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The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Wednesday, March 23, 2016 — 3A

several sexual misconduct cases.

Walesby
noted
that
the

expansion of categories may
affect the Office of Institutional
Equity’s
ability
to
conduct

both a timely and thorough
investigation. Both the new and
current versions of the policy
limit the investigation process
to 60 days, a time period chosen
to balance considering as much
information as possible with
timeliness, according to Walesby.

“It could affect case time, but

we also want to make sure we’re
getting the full picture,” he said.

The revision will also refine

definitions of consent in regard
to incapacitation and coercion. A
Michigan Daily report last year
found inconsistencies between
SAPAC’s definition of consent
and the definition of consent
enforced in the University’s
policy. Rider-Milkovich said the
extended specifications are an
attempt to address any ambiguity
of consent when students are
under the influence of alcohol.

“I think that we did not do

a good enough job at defining
incapacitation the first time
around … We make clear to
students
that
incapacitation

is a state greater than mere

intoxication,” she said. “And we
provide other kinds of guidance.
We tell students the best thing to
do if one or both parties has been
consuming alcohol is to forgo
sexual activity.”

In terms of the restructuring

of the sanctioning and appeals
process, Rider-Milkovich said
it was aimed at improving the
efficiency of the process. A new
sanctioning board — made up of
appointees from Central Student
Government, the Office of the
President and the Office of the
Vice President for Student Life —
will be charged with reviewing
cases in which an individual
has been found responsible for
misconduct
and
determining

the consequences of the finding.
The Office of Student Conflict
Resolution,
which
currently

facilitates
sanctions
through

a Resolution Coordinator or a
resolution process, will have no
official role in the revised policy.

Though
students
voiced

concerns
during
roundtable

talks about whether a CSG
appointee on the board would be
the best way to be representative
of the student body, University
President Mark Schlissel said
in an interview Tuesday that
pursuing other means of naming
a student would threaten the
integrity and efficiency of the
process.

“You could imagine another

extreme where you want to be
as representative as possible,
and you’ve got 20 people on a
sanctioning board,” he said.
“Confidentiality is very difficult.
Arriving at a decision is very
challenging; timeliness is harder
... We’re trying to balance lots of
things.”

As well, instead of appeals

being reviewed by an internal
board as the current policy
mandates, the new policy will
rely on an external reviewer to
assess findings and sanctions if
the respondent or complainant
chooses to appeal an outcome.
Though no one has been chosen
to fill the position yet, Schlissel
said the third party will most
likely be an attorney, and must
be an impartial expert on sexual
misconduct and the law.

The reports generated during

investigations will also see a
change under the new policy,
which states that they must reveal
the identities of all witnesses to
both parties. Schlissel said the
naming of witnesses will ensure
fairness to both parties.

Other modifications to the

policy include clearly identifying
employees
responsible
for

sharing information on sexual
misconduct with the University,
providing further detail on how
the University shares information

with
law
enforcement

and
changing
the
label
of

“complainant” to “claimant.”

Schlissel
and
Rider-

Milkovich
acknowledged
the

administration faces a significant
hurdle
in
ensuring
students

are aware of the changes to the
policy. A campus climate survey
conducted last fall found that
though roughly 86 percent of all
students know the University
has a Student Sexual Misconduct
Policy, only 55 percent of students
reported receiving training or
attending programs on sexual
assault prevention and reporting.

Schlissel
said
the
new

policy
was
formed
through

consulting and guidance from
the Department of Education’s
OCR and outside experts, as well
as internal conversations with
students and other community
members. Initially slated to be
ready before the Winter 2016
semester,
conversations
with

students, looking at policies at
other schools and reviewing
government materials delayed
the process.

Overall, Schlissel said he hopes

the revisions will boost student
engagement and reporting.

“This might make people more

likely to come forward ... and we
hope that’s the case,” he said.

issue.

“These vacancies lead to things

like overcrowded classrooms or
long-term subs who are covering
the class all year because they can’t
find a teacher,” she said.

Kim Travis-Ewing, a DPS school

social worker since 1991 and the
chapter chair for SSW for DFT,
echoed Falk’s concerns about DPS
staffing.

“Representing the school, social

workers have been a task because
we used to have over 300 and now
we are probably down to about 100,”
said Travis-Ewing. “They’re also
leaving in high numbers because
of the financial conditions, the
buildings, and how we’re being
treated as employees.”

The
panel
members

also
discussed
some
of
the

misconceptions and ignored issues
that surround DPS, which they said
were largely due to the media.

Kaity Nicastri, the community

school site coordinator at Bennett
Elementary, said she thought one
common misconception was who
the right people are to handle
Detroit’s education systems.

“I think a misconception that

I’ve noticed and that seems to
be persistent is that a business
perspective works in educational
systems,” said Nicastri. “I think that
is something that is not really talked
about in the media.”

