UPDATED
Trustees’ coordination with supporters led to ‘disorder and chaos’
A Michigan State University professor is suing the Board of Trustees after two members accused him of racism for comparing a raucous meeting to “mob rule.”
Professor Jack Lipton, the former faculty senate chair, had criticized Trustee Rema Vassar over allegations of unethical behavior, brought by a fellow trustee, Brianna Scott.
Professor Lipton’s pending lawsuit comes after Trustees Vassar and Dennis Denno “coordinated a large number of Vassar supporters to be in attendance, which ultimately resulted in an unusual level of disorder and chaos,” according to the federal lawsuit.
The highly attended Oct. 2023 meeting occurred after Trustee Brianna Scott said Vassar (pictured, right), the board chair, “bullied colleagues, interfered in legal disputes and attempted to keep word of her meddling out of an official report about the February campus shooting,” as reported by the campus newspaper. Lipton (pictured, left), on behalf of the faculty senate, called for Vassar’s resignation.
According to the lawsuit, Vassar also accepted gifts from a university donor, including traveling on a private jet. She also appeared in an ad endorsing a former trustee’s private wealth management business.
However, she had organized supporters, including sorority sisters, to attend the meeting. In March 2024, Vassar did resign as board chair.
“When any meeting attendee spoke in support of holding Vassar accountable for her actions as outlined in Scott’s letter, Vassar supporters interrupted and jeered them and attempted to prevent them from completing their statements,” the lawsuit states.
“The board meeting yesterday, filled with Chair Vassar supporters, demonstrated Trustee Scott’s charges of intimidation and bullying in action,” Lipton told the Detroit News. “The chaos brought and disrespect shown by her supporters could have been stopped by a single statement from Chair Vassar, yet she elected to let the mob rule the room.”
This led to direct targeting of the neuroscientist, according to his attorney Liz Abdnour, who spoke to The College Fix via a phone interview.
“We have evidence at this point…of her and trustee Denno encouraging students to target him, encouraging students and faculty to file complaints against him… telling them to frame him as a racist,” Abdnour told The Fix.
At a December 2023 faculty luncheon, for example, Denno said Lipton “criminalized” racial minority students. Denno also criticized the faculty senate for not “speaking out against” Professor Lipton. “And if you’re not going to speak out against racism and violent language, you’re not very good academics.”
The lawsuit notes the board “approves promotion and tenure,” for faculty.
Abdnour told The Fix the controversy “is negatively affecting his ability to get any jobs at other institutions” as it has brought his reputation into a negative light.
Although Lipton had issued a formal apology at the next meeting for his comments as well as attempted to resolve the issue with other members of the Board, Vassar and Denno did not relent.
MORE: Last Biden pardon of student loans could cost $600 billion
“All of this from our view constitutes retaliation against him for engaging in his protected free speech of speaking in his personal capacity what was happening during that meeting,” Abdnour says.
“The bigger concern here is that it seems that people who are in a position of power are misusing it to try to silence people who might be critiquing them,” Abdnour told The Fix. “Which is the absolute opposite of what’s supposed to happen at a public university.”
The Fix contacted both Trustee Denno and Vassar via multiple emails and was not given a response. The university’s general counsel also did not respond to requests for comment.
“We do not comment on pending litigation,” university spokesman Mark Bullion told The Fix.
According to the lawsuit, the trustees worked with student groups “to label Dr. Lipton a racist, publicly attack him in the media, post defamatory letters about him on social media and other public platforms, and file complaints with MSU’s internal civil rights office as well as its external accrediting body accusing Dr. Lipton of race discrimination.”
A legal professor and torts expert provided further analysis to The Fix.
Professor John Banzhaf told The Fix, “it can be said that ‘Free speech isn’t free’ because those who speak out on controversial topics often must pay a price.”
He said professors can speak freely about issues, but the First Amendment also allows for them to be criticized.
“Lipton and other professors are free to criticize and characterize the actions of trustees,” Banzhaf said. “But that does not mean that the right of free speech is “free.”
He said there has been an increase of free speech controversies on college campuses.
“Consequently, many claim that those professors are increasingly reluctant to express themselves – in class, at faculty and professional meetings,” Banzhaf said. “For fear of repercussions from their colleagues.”
Professor Danny Caballero, who is leading unionization efforts among tenured faculty, did not respond to requests for comment. The Fix asked him via email and phone in the past several weeks for comment on the situation and if he had any concerns a victory for the trustees could lead to the board silencing critics.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression declined to comment.
Editor’s note: The article has been updated with more information about an interview with Abdnour and attemps to reach Caballero.
MORE: Black Student Alliance demands Jack Lipton meet with it
IMAGES: Michigan State University; Dr. Rema 4 MSU/Facebook
Please join the conversation about our stories on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, MeWe, Rumble, Gab, Minds and Gettr.