“immediate action” upon notice 
of harassment at the expense of 
receiving federal funding. To 
date, the OCR has conducted 
435 investigations into colleges’ 
mishandling of sexual assault; 
the University’s case opened 
in 2014 and remains pending. 
Upon 
DeVos’ 
appointment 

under President Donald Trump, 
many braced for a dismantling 
of stringent guidelines.

Jennifer Salvatore, founding 

partner at Salvatore, Prescott 
and Porter law firm, noted an 
unfortuate lack of surprise at 
the announcement.

“It’s 
disappointing 
but 

not 
surprising 
to 
see 
this 

administration roll back these 
guidelines,” 
Salvatore 
said. 

“The 2011 Dear Colleague letter 
helped provide guidance to 
universities in an important 
area and put renewed focus 
on the very real problem of 
sexual 
assault 
on 
campus. 

There has been a sea change 
in the last ten years in terms 
of 
how 
campuses 
address 

sexual 
assault. 
and 
while 

the processes put in place by 
colleges are not always perfect, 
the rollback of guidance that 
clarified necessary protections 
for victims is not the solution.” 

University 
alum 
Fabiana 

Diaz, an advocate and survivor 
herself, met with DeVos over 
the summer as a part of a 
summit on sexual assault. She 
said she voiced her concern 
about survivors taking on the 
“burden” of advocacy work, and 
pled with DeVos to preserve 
Title IX protections.

Diaz said she believed DeVos 

alluded to her remarks in her 
speech.

“A survivor told me that 

she is tired of feeling like the 
burden of ensuring her school 
addresses Title IX falls on her 
shoulders,” DeVos said. “She is 
right. The burden is not hers, 
nor is it any student’s burden.”

Still, Diaz said, she was 

perplexed 
by 
the 
mixed 

messages in the announcement.

“(DeVos) told me she heard 

me that day … and I do feel like 
she came with a little bit more 
compassion today,” she said. 
“But she still made it sound 
like a 50/50 issue of accusers’ 
rights being violated, when 
in reality, survivors are much 
more vulnerable. I still don’t 
know what my rights were in 
my investigation.”

Diaz’s case was adjudicated 

at the University before the 
wave of activism on campus 
around 
sexual 
assault 

awareness. 
Following 
the 

Dear Colleague letter, a high-
profile case involving a former 
football player and protests, the 
University conducted its own 
campus climate survey in 2015 
under 
University 
President 

Mark Schlissel: 11 percent of all 
students reported experiencing 
non-consensual 
sexual 

behavior. The Sexual Assault 
Awareness 
and 
Prevention 

Center spearheaded a push for 
more trainings on bystander 
intervention and consent. And 

after a lengthy — and public — 
revision process, the University 
released an updated sexual 
misconduct policy last summer.

Much of the new policy 

attempted 
to 
redress 
the 

concerns 
of 
unfairness 

DeVos raised in her speech: 
witnesses’ information is now 
disclosed to both parties in an 
investigation; the definition of 
consent is much clearer; and an 
independent, expert external 
reviewer 
each 
investigation; 

respondents 
and 
claimants 

are now able to appeal to an 
external, third-party reviewer 
if they take issue with the 
findings.

Deborah 
Gordon 
is 
a 

Michigan-based attorney who 
has represented a number of 
accused 
University 
students 

— including a controversial 
John Doe case that made it to a 
federal court last winter — and 
alleged the University’s updates 
still don’t do enough to ensure 
due process. Still, however, she 
noted the University’s internal 
processes, pacing with trends 

in other federal policies like 
the travel ban — are unlikely 
to be significantly affected by 
changes at OCR.

“The University drank the 

Kool-Aid on sexual assault,” 
she said. “They’ll still operate 
under the cover of ‘Dear 
Colleague’ to pursue these 
investigations.”

University 
spokeswoman 

Kim Broekhuizen wrote in an 
email statement the University 
remains committed to making 
campus “as safe as possible.”

