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INDEX
Vol. CXXX, No. 63
©2022 The Michigan Daily
NEWS............................ 3
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
STATEMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
M I C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
O P I N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1
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UMich President dismissed at closed-door Regents meeting due to “inappropriate relationship” with subordinate
University
of
Michigan
President
Mark
Schlissel
has
been
fired
effective
immediately
following
an
internal investigation revealing
Schlissel’s
inappropriate
behavior with a subordinate at
the University, according to a
Saturday press release from the
Board of Regents.
The decision was made at
a closed-door Board meeting
Saturday morning without a
public vote after the board
hired a third party investigator
to determine whether or not
Schlissel’s actions as president
had violated the University’s
supervisor relationship policy.
“It is with great disappointment
that we announce that the
University of Michigan Board of
Regents has removed Dr. Mark
Schlissel as President of the
University of Michigan, effective
immediately,” the Regents wrote
in a Saturday press release.
The
policy,
which
was
introduced
in
July
2021,
states that “a Supervisor may
not,
implicitly
or
explicitly,
initiate or attempt to initiate
an Intimate Relationship with
a Supervisee over whom they
exercise supervisory authority,”
and was implemented in July
2021
following
allegations
former Provost Martin Philbert
had used his position to coerce
women into sexual relationships.
The firing comes after an
anonymous complaint submitted
on Dec. 8. revealed Schlissel
had been in an inappropriate
relationship with a University
employee.
A
subsequent
investigation
was
performed
which found he had used his
University
email
account
to
inappropriately
communicate
with said employee.
Schlissel’s existing contract
contained a morals clause which
stated his behavior as President
“be consistent with promoting
the
dignity,
reputation,
and
academic
excellence
of
the
University.”
The regents also released a
letter transmitted to Schlissel
informing him of his termination
Saturday after the vote. In
it, the regents outlined their
justification
for
firing
him,
citing
messages
sent
from
his
University
email
to
a
subordinate. Because the regents
fired Schlissel for cause, he will
no longer receive the golden
parachute he and the regents
negotiated when he announced
he would resign in 2023.
Schlissel
had
previously
provoked the regents’ ire for
failing
to
to
communicate
with the board regarding the
Detroit Center for Innovation.
Talks
broke
down
between
donor Stephen M. Ross and Dan
Gilbert, who owned the site.
An anonymous administration
official who spoke to the Detroit
Free Press said the regents felt
Schlissel left them in the dark as
negotiations faltered.
In
October,
Schlissel
announced that he would be
stepping down from the job in
June 2023, a year earlier than
planned. The Detroit Free Press at
the time categorized his stepping
down early as a deal between the
members of the board who were
satisfied and dissatisfied with
his performance.
The decision was announced
Saturday night. A press release
from the University announced
president
emerita
Mary
Sue
Coleman will serve as interim
president. Coleman served as
president from 2002 until 2014.
In a statement posted to
the Board of Regents website,
Coleman wrote she was sad to
learn of the allegations against
Schlissel but was honored to once
again be leading the University.
“While
saddened
by
the
circumstances, I am honored
to be asked to again serve
the University of Michigan,”
Coleman wrote. “When I left the
U-M campus at the end of my
presidency in 2014, I said serving
this great university was the
most rewarding experience of
my professional life. I’m happy
to serve again in this important
interim role.”
The
University
hired
the
private law firm Jenner & Block
to continue the investigation into
Schlissel’s behavior. According to
the Detroit Free Press, the firm
is also investigating whether
Schlissel
misused
University
funds to support his relationship
with the unnamed subordinate.
In an email obtained by the
Michigan Daily addressed to
LSA employees Saturday night,
LSA Dean Anne Curzan wrote
she would be meeting with
fellow deans and senior leaders
tomorrow and will communicate
additional updates in the coming
days.
Curzan
wrote
Schlissel’s
firing reinforced to need for
sexual misconduct prevention on
campus.
“As I process this news, it only
strengthens
my
commitment
to continuing the work we
have been undertaking in the
college, with the wise, research-
informed
guidance
of
the
Preventing Sexual Harassment
Working Group,” Curzan wrote.
“It is essential.”
