An allegation of rape crumbled
the facade surrounding University
of Michigan professor David Daniels
this summer, dubbed by many as one
of the best countertenors in the world.
The assault, however, is not Daniels’
only instance of predatory sexual
behavior.
Through
police
reports
filed with Pittsfield Township, The
Michigan Daily found the Office of
Institutional Equity knew about an
instance of Daniels’s questionable
behavior as early as March 2018 — and
the University still awarded him with
tenure in May.
Daniels
is
one
of
the
most
recognizable figures in international
opera, and made waves when he
joined the faculty at the School of
Music, Theater & Dance in 2015.
In August, the music world buzzed
about an allegation of rape made by
baritone singer Samuel Schultz, who
said Daniels and his husband, Scott
Walters, raped him at a Houston opera
festival in 2010.
Daniels made tenure on May 17
with approval from Melody Racine,
former SMTD interim dean. Nowhere
in Daniels’s tenure review are the
March reports of sexual misconduct
mentioned.
Furthermore, the Department of
Public Safety and Security knew about
Schultz’s allegation July 18, and on July
19, they learned from Music, Theatre &
Dance senior Samuel Kidd that he had
been solicited on Grindr by Daniels.
Daniels faced no public admonition or
repercussions until late August when
he was put on leave.
This information was confirmed
through
interviews
with
sources
and a document acquired by The
Daily earlier this year through the
Freedom of Information Act. The
document is a Pittsfield Township
Police Department record concerning
a Grindr solicitation allegation Kidd
made against Daniels. This record was
transferred to Pittsfield from DPSS
and contains information on all prior
DPSS investigations into Daniels.
The Daily also requested information
on investigations on Daniels from both
DPSS and OIE, but both FOIA requests
were denied because of University
policy that prevent the offices from
disclosing records that may interfere
with ongoing investigations.
Allegations
against
Daniels
are continuing to pile up. Just
last Wednesday, Music, Theatre &
Dance
graduate
student
Andrew
Lipian filed a lawsuit claiming he
was assaulted by Daniels in March
2017. Lipian accused the University
of knowing about Daniels’s abuse of
students and failing to do anything
about it. The suit alleges that in August,
a faculty member became aware of
Lipian being sexually assaulted by
Daniels and reported it to OIE. As
of yet, Lipian says he has not been
contacted by the office.
When The Daily reached out
to University Public Affairs for a
statement after Schultz’s story broke
in August, Associate Director Kim
Broekhuizen affirmed the University’s
commitment to investigating every
report seriously and carefully, and its
belief in maintaining an environment
free of sexual misconduct.
“At the University of Michigan,
every report we receive, in whatever
form, is taken seriously and is carefully
reviewed for appropriate action,”
Broekhuizen wrote in a statement.
“We believe that no one should
ever be subjected to discriminatory
harassment or sexual misconduct. We
are deeply committed to the creation
and support of a safe and productive
learning environment for all our
students, faculty and staff.”
After obtaining the Pittsfield record
and talking with sources, The Daily
has found that, at least in Daniels’s
case, the University has neglected to
According to a survey of
435
University
of
Michigan
undergraduate
students
conducted by The Daily, 92
percent of survey respondents
registered to vote in Michigan
plan to vote in the gubernatorial
election on Tuesday. Among
students who intend to vote, 69
percent plan to vote for Gretchen
Whitmer, 14 percent plan to vote
for Bill Schuette, 15 percent are
unsure and 1 percent plan to vote
for another candidate.
According to Tufts University’s
National Study of Learning,
Voting,
and
Engagement
2017 Campus Report, only 14.3
percent of eligible University
of Michigan students voted in
the 2014 midterm election, as
compared with 18.1 percent of
students from all institutions
nationwide.
Political
Science
professor
Nicholas
Valentino
studies political campaigns and
is currently teaching a class
about mass media and political
behavior. Given generally low
student voter turnout rates,
Valentino doubts a 92 percent
student
voter
participation
rate is feasible. However, given
the
increased
mobility
and
emotional energy preceding this
midterm election, he said he
would not be surprised if student
voting participation increased
significantly.
“This is a very emotionally
intense
election
compared
to
most
off-year
elections,”
Valentino said. “It’s much more
salient and it’s much more
emotionally energized, and in
particular the energy is coming
from this emotion of anger and
outrage.”
Though
many
students
express interest in voting, the
barriers they face can explain
a drop-off in their turnout
rates. Campus organizers, like
Public Policy junior Katie Kelly,
communications director of the
University’s chapter of College
Democrats, have been mobilizing
the past several months to tackle
these obstacles.
Three professors and political
science professionals discussed
what they felt was required in
order to be informed ahead of
midterm elections on Tuesday
at
a
roundtable
discussion
Thursday at the University of
Michigan Institute for Social
Research.
A
host
of
programming
and
institutional
initiatives
this
semester
have
focused
on increasing awareness and
turnout
in
the
upcoming
elections. Only 14 percent of
students voted in the 2016
election. This summer, however,
Washtenaw County as a whole
experienced the highest surge in
voter turnout across the state
for the primary, jumping by 6.7
percent.
Four
individuals
robbed
a Boober bicycle taxi driver
early Thursday morning on the
University of Michigan campus,
according to a crime alert sent
out to students.
The Division of Public Safety
and Security reported the armed
robbery took place on the Diag
near West Hall, close to the
intersection of South University
Avenue
and
East
University
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVIII, No. 22
©2018 The Michigan Daily
N E WS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
O PI N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
S U D O K U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
C L A S S I F I E D S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 B
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Friday, November 2, 2018
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Daily survey
predicts high
voting rates
for students
University neglected misconduct
claims against famous professor
GOVERNMENT
69 percent of respondents plan to vote
for Whitmer, 14 percent for Schuette
JULIA FORD
Daily Staff Reporter
Daniels received tenure months after OIE learned of questionable behavior
ELIZABETH LAWRENCE
Daily Staff Reporter
Suspects
pull gun,
rob Boober
taxi driver
CRIME
Four individuals take
money, blanket from
driver on Diag in a.m.
RIYAH BASHA
& REMY FARKAS
Managing News Editor
& Daily Staff Reporter
MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily
Stuart Soroka speaks at a round table discussion about the 2018 election at the Institute for Social Research in an
Political experts strive to make voters
better informed at election roundtable
Trends demonstrate polarization, increasing negative mobilization of voters
PARNIA MAZHAR
For the Daily
michigandaily.com
For more stories and coverage, visit
See DANIELS, Page 2A
In the 2018 midterm election
on Tuesday, Ann Arbor’s 4th
Ward
will
decide
between
candidates Elizabeth Nelson and
Joseph Hood for City Council.
Neither Nelson nor Hood has
served on the council before.
Nelson works as a substitute
teacher in Washtenaw County.
She
said
she
is
concerned
about factional divisions on the
council after three incumbent
councilmembers who regularly
voted in a majority alongside
Mayor
Chris
Taylor
were
Nelson and
Hood face
off in Ward
4 election
ANN ARBOR
Democrat Nelson rejects
claims of factionalism
on new City Council
RACHEL CUNNINGHAM
Daily Staff Reporter
Meant to be a FB
Ben Mason is consistent
in his beliefs: He wants to
play football, he wants to hit
people and he wants to do
that for a long time.
» Page 4B
SHERRY CHEN/Daily
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