“At this time, we will 

continue to follow our current 
policies and procedures for 
addressing matters of sexual 
misconduct on our campus,” 
she 
wrote. 
“We 
will 
be 

following the rule making 
process closely.”

More troubling to sexual 

assault advocates was the 
ambiguity of DeVos’ speech 
as to next steps for DOE and 
the OCR. DeVos suggested 
alternative measures such as 
regional Title IX investigation 
centers or task forces of 
lawyers, but introduced no 
concrete policy initiative.

Rackham 
student 
Nicole 

Bedera 
researches 
colleges’ 

interpretations of Title IX across 
the 
country, 
and 
expressed 

concern about the implications 
of DeVos’ lack of clarity.

“It is hard to know exactly 

what the impact of DeVos’ 
statements will be,” she wrote 
in an email interview. “What is 
clear is that DeVos’ main focus 
moving forward appears to 
be the protection of students 
accused of sexual misconduct 
— and particularly those who 
have 
been 
falsely 
accused. 

Considering the empirical data 
we have on the rarity of false 
allegations of sexual assault, 
this is a misguided approach to 
take.”

Most 
methodical 
studies 

of sexual assault place false 
reporting statistics from 2-8 

percent of all reports of sexual 
misconduct. 
Bedera 
wrote 

DeVos’ misinterpretations could 
irreparably damage survivors’ 
claims.

“In all likelihood, it suggests 

DeVos’ 
misunderstanding 
of 

what constitutes sexual assault 
and that could have very real 
and very harmful implications 
for survivors on campus,” she 
concluded.

Many experts agree both 

red tape and broad definitions 
of 
harassment 
in 
campus 

sexual misconduct policies can 
threaten due process rights; a 
group of researchers from the 
Harvard Law School submitted 
a memo to DOE earlier this 
month urging the department 

to reevaluate “Dear Colleague” 
directives 
as 
such. 
Gordon 

added many processes rush to 
assume the accused student’s 
guilt.

“You can’t pick and choose 

who you give due process to, 
and I’m happy someone’s finally 
talking about due process … even 
if it is Betsy DeVos,” she said.

Still, 
statements 
from 

various actors signal a steady 
course in the University’s own 
proceedings. SAPAC released a 
statement Thursday affirming 
its commitment to the campus 
community.

Diaz, 
a 
former 
SAPAC 

volunteer, said she’s hopeful 
about the University’s positive 
trajectory 
in 
protecting 

survivors’ rights.

“I’m proud of the way (the 

University) has stepped up, and 
we have to set the example,” 
she said. “We definitely have 
Brock Turners on our campus. 
I challenge the University to 
stand with survivors.”

Diaz went on to recount 

her own sexual assault during 
the Summer Bridge Scholars 
program before her freshman 
year.

“I got raped on my second 

day on this campus and these 
freshmen are just stepping foot 
onto (it),” she said. 

Despite 
the 
University’s 

concerted efforts, she warned 
of the consequences of top-
down messaging from DOE 
on 
individuals’ 
perception 

of safety within the system. 
As of the 2015 survey, just 
3.6 percent of students who 
experienced 
nonconsensual 

behavior reported to an official 
University resource.

“It’s already happening. And 

the process already isn’t easy 
for a survivor. I would not be 
surprised if reporting rates go 
down… it’s an awful message the 
beginning of the semester for 
students to hear,” she reflected.

But 
like 
other 
student 

advocates 
and 
protesters 

signaled Thursday, she said 
she’s not giving up.

“It 
gives 
me 
rage 
and 

motivation to keep on fighting,” 
she said.

Force 
on 
Sexual 
Violence 

Prevention 
in 
Higher 

Education 
and 
Skidmore 

College’s Campus Promoting 
Restorative 
Initiatives 
for 

Sexual Misconduct as chair.

Harper cited Williamsen’s 

previous position as the Title 
IX coordinator at Swarthmore 
College and Title IX deputy 
coordinator for Prevention at 
Carleton College. 

