Lansing — An embattled Michigan State University trustee asked the Legislature Wednesday to intervene in a growing debate over a set of loyalty and conduct rules the MSU’s governing board enacted for its members last month.
At a press conference outside the state Capitol, Rema Vassar, a Democratic trustee, appeared with Mike Balow, a Republican trustee, and Jim Runestad, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party.
Vassar said the majority of the eight-member board was attempting to institute a “loyalty pledge” that set a dangerous precedent for the entire state.
“I am asking the Legislature to examine what oversight mechanisms exist and what new ones may be necessary to protect elected officials from institutional retaliation for the exercise of their constitutional rights,” Vassar said.
“I’m here today because the people of Michigan deserve elected representatives who can speak freely, who can raise tough questions, who cannot be silenced by the institutions they are sworn to govern.”
Vassar also noted that she had asked Attorney General Dana Nessel to review the constitutionality of the new loyalty policy.
On May 17, the MSU board voted 5-3 in favor of changes to the board’s code of ethics and conduct.
The resolution set a “duty of loyalty” and asked trustees to raise concerns before the board takes action and protect the integrity of the board’s “deliberations and processes.”
The board resolution also called for trustees to sign a “statement of acknowledgment” by May 24. If a trustee refused to sign, they were to be met with sanctions, including being blocked from MSU events that don’t require them to be there in their formal board capacity, loss of tickets to games, loss of reimbursements and loss of university-funded legal representation.
Vassar and Balow have refused to sign the pledge. Vassar has been an embattled member of the MSU board for the past two years, resigning as board chair in March 2024 over violating university bylaws and staving off efforts to have her removed by the governor.
The MSU board’s chairwoman, Brianna Scott, who supported the loyalty changes, accused some board members of undermining the university’s administration and decisions made by the board.
Balow is the lone Republican nominee on the board, which he said was attempting to stifle members’ free speech.
“I call on the MSU Board of Trustees … to strike down the unconstitutional provisions just passed in our code of ethics and bring good governance to MSU,” Balow said. “We owe it to our students and our state.”
Vassar and Balow stood near green and white signs that said “elected by the people, accountable to the people.”
It wasn’t clear what type of oversight the Legislature could or would bring, but lawmakers do provide funding for universities through the annual state budget. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also called for making the university board members appointees of the governor, rather than being elected in a statewide November general election.
Runestad, the GOP chairman and a state senator from White Lake, said he wanted MSU’s board members to stand for independence.
“Once the public trust is broken, it is even harder to restore,” Runestad said.
Julie Maday, a Republican candidate for the MSU board, spoke at the Wednesday event. She and state Sen. Roger Victory, R-Hudsonville, are challenging Scott and fellow incumbent Kelly Tebay Zemke, who are on the ballot in November.
Asked if she would support Maday this fall, Vassar refused to say.
“That’s an interesting question,” Vassar said. “You know Republicans never answer that question. They never answer who they’re going to vote for. I’m going to take a beat from them.”
cmauger@detroitnews.com
Staff Writer Sarah Atwood contributed.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: MSU trustee asks lawmakers to intervene in new loyalty rules
Reporting by Craig Mauger, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Craig Mauger, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
