The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
2 — Graduation Edition 2022
ARTS
over the
YEARS
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2013
2014
APRIL 29: Classes are cancelled due to
extreme weather as Michigan is plunged
into what is later referred to as the “polar
vortex.” Temperatures reach as low as -18
degrees.
SEPTEMBER: Joe’s Pizza opens up its first
location outside of the boroughs of New
York City on South University Avenue.
Joe’s goes on to win the Michigan Daily’s
“best pizza” award in 2021.”
JANUARY 15: UMich president Mark
Schlissel is fired for having an “inappropriate
relationship” with a subordinate. The Board
of Regents releases 118 pages of Schlissel’s
emails with “individual 1.”
MARCH 12: Jonathon Vaughn’s campsite, as
well as other protestors’ belongings, are removed
from the front of the president’s house after 150
days of protesting the University’s handling of
sexual misconduct allegations.
2020
MARCH 11: Classes at all three U-M campuses
are moved online for the rest of the Winter
semester, just hours after the World Health
Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak
a global pandemic.
FEBRUARY 21: Olympic wrestler Andy
Hrovat becomes the first athlete to publicly
accuse the late Dr. Robert E. Anderson, former
University of Michigan athletic doctor, of sexual
misconduct.
NEWS
over the
YEARS
2021
2022
2019
MARCH 26: Four members of the Board of
Regents call for Ron Weiser’s resignation
following his comments at a North Oakland
Republican Club meeting, in which he
called Michigan Democrat lawmakers
“the three witches” and made
references to political assassination.
JULY 21: The Ann Arbor Art Fair returns
after a two-year hiatus because of the
COVID-19 pandemic. The fair welcomed
vendors from all over the country.
Former Vice President Joe Biden will
be the 46th President of the United States,
according to the Associated Press on
Saturday. Biden claimed Pennsylvania’s
20 electoral college votes, leaving him
with 273 –– more than the 270 needed to
win the presidency, according to Decision
Desk.
Biden has garnered more votes in his
favor than in any presidential election in
history, breaking records with more than
74 million votes.
In an address Friday night, Biden
preached patience to his supporters.
“My fellow Americans, we don’t have
a final declaration of victory yet, but the
numbers tell a clear and convincing story:
We are going to win this race,” Biden said.
Though Election Day was Tuesday,
votes in key states including Nevada,
Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia took
days longer to be counted. 2020 saw
record turnout and a massive increase
in the number of absentee ballots cast
in 2016, with more than 100 million
Americans casting ballots before Nov. 3.
The Associated Press declared that
Biden won Michigan’s 16 electoral votes
Wednesday night, flipping the state
Trump won in 2016. Biden won 2,795,714
votes in Michigan, amounting to 50.5
percent of the vote, beating Trump by
about two and a half points.
Through the tight race, the Trump
campaign and supporters attempted
to cast doubt on election results by
spreading misinformation on Twitter
and protesting ballot tabulation. Trump’s
campaign filed a lawsuit against the
Michigan Court of Claims earlier on
Wednesday to halt ballot counting in the
state, which was dismissed Thursday
night.
Trump provided no evidence to
support his allegations about threats
to election integrity, and in a speech
Thursday night, he lied repeatedly about
the vote-counting process in Michigan.
Michigan Democratic Party Chair
Lavora Barnes defended the security of
the state’s voting system in a statement
Wednesday after President Donald
Trump repeatedly cast doubt on the
safety and reliability of mail-in ballots.
“Yesterday Michigan held an election
with record turnout levels,” the statement
read. “It takes a considerable amount of
time and volunteer hours to count every
single vote. … The voters have cast their
ballots and they are being meticulously
counted and when that process is over, all
Michiganders together will find out the
results.”
Biden’s campaign has stressed unity
through hard times and criticized
Trump’s response to the COVID-19
pandemic. Biden held rallies in Michigan
with former President Barack Obama and
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer days before the
election, blaming Trump for America’s
world-topping COVID-19 death rate.
“Imagine where we would be if we
had a president who had worn a mask,
instead of mocked it,” Biden said last
weekend. “I can tell you this, we wouldn’t
have 5 million confirmed cases of COVID
in this nation, we wouldn’t have 230,000
deaths … He knew and he hid it from the
people, he knew it was so much worse
than the flu, he lied to the people. He
knew it wasn’t going to disappear.”
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., will
be the first woman of color to occupy
the vice presidency as a Black and South
Asian woman.
In
light
of
Governor
Gretchen Whitmer declaring
a State of Emergency early
Tuesday
morning,
the
University
has
decided
to
cancel all events and classes
on campus for Wednesday,
Jan. 29, and intends to resume
activity at 7 a.m. Friday. This
will be the third time in 40
years the school has closed
due to weather.
The
University
Record
announced
classes
were
canceled
at
3:30
p.m.
on
Tuesday.
“The
University
of
Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus
issued an emergency reduction
in
operation
effective
at
midnight Tuesday through 7
a.m. Friday, due to predicted
extreme low temperatures and
wind chills,” The Record said.
The last time the University
halted
activity
was
in
February 2015 due to a winter
storm which resulted in 18
inches of snowfall. Before
that, there was a closure in
2014 due to extremely cold
temperatures — specifically,
a wind chill of -30 degrees.
The first time the University
closed was in January 1978
due to climate conditions.
Weather projections estimate
a wind chill of nearly -40
degrees for Wednesday and
part of Thursday.
Before the announcement
was
made,
University
Spokeswoman
Kim
Broekhuizen
explained
the
University had been working
with various individuals to
determine the best action to
take.
