Krzysztof 
Smiszek, 

a 
Polish 
human 
rights 

lawyer, 
activist, 
and 

managing editor of The Anti-
Discrimination Law Review, 
spoke Monday at Weiser Hall 
to University of Michigan 
students and faculty about 
the obstacles and successes 
with modern LGBTQ rights 

in Poland. Smiszek’s lecture 
was broken up into four 
key parts: the legal system 
of 
Poland, 
the 
lack 
of 

transgender rights, how the 
European Union influences 
Poland’s laws and the future 
of LGBTQ rights.

Smiszek 
spoke 
to 
the 

legal 
system 
of 
Poland 

being particularly difficult 
to crack through, and how 
he and his team of lawyers 

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A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

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STUDENT LIFE

University President Mark 

Schlissel sat down with The 
Daily Monday morning to talk 
about recent developments on 
sexual misconduct training 
and 
investigations 
at 
the 

University 
of 
Michigan, 

voting 
laws 
in 
Michigan, 

recommendations to change 
the current Regent investment 
protocols and more.

Sexual 

Misconduct 
Data 
and 

Sixth 
Circuit 
Court 
Ruling

The 

recent 
Sexual 
Misconduct 

Report from the Office for 
Institutional Equity, released 
in early September, shows 
an increase in reported cases 
of sexual misconduct, even 
while the number of case 
investigations dropped.

Schlissel said he interprets 

the number as a sign that the 
rate of reporting is increasing, 
and credited the #MeToo 
movement 
and 
broader 

societal change for increased 
willingness to report.

“In general, it’s actually a 

good thing that the number of 

incidents reported is going 

up,” 
Schlissel 

said. 
“The 

incidence 
of 
this 

conduct 
is 

intolerably 

high, but 

the 

frequency of reporting is far 
lower. So, it’s a good thing, and 
I think it’s a product of some 
of the educational campaigns 
we’re doing on campus but 
also heightened sensitivity and 
awareness of misconduct in the 
broader society.”

Schlissel 
said 
there 
are 

several reasons for the reduced 
number of investigations. He 
noted the University doesn’t 
have 
jurisdiction 
in 
cases 

that don’t involve students or 
faculty at the University — in 
which case a report is filed 
and the case is referred to the 
Ann Arbor Police Department 
— 
and 
said 
complainants 

sometimes 
choose 
not 
to 

pursue 
investigations 
into 

reported misconduct.

“We’re going to continue 

to try to get everyone who 
feels as if they’ve been treated 
inappropriately to step forward 
and ask for help,” Schlissel 
said. “And then we’ll work 
with them to figure out the 

Amid 

national 
uproar 
following 

multiple allegations of sexual 
assault against Supreme Court 
nominee 
Brett 
Kavanaugh, 

students and faculty at the 
University of Michigan campus 
are 
protesting 
and 
finding 

ways to discuss the issue, how 
it pertains to campus climate 
and its relevance in national 
discourse.

After 
first 

sending 
several 
anonymous 

tips to U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, 
D-Calif., 
and 
Sen. 
Dianne 

Feinstein, D-Calif., Christine 
Blasey Ford, a professor at 
Palo 
Alto 
University, 
came 

out 
publicly 
in 
September 

with 
details 
regarding 

Kavanaugh’s alleged attempt of 
sexual assault when the two of 
them were high school students. 
Kavanaugh 
allegedly 
pinned 

Ford to a bed, groped her and 
when she resisted and tried to 
scream, he put his hand over 
her mouth. Ford has provided 
notes telling the same story from 
a couple’s therapy session in 
2012, as well as individual 

therapy 

in 2013 and results from a 
polygraph test she passed in 
which she detailed the incident.

In 
a 
statement 
released 

through the White House last 
Monday, 
Kavanaugh 
denied 

the accusation and claimed no 
memory of this incident or Ford 
herself.

“This is a completely false 

allegation,” Kavanaugh said. “I 
have never done anything like 
what the accuser describes — to 
her or to anyone. Because this 
never happened, I had no idea 
who was making this accusation 

until 
she 
identified 
herself 

yesterday.”

Deborah 
Ramirez, 
a 

woman 
who 
attended 
Yale 

University 
with 
Kavanaugh, 

came forward yesterday with 
her 
own 
allegationsagainst 

Kavanaugh.

Democratic lawmakers are 

calling for a more in-depth 
investigation of the allegations 
set forth by Ford. President 
Donald Trump also weighed 
in on the issue, emphasizing 
Kavanaugh’s 
“impeccable 

reputation” and his doubt in the 

allegation because 

of the 

lack of a police report and time 
passed from the alleged assault.

In response, Twitter saw a 

surge of tweets with the hashtag 
#WhyIDidntReport, 
detailing 

the shame and difficulty people 
had faced in reporting their own 
sexual assault.

LSA 
senior 
Sarah 
Saks-

Fithian, a volunteer at Sexual 
Assault 
Prevention 
and 

Awareness Center, emphasized 
the difficulty for survivors of 
sexual 
assault 
to 
overcome 

trauma amid media and the 
internet opinion that criticizes 
victims for not coming forward 

sooner. 

According 
to 
Saks-Fithian, 

victims begin to feel their 
experience 
is 
invalid. 
More 

locally, she underscored the 
importance 
of 
organizations 

on campus such as the Peer-led 
Support Group program through 
SAPAC, which supports and 
advocates for survivors of sexual 
assault.

“I think that the Kavanaugh 

case affects survivors on campus 
as 
most 
highly 
publicized 

scandals 
involving 
sexual 

violence 
impact 
survivors, 

Schlissel: New ruling may deter 
reporting of sexual misconduct

Polish LGBT activist 
discusses similarities 
within Poland and U.S.

ADMINISTRATION

Future of OIE investigations remains unclear after filings published in case

University’s Donia Human Rights Center hosts 
prominent human rights lawyer and journalist

The University of Michigan 

Senate Advisory Committee 
on 
University 
Affairs 

convened 
Monday 
to 
vote 

on endorsing the Big Ten 
Voting Challenge and discuss 
updates 
to 
the 
external 

review of the University’s 
sexual 
misconduct 
policies 

with 
University 
President 

Mark 
Schlissel. 
Members 

also debated the controversy 
surrounding 
a 
University 

professor who rescinded a 
letter of recommendation for 
political reasons for a student 
applying to study abroad in 

SACUA 
endorses 
Big Ten 
Voting 

Challenge

ACADEMICS

Faculty also criticize OIE 
proceedings and professor
boycott of Israel study trip

Students, city activists protest
Kavanaugh Court appointment

Law School faculty, students push for increased sensitivity, survivor support amidst sexual assault allegations against SCOTUS nominee

See SACUA, Page 3

michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tuesday, September 25, 2018

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

CATHERINE NOUHAN

Daily Staff Reporter

ANDREW HIYAMA

Daily News Editor

MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily

University President Mark Schlissel discusses the Office for Institutional Equity’s yearly sexual misconduct report 
during an interview with the Daily at the Fleming Building Monday morning.

ALICE LIU/Daily

The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration and Immigration Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) protests the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court on the Diag Monday.

SAYALI AMIN 

& RILEY LANGEFELD

Daily Staff Reporters

See SCHLISSEL, Page 2

KATHERINA SOURINE

Daily Staff Reporter

MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily

Krzysztof Smiszek, a Polish human rights lawyer and managing editor of 
The Anti-Discrimination Law Review, speaks about LGBTQ rights in Poland 
at Weiser Hall Monday afternoon. 

See POLAND, Page 3

See KAVANAUGH, Page 3