Jonathan
Vaughn,
former
University football and notable
survivor of the late Doctor Robert
Anderson who has been camped
outside of Schlissel’s house for
nearly 100 days in protest of the
University’s handling of sexual
misconduct tweeted Schlissel’s
firing would help create a safer
campus.
“This news is fuel for my
mission: the safety & protection
of the students of this university,”
Vaughn wrote. “After 99 days of
being ignored in front of former
President
Mark
Schlissel’s
home, the regents finally made
1 good choice. But there must be
many more if U-M is to be fully
accountable.”
Daily Staff Reporter Michal
Ruprecht and Daily News Editor
Roni Kane contributed reporting.
Daily
News
Editor
George
Weykamp can be reached at
gweykamp@umich.edu
‘It’s a long time coming:’
U-M students rally in front
of presidential residence
GEORGE WEYKAMP
Daily News Editor
Over 100 community members gather outside
South University home following
‘U’ leader’s termination
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY ONE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
LSA
freshman
Jack
Thompson
was
one
of the first students to
arrive outside of former
University President Mark
Schlissel’s residence after
news broke that he had
been fired by the Board
of Regents on Saturday.
With
a
saxophone
in
hand, he satirically played
George Michael’s “Careless
Whisper” and the classic
Big House anthem “Mr.
Brightside” by The Killers
as
fellow
protesters
gradually gathered and
cheered around him.
“I live in East Quad,
and my friends and I were
sitting in a lounge and I
said, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if
we stopped by and brought
an instrument?’ And we’ve
kind of amassed a bit of a
group here,” Thompson
said.
Over
100
students
gathered
outside
the
President’s
House
on
Saturday evening following
the report of Schlissel’s
termination by the Board
of Regents earlier this
afternoon.
Schlissel
was fired for engaging
in
an
“inappropriate
relationship”
with
a
subordinate
at
the
University as early as
Sept. 2019. In Dec. 2021,
an anonymous complaint
was filed which led to an
internal investigation into
Schlissel’s behavior.
The
investigation
revealed
inappropriate
emails sent from Schlissel’s
U-M email account to the
subordinate, referred to
as Individual 1. Schlissel’s
emails contained an article
related to sexual fantasies,
details of travelling to
California and Paris with
Individual 1 as well as other
inappropriate
comments
related to their relationship.
“It’s
recently
been
revealed that (Schlissel)
had an affair with a staff
member, and that’s not
really a good thing when
you’re the president of one
of the biggest schools in the
country,” Thompson said.
“Kind of makes a mockery
of our name. So I’d like to
return the favor a little bit.”
As Thompson continued
to play into the night, more
students joined in and
began chanting “Show your
face!” and “Mark, are you
home?” at the only window
with its blinds half open
on his house. Cars driving
by frequently honked as
students cheered in return
as Mr. Brightside and Pump
it Up filled the background.
One protester held a “Can
I have a private briefing?”
sign in reference to one of
the emails Schlissel sent to
the subordinate.
“I love performing and
it’s a really good chance
to kind of get a crowd out
here,” Thompson said. “I
feel terrible for his family.
I can’t believe that he
actually
did
something
in such a high position
of power. I mean, that’s
simply an abuse of power.
And
that’s
something
that I don’t think any of
the students in Michigan
would stand for.”
The last time the Board
of Regents dismissed a
president was in 1863,
when former University
President Henry Philip
Tappan was dismissed due
to “difficulties with the
regents on matters both
of policy and personality,”
according to the Bentley
Historical Library.
LSA
sophomore
Neil Peterson came to
Schlissel’s
house
with
fellow Residential College
students
who
brought
instruments.
Peterson
brought his trumpet to
have a “celebration.”
MARTHA LEWAND,
MATTHEW SHAN-
BOM, &
ANNA FIFELSKI
Daily Staff Reporters
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
Emails, texts released between
University head, anonymous employee
in internal investigation
118-page document details improper messages dating back to September 2019
Emails
from
former
University
of
Michigan
President
Mark
Schlissel
were released in a 118-page
document Saturday evening,
detailing
inappropriate
communication
with
a
subordinate at the University.
The emails were revealed
as
part
of
an
internal
investigation into Schlissel’s
behavior, ultimately leading
to his firing.
