Alec Gallimore, University of 

Michigan dean of engineering, 
and Laura Blake Jones, dean of 
students, held a town hall with 
various student groups involved in 
plans for the upcoming school year 
on Monday afternoon following 
University President Mark Schlis-
sel’s announcement regarding fall 
semester earlier in the day.

After walking through informa-

tion presented in Schlissel’s email 
and the new website, Gallimore and 
Jones answered student inquiries 
in an event moderated by Public 
Policy senior Amanda Kaplan, Cen-
tral Student Government president.

The town hall was primar-

ily intended for the more than 600 
students involved in the COVID-
19 Campus Challenge, a student-
created competition to brainstorm 
solutions for various problems that 
may arise in the fall. Kaplan said 
students in the Campus Climate 
Advisory Council, a group of about 
40 students from various boards, 
organizations and student employ-
ee groups advising on fall planning, 
were also invited.

In an email to The Daily, Jones 

wrote the town hall was meant to 
highlight key elements of Schlis-
sel’s announcement as well as to 
continue seeking input from chal-
lenge participants.

“The 
Challenge 
participants 

are a large representative group of 
undergraduate and graduate stu-
dents from a wide variety of schools 
and colleges,” Jones wrote. “Their 
keen interest in the COVID Chal-
lenge and commitment to planning 
for a safe residential experience 
made them an ideal constituent 
group to talk with.”

According to Gallimore, the orig-

inal timeline planned for a decision 
about fall semester was to be made 
in July. The timeline was moved up 
one month, allowing for the deci-
sion to come at the end of June.

“What we will do actually is 

in some respects use June and 
July and August to do a number 

of things, to do some practice ses-
sions, dry runs et cetera, so that 
we’re ready for you when many of 
you come back in late August for a 
wonderful semester of mixed edu-
cational experiences,” Gallimore 
said. “We will use the fall term to 
evaluate how things worked and 
improve upon them for winter 
2021.”

Gallimore 
emphasized 
the 

hundreds of administrators, fac-
ulty, staff and students involved 
in planning efforts by pointing to 
the numerous committees work-
ing on issues ranging from testing 
to transportation to student mental 
health. Similar to the new Campus 
Maize & Blueprint website, Galli-
more said success of the school year 
would depend on “stacking” mea-
sures from physical distancing to 
administrative controls on density.

Generally, classes with over 50 

people will be conducted remotely, 
while classes with 10 to 15 or fewer 
students will be held in-person, 
subject to space availability, Gal-
limore explained. Classes in the 
in-between range may be offered 
in-person if physical distancing is 
possible in the learning space.

Jones focused on the need for 

students to be responsible, which 
both she and Gallimore expressed 
was one of their greatest worries 
about the upcoming semester. She 
shared a draft of a behavior pledge 
which 
includes 
current 
public 

health guidelines such as wearing 
masks, maintaining social distance 
and limiting social gatherings. 

To encourage individuals to fol-

low the pledge, Jones said there 
will be education efforts and social 
media campaigns to emphasize 
its importance. Jones said she 
hoped the University community 
would embrace a “culture of care” 
in which everyone acts according 
to the well-being of those around 
them — particularly those most 
vulnerable to the virus — and 
beyond their own desires of what 
they want to do. 

3

Thursday, July 16, 2020

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com NEWS

The School of Music, Theatre 

& Dance released the results of 
a schoolwide climate survey on 
Thursday as part of the administra-
tion’s efforts to foster a transparent, 
inclusive environment. 

This survey was conducted after 

sexual misconduct allegations were 
reported against two high-profile 
SMTD faculty members, David 
Daniels and Stephen Shipps, in 
2018.

An investigation by The Daily 

from October 2018 revealed that 
SMTD awarded Daniels tenure in 
May 2018 despite knowledge of 
allegations of sexual misconduct 
against him. The Board of Regents 
has since fired Daniels after an 
eight-month process. Daniels cur-
rently faces a criminal charge of 
sexual assault in Texas along with 
his husband, Scott Walters. 

An investigation by The Daily 

from December 2018 uncovered 
40 years of previously undisclosed 
allegations of sexual harassment, 
misconduct and assault against 
Shipps, then-chair of strings and 
former associate dean. Shipps has 

since retired from the University. 

SMTD has publicly committed 

to fighting a culture some have 
described as particularly condu-
cive to sexual misconduct, as many 
arts disciplines require individual 
or physical lessons. The adminis-
tration has held events on how to 
report sexual misconduct and has 
installed transparent panels in 
offices. The survey is just one step 
in an ongoing, multidimensional 
process to enact change, according 
to SMTD Dean David Gier. 

“The 
emotional 
vulnerability 

that artists bring is a necessary part 
of the training and we need to make 
sure that our environment is a com-
fortable environment for this to 
take place,” Gier said.

According to the report, the 

survey was conducted by Giffen & 
Kaminski, LLC, a law firm hired 
by SMTD to help “learn what mem-
bers of the SMTD community have 
experienced and solicit positive and 
negative feedback” so that “issues 
did not fester in an atmosphere of 
secrets and darkness.” 

657 participants responded to 

the survey, which asked about both 
the overall climate and specifics 
around sexual misconduct, dis-
crimination and retaliation within 
SMTD. 
These 
657 
participants 

included students, faculty, staff and 
alumni. The survey was distributed 
in January of 2020 to a representa-
tive sample of SMTD with 37% of 
students, 64% of faculty, and 73% of 

staff responding, according to the 
report. 

The report noted that while 59 

percent of participants felt satis-
fied by the climate over the past 12 
months, women found SMTD to be 
less safe than men and faculty less 
safe than students, alumni and staff. 
Also, while 90 percent of the partic-
ipants reported no experience with 
discrimination, Latinx individuals 
and people who identify as queer 
were the most likely to report expe-
riences of discrimination.

In terms of sexual misconduct, 

the report documented 107 inci-
dents over the past 12 months. Sex-
ual comments made up 40 percent 
of this total.

The report specifically said “the 

role of the Faculty as accused per-
petrators of Sexual Misconduct is 
an overarching theme that should 
be noted.” 41 percent of the sexual 
comments and 43 percent of the 
incidents of forcible touching over 
the past 12 months were allegedly 
perpetrated by faculty.

The report found that only 27 

percent of participants who alleg-
edly experienced sexual miscon-
duct reported their experiences to 
authorities. In terms of discrimi-
nation, the report said “most Par-
ticipants would not involve the 
resources of the University or of 
SMTD.” 

SMTD reveals climate report 
to improve transparency

ELIZABETH LAWRENCE &

SAMMY SUSSMAN

Editor in Chief &

Daily Staff Reporter

Design by Hibah Chughtai

1U calls for equitable 
funding in report

ARJUN THAKKAR

Daily News Editor

Read more at michigandaily.com
Read more at michigandaily.com

More funds are requested for U-M Flint 
and U-M Dearborn amid the pandemic

Survey results conducted 
after sexual misconduct 
allegations are released

