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INDEX
Vol. CXXXI, No. 64
©2022 The Michigan Daily
NEWS............................ 2
ARTS.............................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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Daily investigation finds University Housing
lacked concern and protocols for ResStaff safety
21 current, former resident staf members allege mishandling of employee concerns
Content Warning: mentions of sexual assault,
sexual harassment
On Sept. 8, 2020, over 100 residential
advisors –– University housing staff members
consisting of student employees –– at the
University of Michigan voted to strike,
frustrated by hazardous pandemic-induced
working conditions.
The University reached a deal with
residential
staff
members
two
weeks later. As part of this agreement, the
University agreed to provide ResStaff with
updated data on COVID-19 cases in residence
halls and daily communication regarding case
numbers as well.
They also promised the formation of the
Residential Experience Council (REC), a
biweekly forum for residential staff members
to voice their concerns to University Housing
administrators.
A Michigan Daily investigation into
University Housing policies found that
University Housing has reneged on its
commitment to ensure residential staff
members’ safety after the
Fall 2020 strike.
In August and September 2021, University
Housing did not hold any REC meetings
according to an email obtained by The Daily
sent on Oct. 19, in which Director of Residence
Education Jasmine Clay scheduled the first
REC meeting two months into the semester.
Clay wrote that meeting frequency will be
reduced from biweekly to monthly. In addition,
the email also included a guideline that
regulated residential staff members’ behavior
during REC meetings.
According to the email, REC meetings will
not be used
to
discuss
“personnel
matters
regarding specific supervisors of (residential
staff
members).
Building
representatives
should follow the designated Department
communication route to share personnel
feedback,” Clay wrote.
For
residential
staff
members,
the
“designated
Department
communication
route” is their hall director, an in-dorm
supervisor who directly oversees everyday
work. Circumventing hall directors and
reporting directly to their supervisors is heavily
discouraged by University Housing, according
to interviews with 21 current and former
residential staff members.
These staff members allege this prevents
some safety concerns from reaching University
Housing administrators.
In an email statement to The Daily, Amir
Baghdadchi, Senior Associate Director of
University Housing, commented on University
Housing’s reporting processes.
“ResStaff can always find a first resource
in their direct supervisor, who typically lives
in the same building alongside their ResStaff,
present and available to talk,” Baghdadchi said.
“In addition, one of the strengths of our student
staff program is that each member is part of
a larger cohort of fellow ResStaff, including
more experienced RAs, and some of the most
valuable support comes from that community.”
A Daily investigation found University
Housing failed to properly respond to
numerous
undisclosed
safety
concerns
brought by residential staff members
between 2018 and 2021.
Before the strike in Fall 2020, residential
staff members were prohibited from
speaking to the media, according to Letter of
Appointment (LOA) documents obtained by
The Daily.
“ResStaff may not communicate publicly
(including to the news media, in social media,
or other public communication venues) about
professional matters internal to University
Housing without authorization from a
supervisor,” the policy stated.
Current LOA documents, also obtained
by The Daily, do not outline forbidden actions
such as engagement with the media. The
LOA from 2019-2020 was 12 pages long; the
updated LOA for 2021-2022 is only one page
long.
Despite the policy change, numerous
residential staff members allege that hall
directors continue to discourage interviews
with the media. They fear that the vagueness
of their current contracts would allow the
University to easily terminate their employment.
Baghdadchi wrote in an email to The Daily
that residential staff members are free to engage
with the media.
“Student staff have always been free to
express their personal points of view as students
to the media,” Baghdadchi wrote. “To ensure
accuracy, factual questions about Michigan
Housing are handled by professional staff.”
Baghdadchi also wrote that he acknowledges
the difficulty of residential staff work and
shared the support provided to these staff
members by the University.
“Resident advisors and diversity peer
educators, known as ResStaff, have some of
the toughest and most critical student jobs on
campus, and we know that for them to support
residents, they need strong support from
Housing,” Baghdadchi wrote.
Former residential staff member Isra
Elshafei also spoke of the difficulty of residential
staff work.
“It was a constant feeling of being a pawn in
their system. We were being stripped of being
a student,” Elshafei said. “We were no longer a
student, we were just an RA.”
The Daily spoke with a former residential
staff member, who asked to remain anonymous
for fear of professional repercussions. In this
article, she will be referred to as Alice.
Bagdadchi declined to comment on Alice’s
experiences.
“The University does not comment on
personnel matters,” Bagdadchi wrote.
Survivors
of
the
late
doctor
Robert
Anderson
will be receiving a $490
million
settlement
from
the University of Michigan,
according to attorney Jamie
White
on
Wednesday
morning.
The settlement agreement,
which
White
said
was
reached
Tuesday
night,
comes after over 15 months of
mediation between Anderson
survivors and the University.
