percent Asian population. Helmkamp said he also believes that with schools such as the University of Michigan, UW and even the University of California, Berkeley — which have large student populations and differences in diversity across the student body — there are efforts to bring a lot of communities together; he noted though he expects attempts to build community, there are also case-by-case scenarios that need to be considered given differences among people. “In (the University of Michigan’s) case (there are) probably some conversations along the lines of, ‘We’re all Wolverines,’ and trying to build that sort of community with thousands of students, some of whom are extroverts, some of whom are introverts, some of whom are rural, some of whom are urban, racial differences, orientation differences, international students — it’s quite a little experiment,” he said. “Each challenge is different.” Proactive and reactive measures According to Helmkamp, UW takes a variety of proactive measures against bias incidents, with the intent of fostering a better campus community. The most significant effort, he explained, is the Our Wisconsin program, which has just completed its second year. It consists of several workshops that feature structured dialogue and activities, according to its website. “The focus is on incoming new students residing in university residence halls, which here at Madison is about 95 percent of the incoming freshman class,” he said. “It is essentially an ‘understand yourself and the broader community, the roles of identity’ (program). It’s a community- building program, we build it around the various housing floor communities.” Earlier this month, the school hosted its 19th annual diversity forum, which consists of notable speakers and breakout sessions, through which attendees can learn about inclusion, microaggressions and a variety of other topics. “(The forum) is a campus-wide coming together, reviewing a lot of the efforts of the previous year,” he said. On the reactive end, Helmkamp explained there are several other efforts used for bias incidents. Among them, he explained, are the student conduct code and administrative reports and criminal reports. He explained the university has a bias reporting system similar to the University of Michigan’s, but has been handling bias reporting in a more formal way since fall 2011. “Over the last year, we’ve kind of upped our game with this where we now have an up-to- date, accessible log of the all the incidents that are reported to us,” he said. “Last February we hired a full-time staff member to act as our bias response and advocacy coordinator, and she responds to the reports that come in. We respond individually to all reports. We offer support to individuals.” He explained UW addresses and tries to reach resolutions in situations where it is able to identify all of the parties and people, and these people are willing to come together to work things out. Instances that involve potential criminal activity, he explained, are referred to the UW-Madison Police Department. If it is a potential violation of the student conduct code, it is referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. “Interestingly enough, and I don’t know how this would slot in with other institutions, this past spring semester, we received just over 90 bias reports for, I believe it was, 72 separate incidents,” he said. “Of those incidents, only two of them were referred on for either (the) conduct (process) or law enforcement action. The great bulk of what we see is really incidents between two people, whether it’s microaggressions or any number of things, but they tend to be more interpersonal as opposed to conduct or criminal.” Helmkamp also explained UW does not identify any incident as a “hate crime.” “In our world of student affairs here at Madison we kind of look at it and say, we don’t do crime,” he said. “If the police think it’s a hate crime, we will let them label it. Even in our processes, we don’t have categories for people to say, ‘This was a hate crime.’ In fact, we really talk a whole lot more about bias incidents than we do about hate. We keep open the idea that some of the incidents could certainly elevate to where it really is hate-motivated, but we really focus a whole lot more on those things that so frequently happen between two people that have more of a bias flavor to it.” The University of Michigan does declare “hate crimes” on campus. It describes them, using the U.S. Department of Justice’s definition, as crimes or threats motivated by an offender’s bias against a certain social identity. In such incidents, Helmkamp explained, the bias advocacy and response coordinator might get involved, sit with the individuals and work through receptions, issues and concerns. He explained the great majority of the university’s bias response efforts are about improving the campus community from an education perspective, much more than a punitive perspective. Comparatively, according to 2017 enrollment data from Indiana University, 4.4 percent of the student body is African American, U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich, has been accused of secretly making a $27,000 settlement for a sexual harassment claim by an employee in 2015, according to a BuzzFeed News report. In the article, BuzzFeed reported they have received affidavits from four former congressional