Thursday, June 11, 2020

INDEX

Vol. CXXIX, No. 123
 © 2020 The Michigan Daily 
NEWS ....................................
OPINION ............................... 
ARTS/NEWS..........................
MiC.........................................
SPORTS................................

MICHIGAN IN COLOR

Kellon Yaani Kellon
Staff writer Maya Kadouh 
redirects our attention 
to the pressing crises 
occurring in Lebanon.

>> SEE PAGE 9

NEWS
Telemedicine

The COVID-19 pandemic 

has allowed telemedicine to 

flourish. Is this the future of 

healthcare? >> SEE PAGE 3

OPINION
Continuing the fight 
for racial justice

How students continue Rep. 

John Lewis’ fight for social

 justice. >> SEE PAGE 4

ARTS
The Chicks’ 
‘Gaslighter’ 
The band’s new album 
details Natalie Maines’s 
messy divorce and future 
hopes. >> SEE PAGE 6

SPORTS
Flexibility
Amidst the ever-changing 
circumstances surrounding 
the return of sports, coaches 
emphasize flexibility. 

>> SEE PAGE 11

inside

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A lawsuit filed in the District 

Court 
of 
Nebraska 
Monday 

alleges 
Tamiko 
Strickman, 

director 
the 
University 
of 

Michigan’s Office of Institutional 
Equity, 
mishandled 
student 

reports of sexual assault and 
violated 
sex 
discrimination 

and civil rights laws at the 
University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 
Nine current or former UNL 
students are named plaintiffs in 
the lawsuit. Strickland served 
as 
an 
investigator, 
deputy 

Title IX coordinator, Title IX 
coordinator and director of the 
Office of Institutional Equity and 
Compliance at UNL from 2015 to 
2019.

The lawsuit states Strickman 

was terminated from UNL in 
December 
2019. 
University 

of 
Michigan 
spokesman 

Rick 
Fitzgerald 
and 
UNL 

spokesperson 
Leslie 
Reed 

both told The Daily in emails 
Strickman was not terminated 
from UNL. Reed said Strickman is 
highly qualified and UNL would 
have “liked very much to keep 
her.” The University of Michigan 
announced Strickman’s hiring in 
December 2019 and became OIE 

Director

effective in January 2020.
Fitzgerald said the University 

is aware of the lawsuit, but 
declined to comment as the 
complaint was not filed against 
the University. 

Miranda Melson, a former 

UNL student, was raped by a 
male student in July 2016 after 
explicitly telling him she did 
not want a “one-night stand,” 
the lawsuit says. When the male 
student allegedly undressed and 
began touching Melson sexually, 
she was frozen and unable to 
verbalize her objection. The male 
student continued to contact 
Melson 
against 
her 
wishes 

until she reported the rape and 
stalking to the UNL IEC in 
September 2016, the lawsuit says. 

Strickman 
was 
allegedly 

assigned to Melson’s case. Melson 
asked Strickman to record their 
interviews, the lawsuit says, 
but Strickman refused and only 
recorded the male student’s 
interviews. IEC interviewed the 
male student’s witness, but not 
Melson’s witness, according to 
the lawsuit. 

During 
one 
meeting, 

Strickman allegedly told Melson, 
“This would be different if I were 
your parent, but I’m not your 
parent.”

In a November 2016 letter to 

Melson, Strickman wrote that 

no findings were made about 
Melson’s 
stalking 
or 
assault 

claims, the lawsuit says.

“During the parties’ sexual 

interaction, you did not inform 
Respondent through words or 
actions [that] you did not consent 
to the sexual activity,” Strickman 
allegedly 
wrote. 
“Therefore, 

no sanction is deemed to be 
appropriate or necessary.” 

The 
lawsuit 
alleges 
a 

requirement for an affirmative 
rejection contradicts the UNL 
Student 
Code 
of 
Conduct’s 

definition of consent. 

“‘Consent’ means agreement, 

approval or permission as to some 
act or purpose, given voluntarily 
by a competent person,” the Code 
of Conduct reads. “A person need 
not resist verbally or physically 
where it would be useless or 
futile to do so.”

The lawsuit also alleges a 

requirement for an affirmative 
rejection 
contradicts 
the 

definition of consent on IEC’s 
website.

“Consent is an affirmative 

decision to engage in mutually 
acceptable sexual activity by 
clear actions and words,” the 
website reads. “Silence does 
not equal consent. Moreover, 

Face masks 
required by 
‘U’ on campus

Coverings mandatory in 
outside settings in addition 
to inside public buildings

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Read more at michigandaily.com

CALDER LEWIS
Summer News Editor

CALDER LEWIS
Summer News Editor 

Read more at michigandaily.com

michigandaily.com

OIE Director accused of wrongfully 
handling cases at Nebraska-Lincoln

Design by Hibah Chughtai

Effective immediately, the University 

of Michigan will require all students, 
staff, faculty and visitors to wear a 
face covering while anywhere on 
campus grounds, University President 
Mark Schlissel wrote in an email to 
the campus community Wednesday 
afternoon. 

“This includes when inside buildings, 

outdoors and on U-M transportation on 
all of our campuses,” Schlissel wrote. “It 
is difficult on a busy university campus 
to maintain distance from groups 
even while outdoors, so requiring face 
coverings outdoors will help slow the 
spread of the virus.”

Schlissel’s 
announcement 
is 

his first communication with the 
broader University community since 
announcing a “public health-informed 
in-residence” fall semester on June 22. 

The 
new 
policy 
will 
apply 

to 
community 
members 
inside 

buildings, outdoors and on University 
transportation. 
While 
homemade 

masks, 
scarves, 
bandanas 
and 

handkerchiefs 
are 
acceptable, 
the 

policy recommends face coverings that 
seal as tightly as possible to the face. 

However, 
there 
are 
a 
dozen 

exceptions to the face covering rule, 
including when one is in a private 
office or dorm room, eating or drinking 
while 
maintaining 
social 
distance 

and engaging in recreation while 
maintaining social distance. Medical 
exemptions are also noted in the policy. 

According to the policy, transmission 

of COVID-19 is greatly reduced and 
lives are saved when all people wear 
face coverings in public.

“Because many cases of COVID-

19 are mild or asymptomatic and 

michigandaily.com
Thursday, July 23, 2020
ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
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