This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/us/william-strampel-michigan-state.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Scrutiny of Michigan State’s Role in Nassar Case Brings New Sex Charges | Scrutiny of Michigan State’s Role in Nassar Case Brings New Sex Charges |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| EAST LANSING, Mich. — The investigation began with the goal of uncovering how Michigan State University officials had failed to prevent Dr. Lawrence G. Nassar from assaulting hundreds of young women over decades. But the inquiry took a stunning turn on Tuesday when a university dean was accused not just of facilitating Dr. Nassar’s abuse, but of committing sexual misconduct himself. | EAST LANSING, Mich. — The investigation began with the goal of uncovering how Michigan State University officials had failed to prevent Dr. Lawrence G. Nassar from assaulting hundreds of young women over decades. But the inquiry took a stunning turn on Tuesday when a university dean was accused not just of facilitating Dr. Nassar’s abuse, but of committing sexual misconduct himself. |
| Dr. William D. Strampel, who worked as Dr. Nassar’s boss at the College of Osteopathic Medicine, was accused by investigators of grabbing the buttocks of two female medical students. He suggested that one young woman leave school and become a “centerfold model,” investigators said. And he stored nude “selfies,” apparently of Michigan State students, on his work computer, court documents say, along with a video of Dr. Nassar performing “treatment” on a young patient. | Dr. William D. Strampel, who worked as Dr. Nassar’s boss at the College of Osteopathic Medicine, was accused by investigators of grabbing the buttocks of two female medical students. He suggested that one young woman leave school and become a “centerfold model,” investigators said. And he stored nude “selfies,” apparently of Michigan State students, on his work computer, court documents say, along with a video of Dr. Nassar performing “treatment” on a young patient. |
| “As dean of the college, Strampel used his office to harass, discriminate, demean, sexually proposition and sexually assault female students,” a detective from Michigan’s statewide police agency wrote in an affidavit. | “As dean of the college, Strampel used his office to harass, discriminate, demean, sexually proposition and sexually assault female students,” a detective from Michigan’s statewide police agency wrote in an affidavit. |
| The arrest of Dr. Strampel, who is 70 and was for 15 years the highest-ranking official at the osteopathic college, compounded the crisis facing Michigan State. It has seen its reputation devastated in recent months as scores of women recounted abuse by Dr. Nassar, a longtime university sports doctor. Women have described a corrupt culture at the university that diminished or ignored the complaints some of them made about Dr. Nassar as far back as the late 1990s. Michigan State’s president, Lou Anna K. Simon, left under pressure in January and trustees have faced calls to resign, even as the state’s criminal investigation into the university was expected to continue and additional charges were possible. | The arrest of Dr. Strampel, who is 70 and was for 15 years the highest-ranking official at the osteopathic college, compounded the crisis facing Michigan State. It has seen its reputation devastated in recent months as scores of women recounted abuse by Dr. Nassar, a longtime university sports doctor. Women have described a corrupt culture at the university that diminished or ignored the complaints some of them made about Dr. Nassar as far back as the late 1990s. Michigan State’s president, Lou Anna K. Simon, left under pressure in January and trustees have faced calls to resign, even as the state’s criminal investigation into the university was expected to continue and additional charges were possible. |
| “This is another blow to the university,” Tom Leonard, the speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, said of the charges against Dr. Strampel. “It’s an absolute disgrace.” | “This is another blow to the university,” Tom Leonard, the speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, said of the charges against Dr. Strampel. “It’s an absolute disgrace.” |
| Dr. Strampel — who stepped down in December from his job as dean, where he made more than $383,000 annually, according to MLive, a local news outlet — was charged with misconduct of a public official, a felony, and three misdemeanors, including fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of willful neglect of duty. Dr. Strampel was jailed on Monday, and appeared in court via video on Tuesday afternoon wearing a gray sweatshirt, his hands cuffed in front of him. A personal recognizance bond was set at $25,000, and Dr. Strampel was ordered not to contact current or former students, and not to leave the state. | Dr. Strampel — who stepped down in December from his job as dean, where he made more than $383,000 annually, according to MLive, a local news outlet — was charged with misconduct of a public official, a felony, and three misdemeanors, including fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of willful neglect of duty. Dr. Strampel was jailed on Monday, and appeared in court via video on Tuesday afternoon wearing a gray sweatshirt, his hands cuffed in front of him. A personal recognizance bond was set at $25,000, and Dr. Strampel was ordered not to contact current or former students, and not to leave the state. |
| John Dakmak, a lawyer for Dr. Strampel, said his client planned to fight the charges and denied all of the counts against him. | John Dakmak, a lawyer for Dr. Strampel, said his client planned to fight the charges and denied all of the counts against him. |
