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

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM 
michigandaily.com

NINA MOLINA AND SAMMY 

SUSSMAN

Daily Staff Reporters

NIRALI PATEL

Daily Staff Reporter

Read more at michigandaily.com
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