The
National
Science
Foundation,
an
independent
federal agency which provides
research
grants
for
science
and engineering, is conducting
a review of the University
of
Michigan’s
Department
of
Computer
Science
and
Engineering compliance with
Title
IX
regulations.
The
CSE department has seen
allegations of sexual misconduct
against several of its faculty
members since 2020. NSF began
conducting interviews with CSE
faculty and administrators from
the Equity, Civil Rights and Title
IX office Tuesday.
CSE professor Peter Chen was
charged with criminal sexual
conduct in the first degree in
2021 and stood trial in late 2022.
Chen was found not guilty by
a Washtenaw County jury and
has since returned to teaching
as a professor of electrical
engineering
and
computer
science. Former CSE professor
Walter
Lasecki
resigned
from his position in August
2021 after an investigation by
The Michigan Daily exposed
multiple allegations of sexual
harassment against him. In 2020,
CSE professor Jason Mars was
accused of sexually inappropriate
behavior by employees of Clinc,
an AI start-up founded by Mars
and Lingjia Tang, his wife and
fellow CSE professor.
NSF awards grants in various
departments, supporting over
1,000 projects at the University.
NSF provided over $112 million
of the University’s $1.71 billion in
research spending in 2022.
Gloria Hage, an attorney in the
Office of General Counsel, sent
an email notifying CSE faculty
of the NSF’s review on March 1.
The Daily has obtained a copy of
this email.
“(NSF)
will
evaluate
and
assess
the
University’s
nondiscrimination policies and
procedures related to Title IX,
grievance and discrimination
complaint processes and the
role of the Title IX Coordinator
in implementing and enforcing
Title IX requirements,” Hage
wrote.
“The
review
will
also
evaluate
whether
the
University’s procedures provide
for the prompt and equitable
resolution of Title IX complaints,
and whether there is compliance
with
the
notification
and
dissemination requirements of
Title IX.”
Hage provided a spreadsheet
in the email for faculty members
to sign up for interviews with
NSF. The Daily obtained a copy
of
this
spreadsheet,
which
indicated
multiple
ECRT
administrators
were
to
be
interviewed,
including
ECRT
Executive
Director
Tamiko
Strickman.
The
University
of
Michigan
has
not
been
granted
a
restraining
order against the Graduate
Employees’
Organization
by the Washtenaw Circuit
Court.
Following
an
evidentiary hearing Monday
afternoon,
Judge
Carol
Kuhnke decided there is no
evidence of irreparable harm
to the University. Members
of University administration
were in court seeking an
injunction that would have
claimed that GEO’s current
strike
is
illegal
because
it constitutes a breach of
contract.
GEO’s
strike
began
at
10:24 a.m. on March 29, after
months of activism during
their contract negotiations
with
the
University’s
Academic Human Resources
department.
Ninety-five
percent of GEO’s members
originally voted to authorize
the strike, which is now
entering its second week.
In an interview with The
Michigan
Daily
following
the decision, GEO President
Jared Eno said he believes
the court made the right
call.
“The
University
was
banking on resolving this
entirely through the courts
and
not
having
to
deal
with us seriously at the
bargaining table,” Eno said.
“I think the judge made the
right call that that’s not
appropriate.”
In an email to The Daily,
University spokesperson Kim
Broekhuizen wrote that the
University is disappointed
in the judgment, but remains
ready to negotiate with GEO.
“While
we
are
disappointed in the decision,
we
appreciate
Judge
Kuhnke’s acknowledgement
that our students are still
being harmed,” Broekhuizen
wrote. “We also understand
the
high
legal
standard
of
‘irreparable
harm’
we
faced.”
Content warning: mentions of
sexual violence.
About 100 sexual violence
survivors and allies gathered
in the Michigan Union’s Rogel
Ballroom at the University of
Michigan for the 45th annual
Take
Back
the
Night
rally
Wednesday evening. The event
was organized by University
Students
Against
Rape
in
collaboration with the Standing
Tough Against Rape Society.
After hearing from speakers
and performers, attendees took
to the streets of Ann Arbor,
marching with signs, drums
and tambourines while shouting
chants such as, “We have the
power, we have the right, the
streets are ours, take back the
night!”
In an interview with The
Michigan
Daily
before
the
event,
Courtney
Banks,
a
student
organizer
for
Take
Back the Night, said the focus
of this year’s rally was allyship
for sexual violence survivors,
with an emphasis on how men
can support survivors of sexual
assault.