| “My client denies that he ever engaged in any inappropriate touching of anyone, any student or otherwise,” Mr. Dakmak said. “He denies that there was any quid pro quo for sexual favors in exchange for any type of standing within the university or the medical school.” | “My client denies that he ever engaged in any inappropriate touching of anyone, any student or otherwise,” Mr. Dakmak said. “He denies that there was any quid pro quo for sexual favors in exchange for any type of standing within the university or the medical school.” |
| The charges against Dr. Strampel come as prosecutors pursue a sprawling investigation of the university, which began after Dr. Nassar, a longtime physician for Michigan State and for U.S.A. Gymnastics, admitted sexually abusing young women and was sentenced to prison in hearings that drew international attention. Dozens of women, including Olympic gymnasts, described assaults committed under the guise of medical care. At least 265 people have said they were abused by Dr. Nassar. | The charges against Dr. Strampel come as prosecutors pursue a sprawling investigation of the university, which began after Dr. Nassar, a longtime physician for Michigan State and for U.S.A. Gymnastics, admitted sexually abusing young women and was sentenced to prison in hearings that drew international attention. Dozens of women, including Olympic gymnasts, described assaults committed under the guise of medical care. At least 265 people have said they were abused by Dr. Nassar. |
| Prosecutors said Dr. Strampel failed to take steps to protect patients from Dr. Nassar when allegations of abuse emerged. He neglected, the prosecutors said, to follow a set of protocols that would, for instance, have required Dr. Nassar to conduct exams only with other staff members present. “Despite his representation of his (and the college’s) intended response to the allegations against Nassar, Strampel did not actually enforce or monitor these protocols, nor did he alert other employees in the Sports Medicine Clinic about the existence of the protocols,” the charging documents said. | Prosecutors said Dr. Strampel failed to take steps to protect patients from Dr. Nassar when allegations of abuse emerged. He neglected, the prosecutors said, to follow a set of protocols that would, for instance, have required Dr. Nassar to conduct exams only with other staff members present. “Despite his representation of his (and the college’s) intended response to the allegations against Nassar, Strampel did not actually enforce or monitor these protocols, nor did he alert other employees in the Sports Medicine Clinic about the existence of the protocols,” the charging documents said. |
| The police detective’s affidavit outlining the charges also described a series of disturbing interactions between Dr. Strampel and four female medical students, none of whom were named publicly. In several of the cases, the women said they had gone to meet with Dr. Strampel to discuss their academic work but that he had turned the conversation to other topics. | The police detective’s affidavit outlining the charges also described a series of disturbing interactions between Dr. Strampel and four female medical students, none of whom were named publicly. In several of the cases, the women said they had gone to meet with Dr. Strampel to discuss their academic work but that he had turned the conversation to other topics. |
| One woman who said she had been summoned to Dr. Strampel’s office after falling asleep in class said that he told her to “turn around in a circle twice so that he could observe her body,” and that he said that she was “never going to make it in the profession if she did not dress sexier.” When she was later called to a dinner honoring scholarship recipients at a club on Michigan State’s golf course, she said Dr. Strampel reached around and gripped her buttock as they posed for photos, according to the affidavit. | One woman who said she had been summoned to Dr. Strampel’s office after falling asleep in class said that he told her to “turn around in a circle twice so that he could observe her body,” and that he said that she was “never going to make it in the profession if she did not dress sexier.” When she was later called to a dinner honoring scholarship recipients at a club on Michigan State’s golf course, she said Dr. Strampel reached around and gripped her buttock as they posed for photos, according to the affidavit. |
| Another student who had failed a medical school test said she was required to meet with Dr. Strampel, who asked her what her “Plan B” was since “she could not cut it in medical school.” The student said Dr. Strampel told her he would do her a favor by letting her take the exam again, but that she would then be required to do anything for him. “Given the context,” the affidavit said, the woman “understood that she was being asked to do anything he wanted sexually in exchange for the favor.” | Another student who had failed a medical school test said she was required to meet with Dr. Strampel, who asked her what her “Plan B” was since “she could not cut it in medical school.” The student said Dr. Strampel told her he would do her a favor by letting her take the exam again, but that she would then be required to do anything for him. “Given the context,” the affidavit said, the woman “understood that she was being asked to do anything he wanted sexually in exchange for the favor.” |
| In an interview, Dr. Nicole Eastman, who graduated from the school in 2010 and who said that she was interviewed by investigators in the case, said that Dr. Strampel made inappropriate sexual remarks, beginning soon after she started school in 2006. | |
| At one point, he told her, laughing and boasting, that it was easy to get women drunk, she said. Another time, she said, he grabbed her buttock at a crowded event, in full view of his wife, who was standing nearby. | |
