smu ccpa – Meadows School of the Arts

By Alix Sommers
B.A. English, B.A. Fashion Media ’20

Emily Lawler, capital and business reporter with MLive Media Group, shared the experience of her year-long coverage of the Dr. Larry Nassar abuse case in a lecture at SMU March 1, sponsored by the Meadows Division of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs.

Nassar is the former Michigan State University (MSU) and USA Gymnastics (USAG) team doctor who was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for sex crimes.

Lawler spent more than a year reporting on the case. At the beginning, she said the public questioned the accuracy of the story.

“He had a lot of community support – there were a lot of people who frankly didn’t believe he had done anything wrong,” Lawler said. “But despite the initial reaction, we kept going.”

Hilltop-on-the-Hill is a signature program

within the political communication track of SMU’s Corporate Communication and Public Affairs (CCPA) that annually takes students to Washington DC.

Lasting five days for one-hour course credit, Hilltop is a way to introduce students to career opportunities in Washington D.C. while highlighting the many ways communication plays a vital role in our nation’s capital.