EAST LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) –  Following the MSU Board of Trustees censuring of former Board Chair Rema Vassar and Trustee Dennis Denno, the Board has clarified their roles while Governor Gretchen Whitmer considers their removal.

Vassar and Denno had their committee assignments taken away, will not be reimbursed for travel and will not receive free tickets to MSU sporting events.  They may attend all regular board meetings and vote. These limitations will remain in place until December 31, 2024.

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The board voted in a late-night March 3 meeting to censure the two and refer misconduct allegations to Whitmer under a Michigan law that allows the governor to remove elected officials.  Whitmer has not indicated publicly whether she will remove the trustees, nor has she indicated a timeline for her decision.

Vassar told the Detroit News, the report that concluded the two Michigan State University trustees violated the university’s policies and should be possibly removed from office by the governor was incomplete, lacked due process and is part of a larger phenomenon among black female leaders facing heightened scrutiny.  “This incident is not isolated to MSU,” Vassar continued. “It fits within a national narrative. My experience is not isolated to me. There is a larger campaign and agenda to marginalize, silence, discredit and shame Black women.”