| “I just remember how humiliating it was,” Dr. Eastman said. “People knew about his behavior, and even if they weren’t inappropriately touched by him, they knew. And now we know that his behavior enabled Larry Nassar’s behavior.” | |
| Dr. Eastman said she told a Michigan State employee while she was in school about Dr. Strampel’s behavior. The employee looked resigned, Dr. Eastman recalled. | |
| “She said, ‘Everybody knows about his behavior and nothing ever changes,’” Dr. Eastman said. “It seemed like a defeated kind of tone. When I think back to that, it was like she felt powerless.” | |
| The charging documents said Dr. Strampel also made graphic sexual comments, solicited nude photos from at least one student, and stored dozens of pornographic images and videos on a computer in his office, including many images that appeared to be of Michigan State students. | The charging documents said Dr. Strampel also made graphic sexual comments, solicited nude photos from at least one student, and stored dozens of pornographic images and videos on a computer in his office, including many images that appeared to be of Michigan State students. |
| Rachael Denhollander, who said Dr. Nassar abused her, said Tuesday’s charges reflected a systemic failure at Michigan State. | Rachael Denhollander, who said Dr. Nassar abused her, said Tuesday’s charges reflected a systemic failure at Michigan State. |
| “This is shocking but it’s not shocking,” Ms. Denhollander said. “Someone like Larry doesn’t get away with becoming the worst sexual abuser in history in plain sight if he were not surrounded by people who had no problem with his conduct and did not think it was a big deal.” | “This is shocking but it’s not shocking,” Ms. Denhollander said. “Someone like Larry doesn’t get away with becoming the worst sexual abuser in history in plain sight if he were not surrounded by people who had no problem with his conduct and did not think it was a big deal.” |
| Michigan State’s interim president, John Engler, last month took steps to start the process of revoking Dr. Strampel’s tenure. University officials did not answer questions Tuesday about the status of the revocation, and did not respond to a request to interview Mr. Engler. | Michigan State’s interim president, John Engler, last month took steps to start the process of revoking Dr. Strampel’s tenure. University officials did not answer questions Tuesday about the status of the revocation, and did not respond to a request to interview Mr. Engler. |
| For years, university officials largely dismissed reports that Dr. Nassar had assaulted women, even though some women said they had reported abuse years ago to coaches, trainers or counselors. | For years, university officials largely dismissed reports that Dr. Nassar had assaulted women, even though some women said they had reported abuse years ago to coaches, trainers or counselors. |
| On Tuesday, State Senator Margaret O’Brien, a Republican, said “this university needs to own up to what it did.” | On Tuesday, State Senator Margaret O’Brien, a Republican, said “this university needs to own up to what it did.” |
| “This won’t just go away,” Ms. O’Brien said. “They should know that by now.” | “This won’t just go away,” Ms. O’Brien said. “They should know that by now.” |
| On the campus of Michigan State, students said they were unsettled by the arrest of Dr. Strampel, who came to the College of Osteopathic Medicine in the 1990s after a career that included stints in the surgeon general’s office and several hospitals. | On the campus of Michigan State, students said they were unsettled by the arrest of Dr. Strampel, who came to the College of Osteopathic Medicine in the 1990s after a career that included stints in the surgeon general’s office and several hospitals. |
| The college enrolls more than 1,200 students and graduates about 300 physicians each year. Graduates earn a D.O. degree instead of the more common M.D., but are full-fledged doctors able to prescribe medication, perform surgeries and choose any specialty. Students also study the osteopathic techniques of manipulating the spine, muscles and bones to diagnose and treat patients. | The college enrolls more than 1,200 students and graduates about 300 physicians each year. Graduates earn a D.O. degree instead of the more common M.D., but are full-fledged doctors able to prescribe medication, perform surgeries and choose any specialty. Students also study the osteopathic techniques of manipulating the spine, muscles and bones to diagnose and treat patients. |
| Dr. Strampel, who could face up to nine years in prison if convicted of all charges, arrived at his home outside Lansing after his court appearance on Tuesday afternoon. A woman who came to the door declined to comment. | Dr. Strampel, who could face up to nine years in prison if convicted of all charges, arrived at his home outside Lansing after his court appearance on Tuesday afternoon. A woman who came to the door declined to comment. |
| Aly Raisman, an Olympic gymnast who said Dr. Nassar abused her, wrote on Instagram that the charges against Dr. Strampel were “yet another painful example” of how so much had been mishandled. | Aly Raisman, an Olympic gymnast who said Dr. Nassar abused her, wrote on Instagram that the charges against Dr. Strampel were “yet another painful example” of how so much had been mishandled. |
| “At this point, it’s clear that failing to investigate and understand how this abuse could go on for so long is just asking history to repeat itself,” said Ms. Raisman, who called for a broader investigation “that looks into everything, not just Nassar.” | “At this point, it’s clear that failing to investigate and understand how this abuse could go on for so long is just asking history to repeat itself,” said Ms. Raisman, who called for a broader investigation “that looks into everything, not just Nassar.” |