However,
among
discussion

of problems, speakers also noted
several positive aspects of DPS.

Steve
Ezikian,
the
deputy

superintendent of Wayne County
Regional
Educational
Service

Agency, said helping children in DPS
systems is extremely rewarding.

“My observation in many cities,

especially in the city of Detroit, is
that sometimes you are the best part
of that child’s day,” he said.

After the event, Education senior

Claire Forhan said she thought the
panelists offered hope.

“You enter DPS not only as a

teacher, but also as a fighter,” said
Forhan. “It was encouraging to hear
the efforts going on tonight and
hear that there is some movement
towards regaining local control.”

lot of confusion around medical
amnesty, when to MIP and high
risk game days, and of course,
sexual misconduct, which is
a big thing we’ve been talking
about this year with the policy
being revised in the University.”

Furano said having a CSG

representation on DPSS can
help bridge gaps of information
between students and the police
department, which she said she
believes has been an issue in the
past.

“As UMPD representative, I

think that I can help the UMPD
be
more
transparent
with

students and understand what’s
going on and that there is not
this big distance between policy
that’s being created by the

University and student,” Furano
said. “Because if students don’t
understand
and
they
can’t

engage with the policy, then
how are they going to be able to
follow it?”

LSA sophomore Jacqueline

Reingold is also running for
the seat. A member of Your
Michigan, Reingold is currently
CSG’s chief operations officer.
She said she was inspired to run
after attending the American
Association of America’s Big
Ten Conference and hearing the
initiatives the other universities
have taken to enhance their
public safety. Reingold has also
worked closely with Beyond the
Diag,

“I feel this is an important

position
that
hasn’t
been

necessarily
utilized
to
its

fullest,” Reingold said. “I would
love to be that student voice and

to represent those students.”

Reingold said though she

has not personally experienced
issues with UMPD, she’s heard
from students who felt they have
recieved unjustified charges and
were unsure of who to turn to.

“I think that what’s been

happening across the country
really brings this committee
into
light,”Reingold
said.

“All of the protests on other
college campuses, I think it’s
an important time for this
committee to have a voice and
stand strong as it represents
students.”

Aside from the student seats,

the other four positions on the
committee are selected by a
mix of nominations and voting.
One of the faculty spots is also
selected through a governance
body — in this case, the Faculty
Senate — instead of nomination.

Nominees for the other faculty
and staff spots are currently
being decided. Faculty member
nominations
can
be
made

through March 25.

David Potter, secretary of the

University Faculty Senate and
professor of Greek and Latin,
said the committee suggests
different
ways
to
approach

situations on campus to the
police department. Potter, who
runs the election process, added
that the committee plays an
important role by providing
community guidance to DPSS.

“There have been times in the

past when the department has
responded to issues in ways that,
while consistent with its mission,
have been rather more aggressive
than are the norm in an academic
environment,” Potter said. “This
was particularly the case with
the issue of trespass orders.”

POLICY
From Page 1A

COMMITTEE
From Page 2A

DPS
From Page 1A

Taylor’s longtime predecessor
John Hieftje, who was also at
the party on Tuesday.

“I think what we did last

time around has been right, and
my plan for next term is to do it
again, “ Taylor said, adding he
is proud of improvements made
in sustainability and road and
stormwater
infrastructure

during his two-year term as
mayor. “We as a city are going
in the right direction.”

Taylor also emphasized the

need to improve the supply of
affordable housing, saying if the
city fails to do so its economic
diversity and the quality of life
will be threatened.

“This is something that’s

good for the people in need
of affordable housing, and it’s
good for people who don’t need
affordable
housing,”
Taylor

said. “Economically diverse
communities are far better off
than other communities.”

Many
of
Taylor’s
City

Council
colleagues
were

present — as well as Hieftje
— and spoke favorably of
his leadership and ability to
accommodate
conflicting

opinions on City Council and
from the public.

“One
thing
about
(Ann

Arbor) is that we’re doing way,
way better than almost any
other (city),” Hieftje said as he
introduced Taylor. “It isn’t an
easy job.”

Many of the local residents

at the event said though they
may not necessarily agree with
Taylor on every issue, they trust
his character to best represent
the city and accommodate its
conflicting viewpoints.

Ann Arbor resident Scott

Trudeau said he disagrees
with the mayor on some issues
but looks favorably on Taylor’s
leadership.

“I think in general he’s

done a good job of making
his
decisions,
balancing

the
concerns,
organizing

the
council
and
overall

representing the city,” Trudeau
said.

He added that he appreciates

Taylor’s focus on affordable
housing, saying he thought
housing costs in the city must
be addressed to preserve the
city’s character.

“If housing continues to

become unaffordable, we’re
going to have a certain class
of relatively well-off people,”
Trudeau said. “Ann Arbor’s
character has been a lot funkier
and more interesting, and that
requires more people of more
socioeconomic statuses.”