“University
officials
are
working closely with internal
and
external
partners
to
monitor
the
predicted
temperature and windchill for
later this week,” Broekhuizen
said in an email to The Daily.
The
decision
to
cancel
classes comes after of closures
on
campus
and
of
local
business around Ann Arbor on
Monday. University student
groups, such as the Michigan
Student
Power
Network,
also took to advocating for
a campus closure through
their
#UMichColdShoulder
petition,
which
currently
has over 9,000 signatures.
The petition also encouraged
students to call University
President
Mark
Schlissel
as well as other University
administrators.
The University joins MSU,
Wayne
State
University,
among others to cancel classes
because of extreme weather
conditions.
ACADEMICS
University decides to cancel
classes and events amid
Winter Storm Jayden
AMARA SHAIKR
2020 Daily Staff Reporter
JULIA ROBIN
2021 Daily Staff Reporter
ANN ARBOR
Joe Biden wins presidency,
unseating incumbent
Donald Trump
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 of Regents
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
Board of 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
Board
of
Regents
released a letter transmitted to
Schlissel informing him of his
termination. 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 has 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
News
Editor
Roni
Kane and Daily Staff Reporter
Michal Ruprecht contributed
reporting.
Daily News Editor George
Weykamp can be reached at
gweykamp@umich.edu
NEWS
UMich President Mark Schlissel
fired for “inappropriate
relationship” with employee
GEORGE WEYKAMP
2022 Daily News Editor
‘U’ moves classes online in
response to coronavirus
The University of Michigan
announced
on
Wednesday
all
classes on all three campuses will
be held online beginning March 16
through the end of the semester,
April 21, in response to the COVID-
19 virus. Classes on Thursday and
Friday will be canceled. However,
the University will remain open,
including dorms and dining halls.
In a statement shared on Twitter,
University President Mark Schlissel
wrote the changes are meant to
maximize the safety of the campus
communities.
“To protect the health and safety
of our communities and minimize
the spread of #COVID19, @UMich
is making changes to classes, travel,
study abroad and large events on
our Ann Arbor, @UM_Dearborn
and @UMFlint campuses,” Schlissel
wrote.
Events expected to attract more
than 100 people will also be canceled,
including
Honors
Convocation.
According to the statement, updates
about plans for commencement will
be provided when more information
is available.
On-campus sporting events will
be limited to parents and members
of the press.
All spring and summer study
abroad
programs
through
the
University will be canceled, given
the severity of the outbreak. All other
University international travel will
also be suspended, except under rare
circumstances requiring approval.
The World Health Organization
declared the COVID-19 outbreak
a global pandemic Wednesday
afternoon as the virus continues to
spread globally.
The move to online classes comes
a day after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
signed an executive order declaring
a state of emergency following the
diagnosis of the first two cases of the
COVID-19 virus in Michigan.
In a press conference Tuesday
evening,
Whitmer
said
she
declared the state of emergency to
maximize efforts and to assist local
governments and officials in slowing
the spread of COVID-19.
“We’re taking every step that we
can to mitigate the virus spread and
keep Michiganders safe,” Whitmer
said in the press conference.
The two diagnosed cases in
Michigan include a middle-aged
Oakland County woman who has
recently
traveled
internationally
and a middle-aged Wayne County
man who has recently traveled
domestically.
Michigan Medicine announced
Wednesday morning the hospital is
treating one of the two confirmed
Michigan coronavirus cases.
According to the University’s
webpage on COVID-19, individuals
should wash their hands often with
soap for 20 seconds, avoid close
contact with those who are sick and
to stay home when sick to prevent
the spread of the virus.
Prior
to
the
University’s
decision to move classes online,
universities across the state had
already
suspended
in-person
classes. Michigan State University
suspended
all
face-to-face
classes beginning at noon today,
MSU President Samuel Stanley
announced in an email to MSU
students this morning. Online class
instruction will last until April 20.
Central
Michigan
University
also asked students not to return
to campus after spring break and
announced they will be moving
their classes online through March
20. CMU will make a decision on
whether to continue online classes
on March 19.
Wayne
State
University
announced Wednesday afternoon
it will be extending spring break
until March 23 to help plan for the
transition to online classes.
Other
universities
across
the United States have called
off in-person classes this week,
including Harvard University and
Ohio State University.
As classes have been canceled
across the country, some on social
media have noted the sudden
requests for students to leave
campus may be harder to adjust to for
students who may rely on university
housing or meal plans. Additionally,
they said some students may depend
on work-study as a source of income.
Others have noted students may
not be able to go home because
of transportation costs or travel
restrictions, or because coronavirus
may be more widespread in that
location.
Before
the
University
announced the cancellation of
classes, students on campus began
creating a spreadsheet of resources
to help students who may be
disproportionately impacted by the
changes.
Michigan Dining sent an email
to MDining employees Wednesday
afternoon letting students know
they plan to continue having food
available.
The email stated MDining is
increasing their sanitation processes
– including the back of the house
and some spaces leading up to the
dining hall. Additionally, greeters
are no longer swiping M-Cards and
students swipe their own.
Symptoms of coronavirus include
fever, cough and shortness of breath.
To stop the spread of the virus,
the Centers for Disease Control
recommend people wash their
hands often and avoid touching their
eyes, nose and mouth.
BARBARA COLLINS,
CLAIRE HAO & EMMA STEIN
2020 Daily News Editors
DOMINICK SOKOTOFF/Daily
Students began stockpiling groceries at local stores after the University announced classes would be moved online due to COVID-19.