The investigation revealed
a series of communication
between Schlissel and an
unnamed
subordinate,
identified
in
the
emails
as
“Individual
1,”
which
disclosed
multiple
emails
between
the
two
dating
back to Sept. 2019 in which
Schlissel sent the employee
an article by the New Yorker
entitled “Sexual Fantasies of
Everyday New Yorkers.” In
that email, Schlissel told the
employee the article was “just
for fun.”
The
emails
also
detail
several trips Schlissel and the
employee went on together,
including one to California
and
another
to
Europe.
The
emails
also
include
receipts for dinner and movie
reservations.
The regents also released a
letter sent to Schissel outlining
the causes for his termination
of
employment,
including
exchanging
inappropriate
emails with Individual 1 using
his official U-M account.
In one exchange on July
1, 2021, Individual 1 wrote
to Schlissel saying that her
“heart
hurts,”
to
which
Schlissel responded with “i
know. mine too.” Schlissel
also wrote to the individual
that “this is my fault,” that
he is “in pain too” and that he
still wishes he “were strong
enough to find a way.”
Schlissel also responded
to Individual 1’s official U-M
email address on Jan. 9, 2021
with “Love it when you say
that.” Schlissel made a similar
remark on April 25, 2020,
according to the regents’
letter.
The regents cite another
instance on Nov. 4, 2021,
in
which
Schlissel
was
scheduled to attend a U-M
basketball game as part of his
official duties as president.
On that day, Schlissel wrote
to Individual 1 saying that
“the only reason I agreed to
go was to go with you. there
is a conspiracy against me.”
According to the regents,
Schlissel was not able to sit
next to Individual 1, prompting
his “disappointment.”
On Dec. 3, 2021, Schlissel
also wrote Individual 1 about
the Big Ten Championship
“President’s
Suite
briefing
Info,” to which he said “You
can give me a private briefing.”
The
emails
also
detail
various gifts Schlissel sent
to Individual 1, including a
matching set of gifts and U-M
facemasks for both of them.
The emails also reveal
Schlissel and Individual 1
took several trips together,
including one to India. The
trip connected through Paris,
prompting
an
exchange
between Individual 1 and
Schlissel about a hypothetical
situation
in
the
city
if
their flight were canceled,
writing “What if we miss our
connection and get stuck in
Paris…” It is unclear if this trip
was for University business or
personal reasons.
Schlissel and the employee
also exchanged texts over
iMessage, which were also
included in the document.
“I am looking forward to
seeing you later. That thought
will get me through (sic) day,”
Schlissel texted Individual 1
on June 30, 2021.
The emails come after
the University updated it’s
sexual misconduct policy in
Sept. 2021, which included
more concrete definitions of
misconduct, clarifications on
ways to report misconduct
and outlines for procedures in
addressing sexual and gender-
based misconduct allegations.
Schlissel’s term was filled
with
instances
of
sexual
misconduct
investigations
among
University
faculty
and staff, including former
Provost Martin Philbert, who
was the second-in-command
below Schlissel.
In
Nov.
2020,
the
University
reached
a
settlement with eight women
who were sexually assaulted
by Philbert, who had a history
of sexually harassing female
employees and having sexual
relationships
in
university
offices.
The
settlement
came after an investigation
conducted by WilmerHale,
which
found
“significant
evidence”
that
Philbert
violated
the
University’s
sexual misconduct policy.
In addition to the Philbert
case, more than 950 survivors
have come forward alleging
thousands of instances of
sexual misconduct in what
may be the most instances
of misconduct by a single
person
in
U.S.
history.
Anderson
survivor
and
former U-M football player
Jonathan Vaughn is running
for the Board of Regents,
with his campaign speaking
against Schlissel’s response
to victims. He has been
camping outside of President
Schlissel’s house since Oct. 8,
protesting the president’s lack
of response to his and other
survivors’ demands.
Daily Staff Reporters Anna
Fifelski and George Weykamp
umich.edu and gweykamp@
umich.edu, Daily News Editor
Kate Weiland and Managing
News Editors Dominic Coletti
and Kristina Zheng contributed
reporting.
NEWS
GEORGE WEYKAMP &
ANNA FIFELSKI
Daily News Editor, Daily Staff
Reporter
SCHLISSEL FIRED
GRACE BEAL/Daily