michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Friday, September 6, 2019
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
On
Thursday
night,
the
Ann Arbor District Library,
in
partnership
with
the
University
of
Michigan’s
Michigan
Community
Scholars
Program,
offered
a free viewing of the 2015
documentary, “The Hunting
Ground,” which depicts sexual
violence on college campuses
and the failures of universities
to appropriately seek action
against perpetrators of sexual
assault.
The viewing was followed
by a panel discussion led
by Elizabeth Seney, senior
associate director of the U-M
Office for Institutional Equity
and
Title
IX
Coordinator;
Heather
Colohan,
program
manager for the University’s
Sexual
Assault
Prevention
and Awareness Center; and
Kamaria Porter, U-M doctoral
candidate and Title IX Project
Lab manager.
The film discussed the shame
survivors feel in speaking out,
the actions by universities to
minimize reports of sexual
assault
and
the
role
star
atheletes have played in sexual
assault allegations.
Because the film was made
in 2015, Seney discussed the
changes and lack thereof she has
seen in the culture surrounding
sexual
misconduct.
Seney
said while there has been an
increase in reporting incidents
of sexual assault, that does
not necessarily correlate with
an increase in action taken
against perpetrators because
it is dependent on the outcome
desired by the person reporting
the allegation.
ACADEMICS
Panelists discuss sexual assault
at ‘The Hunting Ground’ showing
Documentary viewing features expert conversation about rape on campus
CALLIE TEITELBAUM
Daily Staff Reporter
See DOCUMENTARY, Page 3A
As students arrive back on
campus, some in the University
of Michigan community are
once
again
calling
on
the
University to sever ties with real
estate developer Stephen M.
Ross — the largest donor in the
University’s history — following
the controversy surrounding a
re-election fundraiser he held
for President Donald Trump in
early August.
When
reports
of
the
fundraiser broke, Ross’s name
trended on Twitter nationwide,
with many calling for boycotts
of SoulCycle and Equinox, two
luxury gym companies owned by
Ross. Soon after, the companies
released statements saying they
did not support the fundraiser
and are not affiliated with Ross’s
political contributions.
Community
still upset
over Ross’
Trump ties
LSA alum
awarded
prestigious
fellowship
CAMPUS LIFE
Petition seeks to remove
prominent donor’s name
CLAIRE HAO
Daily Staff Reporter
KEEMYA ESMAEL/Daily
Title IX Coordinator, SAPAC Program Manager Heather Colohan, and the Title IX Project Lab Manager Kamaria Porter
discuss different parts of the film “The Hunting Ground” at the Ann Arbor District Library Thursday evening.
ADMINISTRATION
See ROSS, Page 3A
FootballSaturday
Three years removed from
his father’s heart attack, Jim
Harbaugh balances football
and family.
» Page 1B
This summer, recent LSA
graduate Carly Marten was
awarded
the
prestigious
Wallenberg
Fellowship
to
pursue a research project in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The award offers $25,000
to a graduating senior who is
interested in public service
to conduct a year-long, self-
designed
research
project
abroad.
Henry
Dyson,
director
of
the
Office
of
National
Scholarships and Fellowships
at the University of Michigan,
said the fellowship attracts
students with a willingness to
take risks and strong interest in
public service.
“On the one hand, (they
need)
an
entrepreneurial
spirit,” Dyson said.
Carly Marten to pursue
project based in Ethiopia
LIAT WEINSTEIN
Daily Staff Reporter
New LSA Dean Anne Curzan
welcomed
students
back
to
campus with a pop-up event
Thursday outside of Angell Hall
to introduce herself to students.
LSA representatives encouraged
students walking by to chat
with the dean and enjoy snacks
and cornhole games during the
event.
LSA Communications Director
Tamra
Talmadge-Anderson
credited the dean for having come
up with the idea.
“When we sat down and met
with (Curzan) before she became
dean, she said ‘It is so important
to me that I connect with students,
and I want to connect with them in
ways that are fun and meaningful
and give them the opportunity to
talk with me,’” Talmadge-Anderson
said.
According to Curzan, this is
the first time the college has done
this kind of spontaneous event to
connect with students. The dean
explained how, as she was planning
her meetings at the beginning of the
semester, she also wanted to hold an
event to welcome undergraduates
to LSA. Curzan worked with her
team to plan the event three weeks
ago, stressing the importance of
play in an individual’s well-being
as well as the importance of the
connections between University
faculty and students.
