Regent
Ron
Weiser
(R),
accused
Dr.
Robert
Anderson,
the
late
University
of
Michigan
sports
physician,
of
sexually
assaulting
him
while he was a student in
the 1960s, according to an
interview with The Detroit
News published Thursday
morning.
Weiser
said
he
first
encountered
Anderson
during his freshman year on
the wrestling team.
“It happened a long time
ago, but we have to make
sure it never happens again,”
Weiser told The Detroit
News. “We have to have an
investigation to do that, and
that’s what’s going on right
now. I want the stories to
come out. ... I am coming
forward for one reason. I
want to encourage other
survivors to come forward
and share their experiences
in a safe, confidential and
secure environment.”
Other former students and
employees of the University
have spoken out against
Anderson. Former wrestler
Tad
Deluca
submitted
a
letter
to
then-athletic
director Don Canham in
1975 and again in 2018 to
current University athletic
director
Warde
Manuel
detailing
his
experiences
with
Anderson,
though
he said these letters were
ignored.
In
response
to
the
accusations, the University
set up a hotline on Feb. 19

for former patients who
believed they were abused
by Anderson. As of March
2, the University received
more than 103 complaints.
Weiser
spoke
to
investigators hired by the
University
to
look
into
claims against Anderson,
but, in the interview with
The
Detroit
News,
he
declined to disclose what he
said to them.
The University was the
subject of criticism over the
firm it selected to conduct
the outside investigation,
Steptoe & Johnson LLP.
On
March
5,
Michael
Nimmo, an attorney from
Wahlberg,
Woodruff,
Nimmo
&
Sloane,
LLP
urged
victims
not
to
call the hotline due to
privacy
concerns.
At
a
press conference, Nimmo
described
meeting
with
Tim Lynch, vice president
and
general
counsel
of
the
University,
to
voice
his
worries
about
Steptoe & Johnson LLP’s
investigation.
“A primary purpose of
our meeting was to express
to them some legal concerns
that we have about the
investigation, about how it’s
being conducted and about
how they intend to ensure
confidentiality
of
these
victims’ identities,” Nimmo
said. “At the current time,
we’re advising our clients
to not talk with Steptoe
lawfirm.”
Steptoe & Johnson LLP
has also faced backlash for
its representation of high-
profile clients accused of
sexual assault, a group that
includes Jeffrey Epstein, a
financier who committed

suicide after being charged
with
multiple
counts
of
sexual
assault,
and
convicted
child
rapist
Roman Polanksi, director
of “Oliver Twist” and other
films.
Following this criticism,
the University ceased its
work with the law firm. In a
statement released March 7,
University President Mark
Schlissel and the Board
of Regents, which Weiser
oversees
as
chairman,
announced
the
school
would no longer work with
the attorney at the Steptoe
and Johnson out of fear it
“could discourage survivors
hurt by Dr. Anderson from
coming forward.”
“As a result, we have
decided
to
engage
a
different firm to complete
the
investigation,
while
working to ensure a smooth
transition and continue the
progress we have made,”
the statement reads. “We
will have more details in
the very near future.”
The University has not
yet named a new law firm
to run the investigation.
Weiser will be involved
in setting policy related
to the investigation and
plans for the University to
protect itself from lawsuits.
However, Weiser said there
will be no conflict with his
work.
“As an individual who
loves this University, as
the chair of the Board of
Regents and one of the
university’s largest donors,
I know that there is only
one way that we can truly
understand what happened
and how to make certain
it never happens again,”

Weiser told The Detroit
News. “We must encourage
survivors to come forward
and tell their story, and
protect their privacy.”
Weiser has a long history
of
involvement
at
the
University and is a major
donor to the school.
Weiser was first elected
to the Board of Regents
in
2016.
He
and
his
wife
have
also
founded
the
Weiser
Center
for
Emerging
Democracies
and the Weiser Center for
Europe and Eurasia at the
University, in addition to
serving as deputy chairs for
the Victors For Michigan
campaign.
He gifted $10 million to
the Ross School of Business
in February for the creation
of a new real estate center.
Another
$10-million
donation
established
the
Weiser Diplomacy Center
at
the
Ford
School
of
Public Policy, which hosted
a
series
of
prominent
speakers last fall, including
2016 presidential candidate
Hillary
Clinton
and
former Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice.
Weiser
is
also
an
influential
figure
in
Michigan
and
national
politics. He formerly served
as a U.S. ambassador to
Slovakia and was chairman
of the Michigan Republican
Party until 2019, when he
stepped down after being
diagnosed
with
prostate
cancer.
Editor Alex Harring can be
reached at harring@umich.
edu.
Reporter
Francesca
Duong can be reached at
fduong@umich.edu.

2 — Friday, March 13, 2020
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News

TUESDAY:
By Design
THURSDAY:
Twitter Talk

FRIDAY:
Behind the Story

WEDNESDAY:
This Week in History

MONDAY:

Looking at the Numbers

B E HIND THE STORY

Every Friday, one Daily staffer will give a behind-the-scenes
look at one of this week’s stories. This week, LSA & SMTD
senior Julia Fanzeres on her story “Bernie Sanders sits down
with The Michigan Daily to discuss voter appeal, turnout”:

“What was interesting about it was to get the interview with
Senator Sanders, I had to contact his campaign offices, his
Senate offices, contact a multitude of people until they got
back to me. So I think that the process, going through those
phone calls and tracking everyone down to get those five
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surreal to be interviewing someone who could potentially be
the president of the United States and who has really created
a political revolution in the democratic party and with young
voters through his grassroots campaign. It was completely
surreal.”

OLIVIA CELL/Daily

QUOTE OF THE WE E K

“
What history is about is to understand that there have been
extraordinarily brave people throughout history. People who’ve put
their lives on the line, sometimes who have died, gone to jail in the
struggle for justice. And that is what this campaign is about. That is
what Jesse Jackson’s life has been about, that is what Alexandria’s
life is about. And that’s what I hope all of your lives will be about.”

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders discussing progressive politics during a rally on the
Diag.

‘U’ Regents Chairman Ron Weiser
alleges sexual abuse by Anderson

Board member and University donor accuses late UHS director and sports physician
of sexually assaulting him during his time as a student on the wrestling team in 1960s

ALEX HARRING
& FRANCESCA DUONG
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