A trustee at Michigan State University (MSU) is standing firm in her demands for the institution to revisit diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and strengthen support for Black students on campus.
Rema Vassar, who serves on MSU’s Board of Trustees, has published two opinion pieces outlining her concerns — one on Feb. 2, 2026, in Bridge Michigan and another on Feb. 20 in the Michigan Chronicle.
In the most recent op-ed, Vassar pushed back on university officials who said she mischaracterized the state of MSU’s diversity and equity efforts. She said that over multiple years, Black students have recorded the lowest graduation rates, the highest rates of academic probation, the greatest student loan debt, and the lowest sense of belonging on campus.
“These are not isolated blips,” Vassar wrote. “They form a pattern in which Black students are consistently positioned at the bottom of nearly every measure of ‘student success.'”
Push For Data Transparency At Michigan State University
Vassar called on the university to release disaggregated data on each area, arguing it would show a long-standing failure to meet the needs of Black students.
“If MSU leadership truly believes their equity programs are thriving under new names, disaggregated data would prove it,” Vassar told The State News. “Their refusal to provide transparency suggests they know what the numbers would reveal.”
MSU disputes that characterization, saying it supports students in multiple ways and that Black students’ graduation rates have remained stable over the past decade, The State News reports. University data show that in 2025, the graduation rate for Black students was 68%, compared with 85% for white students, the outlet notes.
MSU is “proud to support student success from enrollment to graduation in a variety of ways,” spokesperson Amber McCann told The State News. She cited paid undergraduate research opportunities and expanded programming for first-generation students.
McCann told The State News that while there is “room for improvement,” the six-year graduation rate for Black students is among the highest in the state.
How Trump’s DEI Policies Are Reshaping Michigan State
Since President Donald Trump’s January 2025 inauguration, MSU has removed references to DEI from several public-facing websites and directed student organizations — including identity-based groups — to clarify that membership is open to all students, reports The State News.
In Vassar’s first op-ed, she argued the university had “zero legal justification” to continue dismantling DEI efforts. She pointed to the Trump administration’s decision to stop contesting a federal judge’s order barring the federal government from withholding funds from institutions that maintain DEI programs.
MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz said he and other administrators were disappointed by the op-ed, according to The State News. Board Chair Brianna Scott told the outlet that the piece portrayed the university’s work in a negative light.
Black Students Face Heightened Challenges
In her latest op-ed published via the Michigan Chronicle, Vassar accused the university of responding to her earlier commentary with “internal memos and public statements” that alleged she was spreading misinformation rather than addressing Black students’ experiences.
Vassar also cited multiple instances of racism reported by Black students, arguing the university has failed to ensure accountability through the Office of Institutional Equity, worsening students’ well-being.
She further criticized MSU for restructuring funding for Black and marginalized student groups. In 2025, the groups learned they would no longer receive their automatic $100,000 allocation. Now, they have to apply for funding from a shared pool of $4,500.
“Michigan State is not unique,” Vassar wrote via the Michigan Chronicle. “Universities across Michigan and the nation have perfected a script: celebrate diversity in marketing materials, offer carefully worded statements after each crisis, and treat the suffering of Black students as unfortunate but inevitable.”
“Black students are not a public relations problem. They are sons and daughters, first-generation trailblazers and multigeneration Spartans, Detroiters and Benton Harbor graduates, caregivers and community leaders. They deserve a university that is as ambitious for their futures as it is for its rankings,” she added.
Beyond data transparency, Vassar says meaningful change at MSU would require restoring and increasing stable funding for Black student organizations and programs. She also called for an overhaul to the complaint and investigation process, and linking executive evaluations and budget decisions to measurable progress on Black student outcomes.
