sentencing Nassar to 40-175 years in prison, in addition to the 60 years in federal prison he faces on child pornography charges, Aquilina said she was signing his “death warrant.”

Speaker of the House Tom Leonard, R-DeWitt Township, said while the resolution dealt solely with Simon, he'd like to see the entire board resign or be impeached by the Legislature.

"I do believe the board of trustees needs to resign. I've never seen a situation that's been this mishandled," he said. "These trustees care more about their skyboxes in the fall than these 150 victims. And that's absolutely reprehensible."

State Rep. Adam Zemke, D-Ann Arbor, said he decided to sponsor the resolution after the majority of the board decided last week to continue its support of Simon, as well as "to provide closure and acknowledgement to victims and send a signal to the university that this has got to be fixed."

More: As pressure grows to dump Lou Anna Simon, 7 of 8 trustees remain supportive of MSU president

More: Larry Nassar gets 40-175 years in sex abuse scandal, issues apology

The resolution says that MSU missed many opportunities to stop Nassar over the years and declined to fully investigate or suspend Nassar from his job examining young women with sports injuries.

“The lack of leadership and accountability among MSU's highest ranks allowed a predator to continue to abuse, and victims to suffer in silence, for far too long,” the resolution reads. “As university president, Lou Anna K. Simon must ultimately take responsibility for her actions, or lack thereof, and the university culture that allowed this to happen. Michigan State University, one of our state's flagship public universities, and our state deserve better from its leaders.”

The only way the university, community and state can move beyond the “national embarrassment” of the Nassar crimes is to get rid of Simon, the resolution says.

“We have lost confidence in the ability of President Lou Anna K. Simon to lead a transparent investigation, to implement changes that will ensure it never happens again, to protect students, and to lead Michigan State University forward … We call on Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon to resign immediately or for the Michigan State University Board of Trustees to remove her from the Office of President of Michigan State University.”

Most of the university's Board of Trustees said over the weekend that they still supported Simon, but a growing chorus of faculty, students and alumni have been calling for Simon's ouster, especially after it became clear that university officials were told of the abuse repeatedly over the last several years and little or no action was taken against Nassar, who was also the team doctor for USA Gymnastics.

The magnitude of the case came to a head in the past week as more than 150 girls and women, some of them Olympic gymnastics' medalists, gave impact statements in court, detailing the effect of the abuse they suffered at the hands of Nassar.

State Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnago, D-Detroit, was one of 11 lawmakers who voted against the resolution because she said she believes it's the responsibility of the Board of Trustees to handle any punitive action against Simon. The others who voted against the resolution were Democrats Sarah Cambensy of Marquette, Tom Cochran of Mason, LaTanya Garrett, Rosemary Robinson and Bettie Cook Scott of Detroit, Frank Liberati of Allen Park and Tanesha Yancey of Harper Woods, and Republicans Dave Maturen of Portage, Dave Pagel of Berrien Springs and Hank Vaupel of Fowlerville.

"My principles are such that I believe in due process," Gay-Dagnago said. "We need to have more information on what she knew and allow that elected body to carry out that process. ... We're playing a game of politics."

Cochran said he personally believes Simon should resign because the Nassar scandal has hurt the university’s credibility. But he voted against the resolution because he didn’t believe it was appropriate for lawmakers to politicize the situation before an independent investigation had been conducted.

"I'm a real believer in presumption of innocence in this country — I think it's one of these things that makes this country great,” Cochran said. “I have no idea what Lou Anna Simon knew or didn't know, and when she did or didn't know it."

Gov. Rick Snyder said he's not getting involved in calling for Simon's resignation.

"The governor would like to focus on how the state can help with healing for the survivors and rally around them to make sure they are supported fully," said Snyder spokeswoman Anna Heaton. "The investigational and legal matters are best left to those who have authority in those matters, which the governor does not."

Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430, kgray99@freepress.com or on Twitter @michpoligal. Free Press staff writer Paul Egan and Lansing State Journal reporter Justin Hinkley contributed to this report.

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