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Vol. CXXX, No. 83
©2022 The Michigan Daily

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A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

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M I C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 

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Daily investigation finds allegations of microaggressions 
against comics professor

Current and former students of the School of Art & Design share their experiences with Prof. Phoebe Gloeckner

In an interview with The Daily, 
a former student in the School 
of Art & Design recalled her 
decision to take a class with Phoebe 
Gloeckner, Art & Design Professor 
and graphic novelist. This student 
requested anonymity, citing a fear of 
professional repercussions. In this 
article, they will be referred to as 
Leila.
“I always wanted to take a class 
with her,” Leila said. “She’s so 
prestigious. She has a movie. She’s 
a best selling author … so that was 
really interesting to me.”
In the fall of 2020, Leila registered 
for Gloeckner’s course, ArtDes 366: 
Graphic Narratives. On Oct. 2, a 
month into the course, Leila and 
several other students in the class 
reported Gloeckner to Art & Design 
School administrators for dismissing 
students’ concerns about repeatedly 
showing “racist caricatures in her 
curriculum” that lacked educational 
context. This complaint was obtained 
by The Daily.
List of concerns sent to Art & 
Design administrators. Obtained by 
The Daily.
A Michigan Daily investigation 
found 
numerous 
previously 
undisclosed 
allegations 
against 
Gloeckner of perpetuating racial and 
gender-based microaggressions. The 
investigation also found that both 
Art & Design administrators and the 
Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) 
were repeatedly made aware of these 
allegations between the fall of 2020 
and winter of 2021. 
Of the 679 Art & Design students 
enrolled in the winter 2022 semester, 
58% are white, 12% are Asian, 5% are 
Black, 7% are Hispanic and 0.3% are 
Native American, according to the 
U-M Office of the Registrar.

The investigation also uncovered 
a formal complaint sent to U-M 
administrators by an artist who 
worked with Gloeckner at an outside 
program, the Atlantic Center for the 
Arts (ACA), in the fall of 2021. It is 
unclear what actions administrators 
took to address these concerns.
This investigation is based on 
interviews with 12 current and 
former 
students 
of 
Gloeckner, 
including three residents who worked 
with Gloeckner at ACA, along with a 
review of emails, letters of complaint 
and other documents pertaining to 
Gloeckner’s classroom conduct.
In an email to The Daily, Gloeckner 
pointed to the University’s response 
to the allegations against her.
“(The complaints) were already 
examined by U-M, and the university 
decided to close the matter over a year 

and half ago,” Gloeckner wrote. “The 
other allegation from (ACA) is simply 
outrageous, and absolutely untrue.”
Brad 
Smith, 
Art 
& 
Design 
associate dean of academic programs, 
commented 
on 
the 
University’s 
response to the allegations against 
Gloeckner in an email to The Daily.
“The administration of the Stamps 
School of Art & Design responded to 
the concerns shared by students in 
2020 and 2021 through established 
processes regarding such issues,” 
Smith wrote. “As this is a personnel 
matter, university policy limits the 
information we are able to share.” 
“The harm caused deserves to 
be properly addressed”
Gloeckner has been a professor 
at the University of Michigan since 
2004. She received tenure as an 
Art & Design associate professor in 
Read more at michigandaily.com

CALLIE TEITELBAUM 
Daily Staff Reporter

2010. Gloeckner is best known for 
her graphic novel, “The Diary of a 
Teenage Girl,” which was adapted 
into a film in 2015. The film received 
critical recognition at the 2015 
Sundance Film Festival. 
According to students in the Art & 
Design School, Gloeckner is the only 
professor who specifically teaches 
comics and graphic novels.
An Art & Design faculty member, 
who requested anonymity for fear 
of professional retaliation, told The 
Daily they recalled three separate 
instances in which students came to 
them with concerns over Gloeckner’s 
classroom conduct. These students 
expressed concern over Gloeckner’s 
alleged presentation of graphic and 
racially insensitive material in class.
Leila said concern surrounding 
Gloeckner’s curriculum began on 

the first day of ArtDes 336 in the 
fall of 2020. Gloeckner assigned 
students to replicate a cartoon 
by illustrator Robert Crumb. In 
interviews with The Daily, multiple 
students expressed discomfort with 
the image, which portrayed a woman 
leaning against a window. One 
student said they felt the comic was 
“misogynistic.” 
Crumb 
is 
known 
for 
his 
controversial work and role in the 
Underground Comix movement.
Leila said that in class the next day, 
students expressed their discomfort 
with the material to Gloeckner. 
Gloeckner assigned students to watch 
a documentary on Crumb in response 
to student concerns.
In interviews with The Daily, 
six students said the documentary 
involved 
graphic 
discussions 
of 
rape and misogynistic depictions of 
women. These students allege that 
Gloeckner did not provide a content 
or trigger warning before assigning 
the documentary. 
Leila said she felt like the 
documentary 
assignment 
was 
a 
punishment for students not agreeing 
with class material.
“I don’t care if she likes Robert 
Crumb,” Leila said. “It was more the 
fact that (she) was like, ‘You guys 
must like it, and if you don’t like it, 
there’s going to be consequences.’ 
And there were consequences.”
A former Art & Design student 
who took ArtDes 336 with Leila 
corroborated Leila’s account. This 
student also requested anonymity, 
citing 
a 
fear 
of 
professional 
repercussions. In this article, the 
student will be referred to as Spencer. 
Spencer 
said 
that 
Gloeckner 
presented 
cartoons 
with 
racist 
and misogynistic themes in class. 
Spencer felt personally offended by 
these materials. 

Design by Serena Shen