The
mediation
–
which
initially began in Oct. 2020
– represents 1,050 survivors
who have come forward with
sexual misconduct allegations
against Anderson. It is not
related to the class-action suit
that was filed on behalf of all
Anderson survivors in May
2021.
Since
then,
over
950
survivors
–
possibly
the
largest number in history
–
have
come
forward
with allegations of sexual
misconduct
against
Anderson.
White,
who
represents
78 of the survivors, told
The Michigan Daily the
settlement still needs to be
approved by a judge and the
survivors themselves. He said
while no amount of money
can compensate the victims
for what they endured, the
University
taking
some
accountability in this case is a
promising sign.
“It’s always difficult to put
a value on what is fair and
what is not fair when it comes
to having your childhood
taken away,” White said.
“Based on my conversations
with my clients, even prior to
yesterday, (I think) that this
is going to be acceptable to
them.”
According to a U-M press
release obtained by The Daily,
the settlement – pending
approval from the Board of
Regents – will provide $460
million to the 1,050 victims
and the remaining $30 million
will be reserved for any future
claimants who participate
before July 31, 2023. The
settlement has approval from
98% of the claimants.
RONI KANE & GEORGE
WEYKAMP
Daily News Editors
Over 1,000 Anderson survivors reach $490 million
settlement with the University of Michigan
98% of claimants approve agreement following the 15 months of mediation
Students, faculty reflect on Schlissel’s
termination, hopeful for future healing
In the days after the U-M President’s firing, campus
community reacts to impact on ‘U’
ANNA FIFELSKI
Daily Staff Reporter
In the days following former University of
Michigan President Mark Schlissel’s termination,
students, faculty and staff have voiced their
opinions on the impact that Schlissel’s departure,
and the introduction of interim President Mary Sue
Coleman, will have on the University.
While some have taken to social media to join the
conversation — making memes about the contents
of his emails as well as critiquing his vernacular
and his Pizza House order — others have released
statements condemning Schlissel’s actions and
warning the community to be mindful of the
“memes, jokes, and comments” surrounding the
situation.
Business sophomore Faith Richardson said the
emails gave insights about Schlissel’s character in
addition to his relationship with a subordinate.
“(The emails) gave you a strange insight into
former President Schlissel and just little things
about (his life),” Richardson said. “Like ‘You only
tip 10% to Pizza House’, or, we’re all worried about
COVID and he’s out here being like, ‘Oh, when can
we go to Paris’ or whatever.”
LSA sophomore Keara Broome said she was
happy to hear about Schlissel’s termination because
she didn’t support his handling of the GEO strike,
his COVID-19 policies, and other University issues.
However, Broome said she was uncomfortable with
the nature of how Schlissel was dismissed.
“As funny as it is to see the memes about it and
to see everybody posting on Yik Yak about it, it’s
awful. Like, I can’t forget that this is super gross
and exploitative,” Broome said. “Obviously, power
imbalances and sexual misconduct from those in
authority is not some kind of crazy surprise. But
then this just kind of piles on to the University’s
stack of issues.”
Richardson said she was surprised by the
announcement of Schlissel’s firing but is looking
forward to the healing impact that it may have for
the survivors of sexual assault from the University.
“I almost see this as a win for Jon Vaughn,”
Richardson said. “He has been protesting outside
of Schlissel’s house. I mean, it’s obviously not the
outcome anyone was expecting. I don’t think this is
the end of the fight. In a way, it was like a small win
for (the people) who have been so frustrated with
the administration and even the Board of Regents to
just kind of be like, ‘Okay, something right happened
for once.’”
In an email to The Michigan Daily, Art and
Design professor Rebekah Modrak wrote she is
looking forward to a permanent replacement for
Schlissel. Modrak also wrote she is specifically
hoping for a president who is humble, kind and
ethical in addition to someone who takes action
when they hear about violations and who appoints
critical co-leaders.
“There’s an army of administrators who
ensure that reports of violations are suppressed or
obstructed,” Modrak wrote. “The culture of this
university, from the Regents through the upper
administrative levels, is one that is autocratic
and discourages dissent. It’s completely against
academic principles involving criticality and the
search for truth. I’ve asked critical questions
in meetings and had my hand slapped as a
public warning to me and to other members of
the committee not to get out of line. Schlissel’s
departure will have no impact on them.”
Looking ahead, Modrak wrote she expects little
to change in terms of the University’s handling of
sexual misconduct, despite the terms of Schlissel’s
dismissal.
University spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald told
The Daily in an email that the University’s updated
sexual misconduct policies prohibit teacher-learner
and supervisor-supervisee relationships.
“The university is going to extraordinary
measures to put critical protections in place on
top of earlier protections,” Fitzgerald wrote. “We
continue to work with the nationally recognized
consulting firm of Guidepost Solutions on additional
measures.”
Read more at MichigaDaily.
com
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Wednesday, January 26, 2022
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‘I didn’t trust being
in the dorms’
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