employees who claim they had seen Conyers making sexual advances toward female employees. The report states that while three of these affidavits have been notarized, all four come from documents within a complaint reporting Conyers had “made sexual advances to female staff that included requests for sex acts, contacting and transporting other women with whom they believed Conyers was having affairs, caressing their hands sexually, and rubbing their legs and backs in public.” The documents also include details of the 2015 dismissal complaint settlement, a process which the alleged victim described to BuzzFeed News as one that provided her no other choice but to keep her accusations a secret and accept the settlement offer. “I was basically blackballed. There was nowhere I could go,” she told BuzzFeed News. Other representatives have spoken out against Conyers, calling the reports deeply troubling, including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. These allegations follow a series of other accusations against prominent figures in politics and other realms including Sen. Al Franken, Harvey Weinstein and former CBS news anchor Charlie Rose. Later, Conyers confirmed he reached a financial settlement with the staffer who brought a case against him for sexual harassment but emphasized he did not admit to guilt in the case. “I expressly and vehemently denied the allegations made against me, and continue to do so,” Conyers said in a statement. “My office resolved the allegations — with an express denial of liability — to save all involved from the rigors of protracted litigation. That should not be lost in the narrative.” Engineering sophomore Lincoln Merrill, press correspondent for the University of Michigan’s chapter of College Republicans, stated that while he finds the allegations alarming, immediate repercussions for the accused perpetrators may not be entirely visible. “The number of allegations that have come out in the past month is ridiculous. It’s an interesting note that on both sides of the aisle there’s been so many allegations recently,” Merrill said. “I don’t think it’s going to change anything visibly but I think it will change people’s attitudes towards government.” In a statement to The Daily, Public Policy junior Lauren Schandevel, communications director for the University of Michigan’s chapter of College Democrats, highlighted the importance of looking at such issues in a non- partisan manner, and said the organization will be continuing to monitor the outcomes of this case. “The reports are troubling and we will be watching intently over the next few weeks to see how this unfolds,” she wrote. “Charges of sexual misconduct are extremely serious and should be condemned regardless of the perpetrator’s political leanings.” 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com ARTS SECTION arts@michigandaily.com SPORTS SECTION sports@michigandaily.com ADVERTISING dailydisplay@gmail.com NEWS TIPS news@michigandaily.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR tothedaily@michigandaily.com EDITORIAL PAGE opinion@michigandaily.com NATHAN GUPTA Business Manager 734-418-4115 ext. 1241 nathankg@michigandaily.com EMMA KINERY Editor in Chief 734-418-4115 ext. 1251 kineryem@michigandaily.com PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION photo@michigandaily.com NEWSROOM 734-418-4115 opt. 3 CORRECTIONS corrections@michigandaily.com The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. 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Deacon Dameron @Deak_TM I just saw a guy wearing an MSU shirt while I was wearing a Michigan XC shirt and I swear we connected on an existential level Ashley Preston @aprezt0n Leaving the city of Ann Arbor is a cathartic experience. Jason C Grant @jcharlesgrant As we head into Thanksgiving break, I wonder if @DrMarkSchlissel and other @UMich officials will show thanks to graduate students by publicly opposing the #gradstudenttax, which will bankrupt most of us and force us to leave the university ... North Campus Sustainability Hour V WHAT: Enjoy lunch with Tau Beta Pi engineering fraternity while listening to a talk on sustainability. WHO: Tau Beta Pi WHEN: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: Lurie Robert H. Engineering Center - Johnson Rooms SLE Board Meeting WHAT: Gain leadership through planning social, service and sustainability events with the Sustainable Living Experience board. WHO: Sustainable Living Experience WHEN: 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. WHERE: Matthei Botanical Gardens Food Distribution with Community Action Network WHAT: Volunteer to help distribute food from the truck, shop with families or clean the community center afterward at a large-scale food pantry in Ann Arbor. Sign up with Health Promotion at U-M to attend. WHO: Maize Pages Student Organizations WHEN: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: Bryant Community Center Michigan Knitting Club Weekly Meeting WHAT: Come hang out and knit or crochet with the Michigan Knitting Club at their weekly meeting! WHO: Maize Pages Student Organizations WHEN: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Union - Welker Room RESPONSE From Page 1A Conyers accused of blacklisting, sexually harassing employees Buzzfeed News reports Rep. Conyers paid $27,000 settlement in secret JORDYN BAKER Daily Staff Reporter See RESPONSE, Page 3A