“Dr. 
Williamsen 
brings 

to 
this 
role 
many 
years 

of 
experience 
in 
sexual 

misconduct 
prevention, 

education 
and 
response 

efforts,” Harper wrote. “She 
is also a leader in the field’s 

national conversation.”

Williamsen’s 
experience 

with federal enforcement is 
increasingly relevant, as U.S. 
Secretary of Education Betsy 
DeVos announced a change 
of course in campus sexual 
assault regulations Thursday 
afternoon. Under the Obama 
administration, 
the 
U.S. 

Department 
of 
Education’s 

Office 
of 
Civil 
Rights 

wielded Title IX to pressure 
schools into more stringent 
investigations 
of 
sexual 

misconduct complaints. Since 
2014, the University has been 
one of about 240 schools across 
the country undergoing OCR 
investigation for mishandling 
students’ cases. Swarthmore 
was also under investigation 
during 
Williamsen’s 
tenure 

after students filed federal 
complaints 
against 
the 

university’s 
sexual 
assault 

policies.

“These 
new 
(Title 
IX 

coordinator) jobs are really 
not 
just 
about 
compliance 

anymore, (but also campus 
climate),” Williamsen told the 
Chronicle of Higher Education 
in 2014.

In an email to SAPAC staff 

and volunteers, Bazzy thanked 
her team for their support.

“Thank you all for your 

amazing work to continue 
to 
support 
our 
survivor 

community 
and 
provide 

preventive education to our 
campus,” she wrote. “It is 
because of all of you that we 
are able to continue to do good 
work.”

proactive 
investments, 
the 

right capital decisions, a lot of 
our shared success, the provost 
has a very large component of.”

Schlissel went on to outline 

the search process for a new 
provost but, in the end, said 
Philbert 
was 
always 
the 

obvious choice.

“We actually did an open 

search,” he said. “I had no 
preconceived notion, although 
everybody was coming up to 
me with a little whisper ‘You 
know you should really just 
hire Martin’ … We did a proper 
search and we actually looked 
at outstanding candidates … 
The best talent and the best fit 
for the University of Michigan 
was already here in Martin.”

Philbert said in his remarks 

he wants to put academia 
on the forefront of national 
investment 
in 
the 
coming 

years, especially with regard 
to the Trump’s proposed $9.2 
billion budget cuts to education 
back in May. 

“It is an important time 

for us in academia,” Philbert 
said. “This is the time when 
the value of what we do, no 
matter the field, no matter the 

discipline 
or 
subdiscipline, 

truly matters in that we must 
now model to the nation both 
locally, regionally, nationally 
and across the globe, what 
it means to be driven by the 
analytic 
mind, 
by 
critical 

thought and by evidence.”

LSA senior Jad Elharake 

said he is optimistic about 
Philbert’s hire and the impact 
his new perspective will have 
on the student body. Elharake 
has been working for the 
past eight months to add a 
Middle Eastern/North African 
category as an ethnicity option 
to all University documents 
and 
forms. 
He 
had 
been 

working with Courant prior 
to Philbert’s hire and said in 
preliminary meetings, Philbert 
has been open to Elharake’s 
ideas.

“I think it’s a critical time 

here for Michigan, especially 
politically, globally and I’m just 
looking forward to the role that 
he’s going to play for students 
on campus,” Elharake said. 
“He’s kind of the go-to person 
when it comes to (this ethnicity 
addition) 
especially 
with 

figuring out the logistics of it 
and in reality, us educating him 
on the Middle Eastern/North 
African 
student 
population 

here at Michigan.”

Business 
sophomore 
Vin 

Kannan is the head of grants for 
Music Matters, an organization 
that promotes music marketing 
ventures and social change 
through music in Ann Arbor. 
He 
said 
the 
relationship 

between Philbert and Music 
Matters is aligned through 
their dedication to diversity and 
inclusion at the University. He 
also said Philbert’s comments 
on national academia relate to 
the University’s emphasis on 
real-world application.

