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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
michigandaily.com
ADMINISTRATION
'U' to face
Dept. of
Education
inquiry
PAuE PLEGRL~/uuily
Members of the Student Union of Michigan gather in the lobby of the Fleming Administration Building Tuesday to protest the University's sexual misconduct
policies and other issues.
Stu dents march on Fleming
Protesters chastize
administration
in wake of sexual
misconduct case
By IAN DILLINGHAM
Daily News Editor
Chants heard across the Diag
on Tuesday afternoon demon-
strated that some students are
"fed up" with the University.
The Student Union of Michi-
gan hosted a protest to voice
concerns about the administra-
tion's handling of sexual mis-
conduct cases on campus. About
30 students and members of
the community marched from
Rackham Auditorium to the
Fleming Administration Build-
ing, chanting and distributing
pamphlets to onlookers.
Students from the group
delivered speeches at both
Rackham and Fleming, which
outlined the group's concerns
and suggested changes that
could be made to administrative
policies. While several issues
were addressed, the majority of
the protest revolved around the
administration's lack of effort to
improve campus climate, which
members of SUM said promotes
"rape culture" and "victim
blaming," while protecting the
personal financial interests of
administrators.
Although several references
were made to the recent contro-
versy surroundingformer kicker
Brendan Gibbons' permanent
separation from the University,
Rackham student Laura Her-
bert said the group supports the
survivor's right to privacy and
the University's decision to keep
certain information about the
case private.
"We're hearing the same
line of rhetoric," Herbert said.
"They're telling us that because
they can't divulge private mat-
ters to us as a student body, they
can't do anything about the rape
culture on campus. That's not
true."
Herbert said the administra-
tion has many opportunities to
improve campus climate within
the constraints of laws regard-
ing the privacy of sexual assault
victims. In particular, she called
for public forums where stu-
dents can speak about their
concerns and a mandate for Uni-
versity athletic staff to receive
training on how to handle cases
of sexual misconduct involving
students.
Following a mandate from
the Department of Education in
2011, the University reformed
its sexual misconduct policy to
comply with new federal regu-
See MARCH, Page 3A
Office for Civil Rights
will look into whether
sexual assault cases
were mishandled
By WILL GREENBERG
Daily NewsoEditor
The U.S. Department ofEdu-
cation Office for Civil Rights
will investigate the University's
response to a Title IX complaint
concerning a 2009 sexual mis-
conduct case involving former
kicker Brendan Gibbons.
The Michigan Daily reported
on Jan. 28 that Gibbons was per-
manently separated from the
University after violating the
University's Sexual Misconduct
Policy, according to documents
reviewed by the Daily.
University spokesman Rick
Fitzgerald confirmed the Univer-
sity was notified of the investiga-
tion Monday night.
"We're very proud of our stu-
dent sexual misconduct policy,
our prevention efforts and our
programs to support survivors of
sexual misconduct," Fitzgerald
said in a statement. "We will fully
cooperate with the Department
of Education and we believe that
a review of our policy, programs
and investigations will conclude
that the University of Michigan
is doing what it should in this
important area."
A letter from the OCR to Doug
Smith, a former University pro-
fessor who has been vocal against
the University as information
about the Gibbons case has sur-
faced, said it will investigate
Smith's complaint about the case.
Smith issued his complaint in
August 2013, accusing the Uni-
versity of failing to respond in a
timely manner to a rape incident
at a fraternity house thatinvolved
a female University student and
two University football players.
Jim Bradshaw, a spokesman
for the Department of Education,
said no other information can
be confirmed by the OCR at this
point regarding the details of the
See INQUIRY, Page 3A
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT POLICY
Big Ten schools
undergo similar
policy changes
Title IX coordinator
implemented at
universities under
new guidelines
ByJACK TURMAN
DailyStaffReporter
While the U.S. Department of
Education Office for Civil Rights
commences its investigation
regarding a Title IX complaint
lodged against the University,
other Big Ten schools are also
grappling with the implementa-
tion of revised sexual misconduct
guidelines.
In April 2011, the OCR released
a Dear Colleague Letter that
required universities to modify
their sexual harassment policies
codified by Title IX of the Educa-
tion Amendments of 1972.
Under the new mandate, uni-
versities are required to have a
Title IX coordinator who is in
charge of "overseeing Title IX
complaints and identifying and
addressing any patterns or sys-
temic problems that arise during
the review of such complaints."
The changes require uni-
versities to actively investigate
instances of sexual misconduct
rather than wait for survivors to
bring allegations forward.
Like many other universities,
after implementing an interim
policybased onthe recommenda-
tions, the University revised its
sexual misconduct policy in 2013.
The letter includes mandates, but
leaves some leeway for institu-
tions to craft their own policies.
Though universities are
required to implement many of
the same changes due to risk of
losing federal funding, one of the
main differences is the extent to
which the operation is central-
ized.
In an e-mail interview, Gary
Lewis, senior director of media
and public relations at Ohio State
University, said certain univer-
sity offices have the power to
investigate cases under their
jurisdiction.
"If the respondent/accused
person is a faculty or staff mem-
See CHANGES, Page 3A
Joseph Kolars, senior associate dean for education and global initiatives at the Medical School, speaks about
education and global initiatives at a town hall discussion in the Towsley Center Tuesday.
Town hall series explores
Medical School regimen
GOVERNMENT
Michigan
picked for
new tech.
center
Manufacturing
innovation institute
to create 10,000
jobs in the state
By YARDIN AMRON
Daily StaffReporter
At a press conference at the
White House Tuesday, President
Barack Obama began with a joke.
"Basically I'm here to
announce we're building Iron
Man," Obama said. "I'm going to
blast off in a second."
While there was no blastoff,
the joke alluded to a new manu-
facturing innovation institute
focused on lightweight and
modern metals that will open in
Metro Detroit this spring.
The American Lightweight
Materials Manufacturing Inno-
vation Institute involves a con-
glomerate of more than 50
companies, nonprofits and uni-
versities - including the Uni-
versity of Michigan - and is
expected to create 10,000 jobs
See TECH, Page 6A
Lecture discusses
importance of
broad education
By CAROLINE BARON
For the Daily
An outsider's perception of
the life of a medical student
likely consists of a tedious
courseload and hours spent
memorizing facts and process-
es: But, more than a few books
aside, more experiences out-
side of alab lie ahead for those
aspiring to become a healthcare
professional.
In a lecture Tuesday, Joseph
Kolars, senior associate dean
for education and global ini-
tiatives at the Medical School,
emphasized the development
of a curriculum that produces
socially aware students. The
lecture occurred as part of a
series of town hall meetings
aimed at professors, research-
ers, students and other mem-
bers of the Medical School
community.
The town hall series exists
to allow the community to
take part in discussions about
important issues related to
the Medical School and offer
a variety of perspectives on
changes that will affect them.
Tuesday's meeting was the fifth
in the series, which was first
announced in the fall.
Kolars said this lecture was
focused on advising professors
to step back and reconsider the
central ideas of success within
the Medical School before
developing a new curriculum.
While the series emphasizes
change within the Medical
See MEDICAL, Page 3A
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