“It’s really important to me that
LSA be a place where students
feel like they can explore, find the
subjects that they love to study,
feel connected to faculty and other
mentors on campus and then
connect that education to whatever
they want the next chapter to be,”
Curzan said.
Talmadge-Anderson explained
how the event was designed to be
a pop-up event and the department
used
social
media
to
spread
awareness of the event. The day
before, the LSA Twitter page teased
the event with the hint of a “special
guest.” The day of the event, Curzan
sent out an email sharing her vision
for LSA and inviting students to join
her that evening.
Before becoming dean on Sept.
1, Curzan was an associate dean
for the humanities as well as a
professor of linguistics, education
and English. She received a
master’s degree and Ph.D. from the
University in English Language
and
Literature
and
appears
regularly on Michigan Radio’s
segment “That’s What They Say”
about the English language. The
dean explained how her work as a
professor influences how she views
her new position.
“We are as good as the people in
the college, and so my job is to make
sure that everybody can thrive,”
Curzan said. “We’re gonna try to
make sure that this is a place where
students can enjoy learning …
because that’s how you get the best
education.”
LSA sophomore Jasmine Glover
was passing by when she saw the
crowds. She spoke with the dean,
who asked her about how her
classes were going and told her to
explore her interests and passions
before committing to a major.
Glover expressed appreciation for
the opportunity.
“She seems very enthusiastic
about what she’s doing and really
wants to help people,” Glover said.
“It was really nice that she decided
to do this and decided to come
out and interact with us. That’s
something I don’t typically see.”
ACLU calls for
change to ‘U’
policies on
misconduct
Civil rights organization takes issue
with cross-examiniation protocol
The American Civil Liberties
Union of Michigan and the
American Civil Liberties Union
Women’s Rights Project released
a letter to the University of
Michigan Thursday morning
calling on the administration
to change its interim student
sexual misconduct policy.
The investigative resolution
pathway of the policy has
students who file a sexual
misconduct complaint undergo
an in-person hearing and cross-
examination. The interim policy
was implemented on Jan. 9
due to a Sixth Circuit Court of
Appeals ruling.
Though the outcome of the
Sixth Circuit’s ruling allows
students
to
directly
cross-
examine their accuser, it does not
ban the employment of personal
advisers — like attorneys — to
conduct the procedure. It was
the University that decided
students alone must complete
their own cross-examinations.
According to Bonsitu Kitaba,
deputy legal director at the
ACLU of Michigan, the letter
was written as a follow-up
to the University after they
rejected the ACLU’s request for
a meeting. The meeting would
have been for the purpose of
further discussing the interim
policy with administrators and
students.
In the letter, the ACLU
stressed how a policy that
forces
those
accused
of
sexual assault or harassment
to personally question their
accuser could result in fewer
sexual misconduct complaints,
re-traumatization of those who
made complaints and a hostile
campus environment.
The letter also urged the
University to establish a new
policy that better complies with
Title IX and due process rights
by having cross-examinations
conducted by those who have
legal training.
Kitaba further emphasized
the issue of students not having
the option to employ a personal
adviser for cross-examination.
“It’s especially concerning
because it prohibits ... the
respondent’s
or
claimant’s
adviser or representative from
doing the cross-examination
and actually requires that the
students conduct it themselves,”
Kitaba said. “It’s important to
note that due process rights are
vital to Title IX proceedings to
ensure fairness for both parties,
but the way the University has
chosen to go about it completely
undermines the Title IX process,
as well as the safety and security
of students on campus.”
New LSA dean welcomes students
back to school at pop-up event
Activities outside Angell Hall include visit from surprise guest Anne Curzan
AMARA SHAIKH
Daily News Editor
ARJUN THAKKAR
Daily Staff Reporter
DANYEL THARAKAN/Daily
New LSA Dean Anne Curzan plays cornhole with students at an event to introduce her to the U-M community in front of Angell Hall Thursday afternoon.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVIII, No. 126
©2019 The Michigan Daily
N E WS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
O PI N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
CL A SSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
S U D O K U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 A
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See FELLOWSHIP, Page 3A
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