“He seemed like he wanted 

to take pure academia and 
apply it to the world around us,” 
Kannan said. “Music Matters 
really embodies this sentiment 
by taking an entrepreneurial 
idea … and applying it to the 
real world and I think that that 
sort of action-orientated spirit 
is really my biggest takeaway 
from the new provost.”

Going forward, Philbert said 

his initiatives will take the 
University’s 
current 
budget 

into account and reflect its 
overall academic and moral 
goals.

“I’m 
certainly 
fully 

supportive of the president’s 
initiatives and we will make 
investments as we can to 
advance the mission of the 
University,” Philbert said.

announced the idea for the 
Peace Corps on the steps of the 
Michigan Union in 1960, over 
2,500 University students have 
participated. Starting this year, 
the University’s International 
Center is launching a program 
to involve even more University 
students in the Peace Corps.

“The 
Peace 
Corps 
Prep 

program will provide students 
with a foundation for Peace 
Corps 
service 
and 
other 

international opportunities by 
offering courses and activities 
in four core areas: language, 
intercultural 
competence, 

leadership and work sector,” 
according to a University press 
release from the International 

Center.

According to Kelly Nelson, 

senior 
program 
manager 

for Global Engagement and 
Education Abroad, the Peace 
Corps Prep Program is an 
initiative to give students a 
competitive edge when applying 
to the Peace Corps.

“Through the Peace Corps 

Prep program, we hope to 
help guide students who have 
interest 
in 
global 
service, 

such as the Peace Corps, to 
activities inside and outside 
of the classroom that will 
help to prepare them for these 
experiences,” Nelson wrote in 
an email interview.

International Center Director 

Judith Pennywell said in the 
press 
release 
the 
program, 

which is already in place at 
many universities around the 

country, 
will 
create 
more 

structure for students who are 
interested in the Peace Corps.

“The program’s role is to 

create a structured pathway 
for 
students 
by 
combining 

specific 
U-M 
courses 
and 

co-curricular 
experiences 
to 

build competencies Peace Corps 
has identified to be valuable,” 
Pennywell wrote.

All students with sophomore 

standing or above are eligible 
to apply, and once accepted, 
students will take classes within 
the four areas — language, 
intercultural 
competence, 

leadership and work sector — to 
earn a Peace Corps-endorsed 
certificate.

“As part of the program, 

students 
will 
complete 
two 

semesters of language courses, 
take 
three 
intercultural 

competence courses, three work 
sector-related 
courses, 
one 

leadership activity, and complete 

50 hours of field experience in 
a Peace Corps work sector,” the 

press release stated.

Though 
the 
program 
is 

tailored toward the Peace Corps, 
Nelson emphasized it teaches 
valuable skills for many careers 
and opportunities.

“Fulfilling the curricular and 

co-curricular requirements of 
the Peace Corps Prep Program 
is 
excellent 
preparation 

for 
numerous 
post-grad 

opportunities,” Nelson wrote. “I 
would also add that this program 
is especially valuable for students 
who are interested in the Peace 
Corps, but aren’t really sure how 
to go about preparing for it. The 
‘road map’ nature of this program 
takes some of the guesswork out 
of it and will hopefully make the 
Peace Corps an option for even 
more students at the University of 
Michigan.”

The 
International 
Center 

hopes many students will benefit 
from program in its inaugural 
year.

“Our goal is to attract a diverse, 

committed cadre of students 
who 
are 
passionate 
about 

global service,” Nelson wrote. 
“Because this will be our first 
year administering the program, 
we’re also looking forward to 
continuing to reflect on the 
program.”

The 
program 
is 
holding 

information sessions Sept. 15, 18 
and 30, but it’s already attracting 
students. Weinstein, who is a 
Peace Corps Ambassador on 
campus this semester, said 
she would definitely consider 
participating.

“It seems interesting,” she 

said. “Anything that sets you up 
to be more successful in your 
application is helpful.”