Kathy Griswold, a longtime

resident of Ann Arbor also
in attendance, said she has
been long critical of the city
administration on pedestrian
safety,
including
during

Taylor’s
time
as
mayor.

However, she said she thought
the continuation of Taylor’s
leadership is necessary for
substantive change to be made
in the city.

“I am not at all satisfied with

the (city) government … a lot
of our processes are broken,”
Griswold said. “I can further
my
agenda
of
pedestrian

safety and good governance
by working through Taylor’s
organization more easily than
trying to develop another one.”

MAYOR
From Page 1A

pretty welcoming,” Golden
said. “People would sit down
and watch us work and chat
with us and say they were
happy
to
see
something

that looked good in their
neighborhood.”

Zielke said the projects

Golden Sign Co. completes are
sometimes large and complex
but they have no current
desire to hire any additional
help
to
complete
future

projects.

“I have more interest in

painting signs than managing
people,” he said.

DETROIT
From Page 2A

Awareness Center funding.

“It would be important to

have that non-voting member
on (the) Board of Regents
and
various
committees

talking about diversity, equity,
curriculum,” Griggs said.

Schafer also stressed in a

March interview the need for
having a student on the Board
of Regents, saying the CSG
president’s five-minute address
during meetings is not enough
in terms of open communication
and
transparency
between

students and administration.

“He doesn’t have access to

committee meetings, he doesn’t
have
access
to
back-door

conversations within the Board
of Regents, and he’s not seen as
an official member of the Board
of Regents,” Schafer said.

The
state
of
Michigan’s

constitution
outlines
the

composition
and
roles
of

the
regents,
establishing

eight
members
with
eight-

year terms “who shall be
elected as provided by law.”
Consequently,
the
creation

of a student voting position
would require amending the
state constitution, which can
be accomplished through one
of three ways: the change can
be placed on the ballot by a
citizen-led initiative garnering
a minimum of signatures, be
referred to the ballot by the
state legislature, or be amended
through
a
constitutional

convention.

The
state
constitution

also provides for the current
university president to sit on
the board, but as an ex-officio
member
in
a
non-voting

capacity.

In an interview, Regent Mike

Behm raised some concerns
with
the
logistics
behind

having a student member with
voting capabilities on the board,
noting the current eight-year
term structure in particular.

“We serve for 8-year terms,

so I’m always up for good ideas,
but with these 8-year terms, I
don’t know if a student would
want to stay for the whole
term or after they graduated.
They would then want to have
someone
take
their
place,”

Behm said.

Universities
in
several

other states have provided for
student representation on their
boards through the creation of
a de facto, non-voting student
member — a model Schafer said
he would like to see adopted at
the University.

The Association of Governing

Bodies reports 70.8 percent of
public institutions have some
sort of student presence on
their governing body.

When
asked
about
the

addition of a non-voting member,
University spokesperson Kim
Broekhuizen wrote in an e-mail
interview that she did not see a
specified provision for it in the
current law.

“That doesn’t mean it isn’t

possible, I’m just not aware of
one,” she wrote.

Schafer stressed the addition

of a non-voting member would
not require an amendment
to the state constitution as
there is no explicit provision
prohibiting students from the
Board of Regents. He said a
non-voting
student
member

would still be an invaluable,
effective
resource,
pointing

to the University of California
systems as an example, which
allow for both voting and non-
voting board members.

Students at UC schools may

apply for the position through
a standard application process.

Broekhuizen wrote that any

registered voter may run for
regent on the state ballot for the

eight voting positions already
established, including a student.

“Candidates are nominated

by the state political parties,”
she added.

Behm, who is also an attorney

in Flint, highlighted that a
student running for regent on a
ballot would have to be a citizen
of Michigan, which he said
might prompt legal concerns.

“It sort of has a bit of an equal

protection argument because
part of the student body who
are out-of-state students might
say, ‘Wait a minute, I want to
sit on the board,’ and that’s
another thing that would have
to be addressed,” Behm said.

However,
he
said
he

appreciates such new ideas and
would be interested in learning
more about the platform point,
acknowledging this particular
initiative isn’t something he has
explored in the past.

“I do think that in the year

that I’ve been on the board, that
we’ve been really trying to be
open to more people’s ideas,”
Behm said. “I come from the
school of the more people you
listen to and the more ideas, the
better. Hopefully, that’ll help
allay some of those concerns.”

Schafer said his main goal

is to begin the groundwork for
future
CSG
administrations

and pave the way for them to
continue to advocate for student
voice on the board.

“We
believe
that
it’s

entirely within the realm of
possibility that a non-voting
student is added to the Board
of Regents by the end of our
administration,” Schafer said.
“But I think it’s also important
to understand that some of this
stuff set forth by each party we
have to understand will not be
accomplished within the life of
our administration or our life at
Michigan.”

NEWMICH
From Page 1A

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