 Public commenters 
talk equitable funding, 
contract negotiations

The University of Michigan’s 
Board of Regents held its third 
meeting of the year via Zoom on 
Thursday to approve recommend-
ed revisions to the Regents’ bylaws 
and address ongoing changes in 
University operations amid the 
COVID-19 
pandemic. 
Univer-
sity President Mark Schlissel said 
Regent Katherine White (D) was 
not present due to an assignment 
with the National Guard, but all 
other Regents and executive offi-
cers of the University attended. 
The meeting was live streamed on 
the University’s website and You-
Tube. 
The 
board 
unanimously 
approved changes to the bylaws 
concerning the dismissal, demo-
tion, termination and severance 
pay of tenured faculty. The chang-
es include refusal of severance pay 
in cases of alleged misconduct. 
Sally Churchill, vice president and 
secretary of the University, said 
the changes were reviewed by a 
group of nine professors from all 
three University campuses.
“The group was charged with 
furthering the University’s com-
mitment to upholding tenure; 
addressing egregious situations 
deserving of expedited proceed-
ings and interim measures; and 
reviewing and revising existing 
by law language,” Churchill said. 
“Decisions regarding the dis-
missal of tenured faculty within 
a reasonable time frame while 
respecting their due process rights 
are beneficial to both the faculty 
member and the University.”
The revisions come two months 
after David Daniels, a former 
Music, Theatre & Dance profes-
sor accused of sexual misconduct, 
was dismissed at the March Board 
of Regents meeting. Daniels had 
been on paid leave since sexual 
misconduct allegations against 
him surfaced in August 2018. The 
University began its official firing 
process in April 2019.

Schlissel noted the recom-
mendations were shared with the 
community and the board sought 
feedback for final revisions.
“The process for how we con-
sider the removal of tenure is 
one that cannot be taken lightly,” 
Schlissel said. “Tenure is essential 
for the integrity of the academic 
enterprise. I again thank everyone 
who has helped us develop these 
revisions to make us a better Uni-
versity.”
Schlissel commended the Uni-
versity for supporting the state 
of Michigan’s response to the 
COVID-19 pandemic. He high-
lighted ongoing efforts in patient 
care, research and education that 
have helped the state save lives 
and develop an understanding of 
the effects of the pandemic. He 
noted several laboratory research 
programs 
resumed 
in-person 
activities on Wednesday in accor-
dance with Michigan Gov. Gretch-
en Whitmer’s executive order 
2020-90. 
Schlissel reiterated the Univer-
sity is still developing a plan for 
the upcoming semester, but he said 
he was hopeful it would be pos-
sible to offer in-person instruction 
on campus.
“The University of Michigan 
will look very different in the 
months ahead than what we’ve 
become accustomed to, but I am 
optimistic 
about 
our 
future,” 
Schlissel said. “The planning tak-
ing place at all levels of our Uni-
versity to adjust on how we deliver 
on our mission is thorough and 
impressive. This includes our 
preparations for the fall as we 
hope to be able to deliver a pub-
lic health-informed fall semester 
with a mix of in-person and online 
instruction on our campuses.”
Schlissel took a moment before 
addressing items on the agenda to 
offer his condolences to those who 
have been affected by extreme 
flooding in Midland County on 
Wednesday.
“I want to express my sympa-
thy to the thousands of Michigan-
ders affected by the flooding in 
Midland and in nearby communi-
ties,” Schlissel said. “The disaster 
comes at a time when residents 

2

Thursday, May 28, 2020
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
NEWS

Alternative academic 
plans increase amid fall 
semester uncertainty

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, 
incoming students who would 
normally head off to the University of 
Michigan in the fall are considering 
alternative 
plans. 
Gap 
years, 
internship pursuals, community 
college classes and other options 
are now relevant as plans for remote 
learning develop, multiple students 
told The Daily. While the University 
is in the process of planning a “public 
health-informed” semester, the fate 
of fall semester is still uncertain. 
Many other universities have either 
canceled 
in-person 
instruction 
completely or are planning for an 
accelerated first semester to avoid 
the possible second COVID-19 peak. 
Incoming Music, Theatre & 
Dance freshman Lucy McDowell is 
from the suburbs of Chicago and has 
officially deferred her acceptance 
for the upcoming school year. As a 
music major, McDowell explained 
how her decision revolved around 
the value of in-person classes, given 
how 
group-focused 
her 
music 
classes would be. 
“A big part of your music 
education comes from ensemble 
work, and if you’re supposed to be 
in a choir with 100 or more kids, it’s 
difficult to make that happen over 
Zoom or recordings,” McDowell 
said. “It just doesn’t have the same 
connection or outcome. You just 

don’t get to have that personal 
connection with your professors, 
which is hard to do over the internet 
because it’s a really isolating 
experience.”
Similarly, 
Ian 
Pathak, 
an 
incoming Music, Theatre & Dance 
freshman from Virginia, has also 
considered taking a gap year given 
the uncertainty of in-person classes. 
Pathak explained the many factors 
influencing his decision, including 
tuition 
costs 
for 
out-of-state 
students. 
“The only problem is the financial 
aspect of being an out-of-state 
student and taking remote classes,” 
Pathak said. “It’s already expensive 
for me to pay going there full on. 
And room and board and meal does 
take part of it off, but tuition still 
remains the same.”
Current 
students 
across 
the 
University 
shared 
similar 
sentiments with Pathak, unsure 
if full tuition for remote classes is 
worth the cost. LSA junior Sam 
Burnstein said the transition from 
in-class lectures to Zoom classes 
revealed the diminished quality of 
remote learning. 
“What we’re paying for are a 
couple things: a slide deck and 
30, 40, maybe 50 hours of video,” 
Burnstein said. “Both of those 
things can be acquired very easily 
online for free — it’s becoming 
incredibly clear that we’re paying 
for the degree. We’re paying for 
the certification. This was already 
clear before classes went online, and 
I think going online made things 

Incoming students 
consider gap year

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Regents alter policy
for faculty tenure

