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 
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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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& Daily Staff Reporter

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