“(This event is) a little bit
more about allyship, specifically
male allyship,” Banks said. “I
know there’s a lot of student
orgs on campus that protest
policy and do different things …
but our sort of big thing (at Take
Back the Night) is raising the
voices of survivors, empowering
them by doing events like this.”
Banks said she thinks the
annual rally gives survivors a
chance to have their voices and
stories heard by the Ann Arbor
and U-M communities.
“There are many scenarios,
where,
as
survivors,
your
voices are taken away from
you,” Banks said. “So an event
like this, where we can sort of
get out there, shout, yell, make
ourselves known to the world so
that you can’t forget about us, is
so important.”
The
event
featured
presentations from a variety of
student and Ann Arbor-based
organizations. The rally opened
with a performance by Groove, a
U-M student percussion group.
13 other campus and Ann Arbor-
based organizations — including
safeMD,
Sexual
Assault
Prevention
and
Awareness
Center
and
SafeHouse
—
hosted tables in the Union so
that attendees could speak to
representatives from each of
organization.
Following
the
energetic kick-off by Groove,
Pam Swider, STARS executive
director and founder, introduced
the goals of this year’s Take
Back the Night.
“One of our biggest hopes at
Take Back the Night Ann Arbor,
and even with our volunteer
family, is that we have created
a safe space — a space with no
judgment, a space where we’re
supported
and
listened
to,”
Swider said.
Nicole
Denson,
Detroit
resident and an activist against
sexual
violence,
introduced
herself to the crowd and said
she was excited about being able
to attend and speak at the event.
“Take Back the Night is a
worldwide movement dedicated
to raising awareness about the
prevalence of sexual violence
and providing a forum to give
survivors as we gather together
tonight to demand recognition
of
the
problem
of
sexual
violence,” Denson said. “We
take a stand against the cycle of
sexual violence, and empower
those that are in dark spaces to
speak out.”
Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher
Taylor also spoke about his
dedication to addressing and
ending
sexual
violence
in
the city of Ann Arbor. Taylor
noted
that
April
is
Sexual
Assault Awareness Month in
the state of Michigan. Though
there is no federal month for
sexual
assault
awareness,
many individual state and city
governments across the country
have declared April to be the
month for advocacy in the area
— with Taylor announcing that
Ann Arbor would support that
movement.
“
It’s time to draw attention to
the prevalence of sexual violence
and to educate individuals and
communities and institutions
about how to protect (others)
and help those in need,” Taylor
said. “I proclaim the month of
April 2023 as Sexual Assault
Awareness
Month
in
Ann
Arbor and join advocates and
communities across the country
to prevent sexual violence and
uplift survivors of this crime.”
USAR volunteers informed
the
audience
about
sexual
assault risk factors and the
definition of consent, which
they said should be informed,
sober and enthusiastic. Nursing
freshman
Amanda
Sutherby
was one of the volunteers at the
event and she made a specific
note about high levels of sexual
violence
perpetrated
against
Native American women in the
United States.
“According
to
the
Department of Justice, 84.3%
(of Native American women)
will experience some form of
violence — with 56.1% of Native
American women experiencing
sexual
violence
and
55.5%
experiencing domestic violence —
in their lifetime,” Sutherby said.
The rally evolved into a
march as volunteers handed
out signs and megaphones, and
attendees headed to the streets
of Ann Arbor to make their
voices heard throughout the
night.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXXII, No. 109
©2023 The Michigan Daily
N E WS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
M I C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
O P I N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY TWO YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Court rules that UMich will not get
injunction against GEO
Following an evidentiary hearing, the strike will continue
Students and community members marched through the city streets last week
The National Science
Foundation is conducting a
review of the CSE Department’s
compliance with Title IX
MADISON HAMMOND
Daily News Reporter
JULIAN WRAY
Investigative Managing Editor
45th annual Take Back the Night rally focuses on allyship
CSE Department
under investigation for
Title IX compliance
RILEY HODDER,
MILES ANDERSON &
MATTHEW SHANBOM
Daily News Editor & Daily Staff
Reporters
GEO members and allies participate in a walkout and strike on the Diag Wednesday morning.
EMILY ALBERTS/Daily
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
GRACE LAHTI/Daily
Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor proclaims April to be recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness month in Ann Arbor at the Take Back the Night rally in the Michigan Union
Wednesday night.
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