This article is the second part
of a two-part investigation by The
Michigan Daily into allegations of
sexual misconduct against computer
science professor Walter Lasecki and
the University of Michigan’s handling of
these allegations. It is based on emails,
documents, notes and interviews with
12 individuals knowledgeable of these
events.
Part one focused on the allegations
against Lasecki and the divergent
conclusions of the University’s Office for
Institutional Equity and the Association
for Computing Machinery, an outside
research organization.
CW:
Sexual
harassment
and
misconduct
Though
the
University
of
Michigan’s Office of Institutional
Equity (OIE) ultimately determined
that a “preponderance of evidence” did
not support four allegations of sexual
misconduct against computer science
professor Walter Lasecki, the School
of Information (SI) faculty made their
feelings very clear in the months
before this finding was released: the SI
faculty did not want Lasecki to remain
one of them.
In February 2020, even before OIE
had finished its investigation and
made a determination, the SI faculty
voted to revoke Lasecki’s courtesy
appointment, which had allowed him
to advise SI students and maintain
an SI office space. According to
emails obtained by The Daily, Lasecki
resigned his courtesy appointment
and forfeited these privileges before
the results of the faculty vote could be
enforced.
But at the College of Engineering,
Lasecki maintains his position on the
faculty of the Computer Science and
Engineering (CSE) department. He did
not teach for this department during
the 2020-2021 academic year.
In a CSE town hall meeting in
February 2021, CSE Chair Michael
Wellman told the department that
OIE had not found Lasecki in violation
of any University policies. According
to three individuals present at the
meeting, Wellman read a statement
co-written by Lasecki in which Lasecki
apologized for unspecified actions.
In February 2020 and again in
August 2020, dozens of concerned
faculty and staff sent letters to
University President Mark Schissel
and Provost Susan Collins regarding
the
allegations
against
Lasecki.
Correspondence
reviewed
by
The Daily confirms that Schlissel
responded to the first one, while
Collins responded to the second.
In November 2019, four students
filed complaints of alleged sexual
harassment and misconduct against
Lasecki with the University’s OIE
and the Association for Computing
Machinery
(ACM),
a
prominent
computer
science
research
organization.
In July 2020, OIE found that Lasecki
had not violated the University’s sexual
harassment policies. In February 2021,
ACM banned Lasecki for at least
five years under their Policy Against
Harassment.
Lasecki did not respond to multiple
emails requesting comment for this
article. In statements to OIE obtained
by The Daily, he denied the allegations
against him.
All
University
administrators
mentioned in this article declined to
comment, instead redirecting The
Daily to University spokesperson Rick
Fitzgerald.
‘CSE could have done more, had
they wanted to; they chose not to act’
Three of the four allegations
filed with the University were from
non-University
students.
They
requested anonymity, citing Lasecki’s
prominence in the field and their
fear of retribution. As in Part One of
this investigative series, they will be
referred to as Jane, Alex and Rachel.
These three students allege that
Lasecki harassed them and touched
them
inappropriately
at
social
gatherings and industry conferences
between 2016 and 2018.
Hundreds
of
protestors
gathered in front of Larcom City
Hall in Ann Arbor on Saturday
to express their support for
Palestinians. Several protestors
waved Palestinian flags in the air.
Cardboard cutouts bore phrases
like “Free Palestine” and ”End
the Occupation,” while others
carried the names of Palestinians
who lost their lives to the Israeli
Defense Forces.
U-M
Dearborn
Business
junior Maha Faisal, one of the
protesters,
said
continuing
to protest was important for
spreading awareness now that
people are paying attention to
the way that the actions of Israel
are affecting Palestinans.
“We’re putting pressure on
the whole world to be doing
something,” Faisal said.
Before people began marching
from
City
Hall
down
East
William
Street,
South
State
Street and throughout downtown
Ann Arbor, several community
members spoke to the protestors
gathered in front of City Hall.
U-M faculty member Dr. Abdul
el-Sayed, a doctor and politician,
began his speech saying he
came as a “doctor, American
and human being.” The former
candidate for Michigan governor
discussed his work in educating
people about COVID-19. He said
as a doctor, he was upset that the
U.S. set conditions that put the
health of Palestinian civilians at
risk during the pandemic.
“I’ve watched (as) 3.5 billion
dollars
of
our
government
taxpayer money (has) funded
a military that has destroyed
testing facilities for COVID-
19, killed some of the leading
doctors in Gaza, and kicked off
a third wave of COVID-19 in the
Gaza strip,” el-Sayed said.
El-Sayed
also
discussed
how he is using his voice as an
American to speak out against
injustice
where
he
sees
it,
understanding that the U.S.
Thursday, May 27, 2021
INDEX
Vol. CXXIX, No. 112
© 2020 The Michigan Daily
NEWS ....................................
OPINION................................
MiC.........................................
ARTS.......................................
STATEMENT..........................
SPORTS.................................
ARTS
Gold Diggers
Sanjena Sathian’s novel
delivers a truthful
critique of the (Indian)
American Dream
>> SEE PAGE 9
NEWS
Carbon Neutrality
University commits to
net-zero emissions in the
coming decades
>> SEE PAGE 2
OPINION
TikTok Fashion
A new avenue for
clothes to be marketed
to the public
>> SEE PAGE 5
MICHIGAN IN COLOR
Horoscopes
What do the stars have in
store for you this week?
We’ve got all the answers
inside
>> SEE PAGE 7
SPORTS
Softball Tumbles
Michigan eliminated from
NCAAs after losing back-
to-back heartbreakers to
Washington
> SEE PAGE 13
inside
2
4
6
8
10
12
Daily investigation finds School of Information,
College of Engineering differed in response to
allegations against CSE professor
Hundreds march
across Ann Arbor
in solidarity with
Palestine
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