La Pietra , John Anthony - statewide (Board of Trustees of Michigan State University)
Are you an incumbent?
No
Brief Intro of Candidate
I’ve been a lawyer for 15 years now, with some focus on public and administrative law. Before that, I worked a decade each in government, civic-justice NGOs, and private business, with some accounting experience too. I want to be a guardian of the people’s money and the people’s interests, not a protector of big money and influence – a Trustee the people can trust.
Last fall an expert declared MSU the worst-managed major public university in the nation. We the people of Michigan deserve better. We need better. My wife and I have two daughters – one who’ll turn ten on Election Day, and the other going on three and a half. I want to help turn Michigan State University back into a place I’d be proud to have them attend – a place I’d feel safe sending them.
Endorsements
I hope to earn a Moms Demand Action GunSense
Top financials Contributors
Website and social media links
Currently, just me
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jalp4thePeople and/or website? * miniblog & file library: jalp4thepeople.wordpress.com
How would you engage and include parents, caregivers, community members and students in decision-making in your district around things like curriculum, budgeting and district policy?
A public university must be a beacon of transparency and openness. After all MSU’s big problems in recent years, we need open meetings and Freedom of Information at a high level which is unfortunately rare in Michigan. One way to engage the broader MSU community might be a formal community input committee with representation from all parts of the community – including students, parents, and caregivers/staff. The powers and responsibilities such a committee could have would depend not just on Board policies, but on state laws as well.
What are your thoughts on school discipline and the way it is exercised in your school district? What are your thoughts on restorative practices?
I believe MSU’s administration has been imposing wrongfully harsh discipline on students and faculty protesting peacefully to get their community to oppose genocide in Gaza. I oppose MSU’s punishment of these protests, as I deplore historical oppression of others. A public university must be a home and a haven for free speech. I have a little familiarity with restorative justice, and welcome discussions on how it could be implemented at MSU.
What are your thoughts on how to improve student mental health
Offer care where it would be helpful – and provide respect where it is due. Students are an essential part of the MSU community, and should be able to take part in building and supporting that community.
What are your thoughts on ways to improve Black student achievement in your district and in Michigan schools overall?
The Green Party platform calls for lifelong free public education at all levels, from pre-K through college and graduate school (and including trade schools). If this ambitious plan needs a starting place, MSU – our state's original land-grant college and the model for the first national legislation creating more of them, the 1862 Morrill Act – is in great
position to serve as a model again. MSU can build a statewide network of educational opportunities, in person and remote, working through the Extension service and possibly with public libraries as well as (other) public schools. It can be the vital center reaching out to students at all levels – and regardless of their social, economic, or class background.
What are your thoughts on how to ensure that all students and their families, regardless of race, gender identity, sexuality, disability, religion, income status, etc., feel safe and included in your district?
I hope my comments on previous questions show my support for inclusiveness, so I’ll focus here on safety. I support the agenda of End Gun Violence – Michigan (https://www.endgunviolencemi-action.org/issues), and I’m glad state law keeps moving toward finding better practices for safety from violence.
I agree that gun owners can and should be responsible with their weapons. But I also say anyone who carries a gun or other weapon on MSU grounds should be held responsible for harms caused by that weapon. (Anyone including law enforcement, campus-based or from outside.)
And safety is about more than just guns. MSU needs to keep building a better culture of oversight to prevent and protect against abuses of power and position, with or without violence – the kinds of abuses that have made the school so notorious in recent years.
What are your thoughts on how to recruit and retain staff, particularly staff of color, in your district with regard to pay, benefits, and working conditions?
I am confident that the policies of transparency, free speech, democracy, and human rights I’ve been talking about will draw faculty and staff of good conscience here – particularly those whose consciences have grown in climbs over social, economic, and class barriers. Bringing these values to life will be good for MSU’s reputation, too – and its business. And my experience with overseeing public finances should be of some help in making sure funding is available to provide good pay, benefits, and working conditions across the board.