Coverage of disability is sparse in The State News, the independent, student-run newspaper of Michigan State University (MSU). However, MSU currently has nine cases for disability discrimination -- all filed within the past three years -- pending with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR), on top of six cases for racial discrimination. OCR sometimes helps to hold universities accountable by investigating complaints of discrimination, but as The State News notes, the Trump administration's dismantling of the Department of Education has hampered its capacity to move such investigations forward. In 2019, OCR fined MSU $4.5 million for its mishandling of sexual assault cases and failure to protect U.S. gymnasts.
In 2023, The State News reported that "MSU’s last two presidents resigned after issues with Title IX; in fall 2022, faculty and student groups lost confidence in MSU’s board over its issues with Title IX; in athletics, the university recently settled a years-long Title IX lawsuit with members of its former swim and dive team; and, three MSU deans resigned in the last year over issues with MSU’s Title IX process."
The last article that The State News published focusing on disabled students' experiences on campus was back in 2017. Disabled students observed a general lack of awareness and understanding about disability on campus. One student who lives with ADD and ADHD noted how other students tended to trivialize his disability and minimize its impacts, which "make students with disabilities feel less welcome or open to telling others about their conditions." Another student shared that "finding true friends can be difficult because people don’t know how to handle themselves around her." However, current students generally seem to have positive experiences applying for accommodations with the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD). On Reddit, students praise the "Super helpful" staff, noting that RCPD is "the last place that will judge you" on campus.
The State News has critiqued the efficacy of MSU's new $10 million Security Operations Center (SOC), a centralized surveillance system comprising "2,000 security cameras, 551 motion detectors, and 5,400 electronic door-locks" installed across campus with AI-powered tracking and data processing capabilities. The State News noted the risk of performative "security theater... promising safety but delivering surveillance," as well as the "expansion of police power it brings," which creates a chilling effect on campus protest and disproportionately impacts racially marginalized students.
Michigan State University is ranked 63rd among national universities. It was ranked 60th last year.
The federal Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, or OCR, is investigating Michigan State University for mishandling a 2022 report of sexual harassment.
The accuser alleges that after making the report, MSU discriminated against her because she is disabled and attempted to retaliate against her for speaking out, according to a letter alerting the university to the OCR’s investigation.
The letter — which was obtained by The State News through public records requests to MSU and the OCR — is heavily redacted, leaving many details of the case unclear.
Source:Link