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INDEX
Vol. CXXX, No. 65
©2022 The Michigan Daily

NEWS............................ 2

A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

STATEMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

M I C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 

O P I N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1
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Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Trigger Warning: This article 

contains descriptions of sexual 
assault.

University of Michigan alumni 

and survivors of former U-M 
American Culture lecturer Bruce 
Confoth came together at a virtual 
press conference Monday morning 
to announce they would be filing 
a lawsuit against the University 
for failing to adequately protect 
students 
against 
a 
predatory 

professor. 

In 
total, 
there 
are 
eight 

U-M alumni — who attended 
the University between 2004 
and 2017 and are survivors of 
Conforth’s 
abuse 
— 
involved 

with the lawsuit. They are being 
represented by Michigan law firm 
Grewal Law and said they will be 
filing the initial complaint with 
the Washington County Circuit 
Court.

Several sexual assault allegations 

against Conforth, including those 
for inappropriate emails and rape, 
came to light on April 23, 2021. It 
wasn’t until 2017, Conforth retired 
from the University after previously 
winning the 2012 Golden Apple 
Award for most outstanding U-M 
instructor. 

Nolan Erickson, a legal counsel 

for some of the Conforth survivors, 
said the University was complacent 

despite knowing of Conforth’s 
sexual 
misconduct 
allegations 

during his professorship.

“Even after (the University) 

learned 
of 
the 
professor’s 

misconduct because of student 
complaints in 2008, it did not 
prevent him from committing 
further abuses or warn students 
about 
his 
behavior,” 
Erickson 

said. “What followed was nearly a 
decade of serial abuse in the form 
of sexual harassment and sexual 
abuse of students.”

Katherine 
McMahan, 
who 

graduated from the University in 
2008, is one of the survivors who 
spoke at Monday’s press conference. 
McMahan 
said 
Conforth 
had 

invited her and other students to a 
bar outside of class one night and 
bought everyone a round of drinks. 
She alleged that when she got up 
to use the restroom, Conforth 
cornered her, grabbed her waist and 
repeatedly asked her to sleep in his 
home. After that incident, McMahan 
said she received multiple emails 
from Conforth asking her to not 
report what had happened. 

“He hoped that I wouldn’t 

do anything rash (and that) he 
had his career to think about,” 
McMahan said. “Bruce knew 
what he did was wrong. It was not 
something a professor should do 
with a student and he was trying 
to guilt me into staying silent.”

VANESSA KIEFER 

Daily Staff Reporter

michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, February 9, 2022

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY ONE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Anderson protestors say work is far from 
over following $490 million settlement

Vaughn, Christian reflect on agreement, continue to advocate for stronger misconduct policies at UMich 

Survivors of the late University 

Athletic Doctor Robert Anderson 
say they are not done protesting 
the University of Michigan for 
strengthening sexual misconduct 
policies and protecting students 
on campus, following the $490 
million 
settlement 
with 
the 

University. 

102 days after former U-M 

football player Jonathan Vaughn 
first began protesting outside 

former University President Mark 
Schlissel’s house, the University 
announced — after over 15 months 
of mediation — they had reached 
a $490 million settlement with 
1,050 survivors of the late Dr. 
Robert Anderson. 

Vaughn told The Michigan 

Daily the settlement was an 
important milestone, but his work 
is far from over.

“It’s an amazing win in the 

battle, but it doesn’t even remotely 
end the war,” Vaughn said. “My 
attitude is really business as usual.”

While 
Vaughn 
said 
he 

appreciates that a settlement 

was reached and that it is an 
important part of the healing 
process 
for 
some 
of 
the 

survivors, he said he is still 
waiting to hear many of the 
details of the settlement.

“We know what the number is, 

we don’t know all the provisions … 
We’re looking at probably a 60 or 
70 page document when it’s all said 
and done,” Vaughn said. 

The 
settlement 
— 
which 

provides $460 million to the 
current claimants and allots 
the remaining $30 million to 
claimants who opt in before July 
31, 2023 — was widely reported 

to include a clause stipulating 
Vaughn end his protest. 

Vaughn said he wasn’t aware 

that his leaving was part of the 
settlement and was still evaluating 
the next steps for his protest. 

“I’m 
in 
a 
wait-and-see 

mode (about the status of his 
protest) because I don’t think 
anything has changed,” Vaughn 
said. “There still needs to be 
institutional reform within the 
University of Michigan as it 
pertains to student health, sexual 
assault and rape cover-ups.”

 ‘Tell them what you allowed 
‘Tell them what you allowed 

to happen to us’: Sexual 
to happen to us’: Sexual 

assault survivors of former 
assault survivors of former 

U-M professor Bruce 
U-M professor Bruce 

Conforth take legal action 
Conforth take legal action 

MARTHA LEWAND & 

JUSTIN O’BEIRNE
Daily Staff Reporters

 Eight U-M alumni sue University for 

failing to protect students

DOMINICK SOKOTOFF/Daily

See ‘TELL THEM, Page 2

The University of Michigan’s 

Office of Multi-Ethnic Student 
Affairs hosted the opening ceremony 
of Black History Month Tuesday 
afternoon. The opening ceremony 
consisted of spoken word, music 
performances and a keynote address 
delivered by Dr. Naomi André, 
professor of Women’s Studies. 

