Ex-dean with oversight of Larry Nassar gets 1 year in jail

LANSING, Mich. — A former Michigan State University dean with oversight of now-imprisoned sports doctor Larry Nassar was ordered Wednesday to serve up to a year in jail after being convicted of neglect of duty and misconduct in office that stemmed from claims he sexually harassed students.

William Strampel learned his fate during a hearing in a Lansing courtroom, nearly two months after the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s ex-dean was convicted of those charges. He was acquitted of the more serious criminal sexual conduct charge.

Strampel, 71, faced up to five years in prison on the felony misconduct conviction, resulting from accusations he used his public office to sexually harass, demean and proposition students who met with him to discuss academic issues. He also was convicted of willfully neglecting a duty to monitor Nassar after protocols were put in place requiring that a third person be present in the exam room for sensitive procedures and limiting skin-to-skin contact — misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in prison.

Defense attorney John Dakmak recommended probation, citing concerns about his client’s health and service to the school, state and nation. Dakmak told Ingham County Circuit Judge Joyce Draganchuk that Strampel was tough on students but rooted “for the underdog,” and his time leading the medical school included increasing admission of women and their faculty participation. Strampel spoke only briefly, saying he did not want to drag out the proceedings.

“The jury has spoken and we’re not hiding from that,” Dakmak said. “We understand he has been found guilty. To answer for that doesn’t mean we disregard a life … of service.”

During Strampel’s trial, multiple former medical students testified about sexual comments and innuendo he made during one-onone meetings — saying they did not report the inappropriate behavior because of the power he had over their futures in medicine.