The Trump administration has fined Michigan State University a record $4.5 million as punishment for its handling of sexual-assault allegations against Dr. Larry Nassar, the Department of Education announced Thursday.
Speaking to reporters, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos called “abhorrent” the university’s “systemic failure to protect students” in the face of sexual-misconduct accusations against Nassar and his boss William Strampel, a former MSU dean who was sentenced to a year in jail over allegations he harassed female students and failed to oversee Nassar.
“The crimes for which Larry Nassar and William Strampel have been convicted are disgusting and unimaginable. So, too, was the university’s response to their crimes. It must not happen again there or anywhere else,” DeVos said.
The university “failed to adequately respond” to reports of sexual misconduct against both men and neglected to take “appropriate interim measures” while the accusations were pending, the Education Department’s investigation found.
Nassar, a doctor at MSU who also served as the team doctor for USA Gymnastics, was sentenced in 2017 to 60 years in federal prison on child-pornography charges. He faces decades-long state sentences on charges that he molested at least 250 minors, mostly young girls, beginning as far back as 1992.
The school will also be required to hire an outside law firm to probe the MSU Title IX office’s decision in sex-assault cases and report the findings of that investigation to the federal government.
Several other high-profile university officials have found themselves on the wrong side of the investigation, including former MSU president Lou Anna Simon, who is charged with giving false statements to police, and MSU provost June Youatt, who resigned Thursday.
“I continue to be heartened by the courage and resilience of the survivors,” DeVos said. “Their personal testimonies moved me deeply. My heart goes out to these brave women as they continue to heal from the horrific experiences.”