MESA’s theme for Black History 

Month 2022 is Black Joy. According 
to 
the 
Black 
History 
Month 

committee, “Black Joy shows that as 
Black people, despite the centuries of 
trauma we have experienced, we are 
proud to be who we are. No matter 
where we come from or what we 
identify as, we are one and we are 
happy to be Black.”

The opening ceremony consisted 

of a spoken word performance by 
LSA sophomore Benjamin Colding 
titled “Joy is Pride”. 

“I can go down this Zoom call 

and bet money that dang near all 
of us have been slammed, sneered 
at, slided and slandered for, I don’t 
know, wearing caps indoors, wearing 
hoods when it’s cold, letting our hair 
chill in its natural state, and just not 
giving in to many unsung pressures 
emitted by an abundance of forces in 
society,” Colding said. “And instead of 
dropping out, and instead decided to 
pursue their ideal images of successes 
with nothing but twinkles in their 
eyes.”

Colding said he feels pride and joy 

for the accomplishments of the Black 
community.

“From dang near nothing, we built 

a culture that would sing its influence 

globally, and ain’t there power in 
that?” Colding said. “With our 
predecessors as our teachers have we 
gained a top-tier education and ain’t 
there strength in that? With nothing 
but our hands and feet did we imbue 
ourselves within an abundance of 
skills and talents and ain’t there joy 
in that?” 

Neika White, a U-M alum and 

administrative assistant for MESA, 
spoke at the opening ceremony and 
said she believes Black joy is knowing 
you belong everywhere you go. 

“Black joy means that so many 

things keep happening to my people, 
I have to stand up and make a choice 
everyday that am I going to show up, 
or am I just going to be there,” White 
said. “Sometimes you have no choice 
to decide whether you are going to be 
there or not because the minute you 
show up you stand out.”

Dillon Cathro, program manager 

for MESA, also spoke at the event 
and said Black History Month is 
important as a space for Black people 
to share their experiences and joy 
since these spaces are hard to come 
by.

“Blackness is not a monolithic 

experience,” Cathro said. “Black, 
Blackness, 
Afro-descendentness, 

whatever you wanna call it, means 
something 
different 
to 
every 

person,” Dylan said. “But that 
experience being Black is unified. 
It’s not everyday that we get to 
have a space like this to share in 
commonality, to share in joy, because 
we are oftentimes talking about 
things that are not joyous when it 
applies to Black communities.” 

CAROLINE WANG 

Daily Staff Reporter

Campus community 

talks Black Joy at 

opening ceremony of 
Black History Month

The Ofce of Multi-Ethnic Student Afairs 
hosts music performances, keynote address

BUSINESS
CAMPUS LIFE

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

ALI CHAMI/Daily

 Seven Michigan Starbucks locations 
unionize for greater autonomy, safer 

COVID-19 protocol

Majority of employees at these MI chains have signed union authorization cards

Starbucks employees at seven 

Michigan locations — five in Ann 
Arbor — announced they are 
moving to unionize in protest of the 
company ending hazard pay during 
the COVID-19 pandemic as well as 
the limited safety protocols. 

The news came after several 

other Starbucks locations across 
the 
country 
signaled 
their 

plans to unionize, including the 

first company-owned store to 
successfully unionize in Buffalo, 
New 
York. 
The 
locations 
in 

Michigan submitted their petition 
for union elections to the National 
Labor Relations Board on Jan. 28. 

The Michigan locations will be 

organizing with Workers United 
(SEIU) and will also be joining 
the Starbucks Workers United 
movement. According to a press 
release obtained by The Michigan 
Daily, a majority of workers at the 
Michigan locations signed union 
authorization cards indicating their 

support of the move to unionize. 

News of the unionization came 

as a result of rising frustrations 
among workers at the Michigan 
locations. Ryder Meilstrup-Eady, a 
shift supervisor at the Washtenaw 
Avenue location, detailed a harsh 
work environment, saying he and 
his coworkers often joked about 
the toll their work experiences had 
on their lives and relationships 
with other workers.

“We all like to joke about work 

trauma, or how work trauma 
brings us together,” Meilstrup-

Eady said. “But honestly, that’s not 
really a joke.”

Starbucks employees also said 

another source of stress falls on 
understaffing, a factor that many 
local and national businesses 
have recently experienced due 
to COVID-19. Jina Henderson — 
an employee at the Washtenaw 
Avenue location — detailed how 
understaffing affects them, especially 
in the midst of increased call-offs due 
to employees needing to call in sick.

RILEY HODDER
Daily Staff Reporter

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

