By SAMANTHA HART
Staff Writer
Following the Larry Nassar trial, Michigan State University has been brought into the mix since Larry Nassar previously worked in their Sports Medicine Department. One name being brought into play is that of William Strampel, the dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Michigan State, according to NBC.
Strampel reportedly had told Nassar that he was on his side after the first accusation had been uncovered, according to NBC.
“William Strampel did not act with the level of professionalism we expect from individuals who hold senior leadership positions, particularly in a position that involves student and patient safety,” according to MSU interim President John Engler.
Former President of MSU, Lou Anna Simon, resigned in January after facing calls to resign from angry students and MSU trustees. The heat on Simon began when Nassar was arrested in December 2016 on child pornography charges, according to Time. Simon, along with several other school administrators, were found to have known about Nassar’s actions prior to him being arrested.
Along with President Simon, there are others at MSU who are believed to have covered up for Nassar. Kathie Klages, MSU’s head gymnastics coach, retired in Feb. 2017 after being suspended for supporting and defending Nassar after he was let go by the university.
Klages is also guilty of not reporting a crime. She was approached in 1997 by two teenagers that were in the MSU junior gymnastics program. They told Klages that Nassar was misusing his time with them and was inappropriately touching them. Klages ever so kindly “dismissed their concerns and discouraged them from ling a complaint,” according to Michigan Live.
While ignoring their cries for help, Klages managed to maintain her friendship with Nassar and continued to support him. Klages is one
of the four Michigan State individuals to be named as co-defendants in a lawsuit led against the university, according to Michigan Live.
Dr. Jeffery Kovan of MSU Sports Medicine was also among the four to be named in the lawsuit, as well as retired clinical psychology professor Dr. Gary Stollak. Kovan was the director of the Sports Medicine Clinic in 2014 when a Title IX complaint was led by Amanda Thomashow accusing Nassar of sexual assault, according to Michigan Live. Dr. Kovan took no action to investigate or even cooperate with Thomashow or the university.
Dr. Stollak, however, is the only person in the case whose role was not associated with his time at MSU, but rather at his private practice. Kyle Stephens, the first victim to speak in court, began seeing Dr. Stollak shortly after telling her parents that Nassar, a family friend, sexually assaulted her, according to People. Dr. Stollak was the first to initiate the confrontation between Stephens, her parents, and Nassar. He is being brought into the lawsuit against the school because he did not report the sexual assault allegations and threw away Stephens’ file after his retirement in 2010.
Nassar’s abuse towards Stephens began when she was 6 years old and continued until she was 12, when she confronted him, only to be discredited by her own parents. Stephens appeared on Megyn Kelly Today and stated that her father committed suicide in 2016, and if it were not for Larry Nassar, he might still be alive.
To add fuel to the fire, Nassar was attacked in court on Feb. 2 by Randy Margraves, a father of three daughters who were all abused by Nassar under the guise of medical treatment.
Although he was denied the five minutes alone with Nassar that he requested, Margraves managed to get just a small bit of his frustration and pure rage towards Nassar out. The charges against Margraves were dropped as many viewed his outrage justified.