News
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Friday, September 8, 2017 — 3A

TITLE IX
From Page 1A

CORPS
From Page 1A

PROVOST
From Page 1A

SAPAC
From Page 1A

Our goal is to 

attract a diverse, 
committed cadre 
of students who 
are passionate 
about global 

service

You can’t pick and 
choose who you 
give due process 
to, and I’m happy 
someone’s finally 
talking about due 

process

VETERAN
From Page 1A

because he’s a veteran and he 

speaks the language,” Larson 
said. “He related to them very 
well so stuff he says resonates 
with them and he really tries 
to go where they are…it’s right 
what they need to hear.”

Fretz agreed, and explained 

how he initially intended to 
train other individuals to teach 
the course, but realized what 
an impact his own experience 
and background would have on 
his students.

“A lot of the course rests 

heavily on my style because 
I am an officer, but I can act 
enlisted, I can get by easily 
because I have the experience 
and degrees to back it up,” 
Fretz said. “For all the stuff 
in the course it’s hard to 
take the modules and hand 
it over to a well-meaning 
professor because…can you go 
to another university can you 
find someone who is a really 
proficient trainer and educator 
but is that person also a senior 
military person with all these 
deployments? Probably not.”

LSA junior Alex Downs was 

one of the student veterans 
present at the orientation. 
Downs is excited to begin his 
time at University as a transfer 
junior after serving six years in 
the U.S. Air Force.

“I always wanted to go here 

when I was a kid — I had all 
the merch — I was only going 

to apply to two other schools 
beside this one, but I figured 
there is no point because if I 
get accepted here I’m going to 
go straight here,” Downs said.

Downs 
is 
specifically 

looking forward to embracing 
the academic rigor at the 
University.

“I’m ready for the challenge 

honestly, community college 
was kind of like a walk in the 
street,” Downs said. “I could 
breeze by pretty easily but the 
last couple days have shown 
me that the stuff here is a lot 
more difficult and there is a lot 
more of it so I’m pretty happy 
about the level of academic 
challenge.”

In addition to Fretz’s course, 

another major resource to help 
student 
veterans 
with 
the 

academic challenge as well 
as the adjustment to campus 
life is PAVE. The goal of the 
program is to provide student 
veterans with peer advisors, 
often student veterans already 
on campus, who can offer 
support and guidance during 
their time at the University. 
PAVE was established by both 
the University of Michigan 
Depression Center as well as 
the Department of Psychiatry 
and 
Student 
Veterans 
of 

America.

Dylan Keyes, a peer advisor 

for 
PAVE, 
describes 
the 

importance of student veterans 
having mentors to whom they 
can relate.

“It’s really having someone 

we feel like we can connect 

with. 
It 
was 
mentioned 

yesterday 
at 
a 
different 

meeting, and we tell vets that 
if you look around and you see 
people and you don’t feel like 
you have anything in common 
— you probably don’t,” Keyes 
said. “You have a lot of vets 
that come in with a lot of 
other baggage, and it’s really 
having someone else there who 
supports them because we are a 
little more relatable just having 
that common bond from the 
past.” 

With the support of PAVE, the 

lessons from the Veteran Success 
course and other resources on 
campus such as the Veterans 
Integration 
to 
Academic 

Leadership, Fretz is pleased with 
the effort that the University has 
gone through to support student 
veterans.

“Michigan really puts their 

money where their mouth is,” 
Fretz said.

Larson hopes the Veteran 

Success 
course 
as 
well 
as 

all the other campus efforts 
provide student veterans with 
a pathway for success not only at 
the University, but also in their life 
after graduation.

“When 
they 
get 
this 

University of Michigan college 
degree they take a big step up 
on the social economic ladder. 
It’s that Spiderman line, ‘With 
great 
power 
comes 
great 

responsibility’,” Larson said. “So 
we say, ‘You’re going to have this 
kind of power with the Michigan 
degree, how are you going to use 
that again for good?’”

