The University of Michigan is the latest institution of higher education in the spotlight over sexual misconduct after making headlines for the third time in two years.
The Jan. 15 firing of former university president Mark Schlissel is what has launched the university into public criticism. On the same day, U of M released a 118-page document filled with Schlissel’s emails to one of his subordinates, which revealed an inappropriate relationship between the two spanning several years. The correspondence ranges from travel itineraries to sexual innuendos. Schlissel even forwarded the woman, referred to as “Individual 1,”a New Yorker article entitled “Sexual Fantasies of Everyday New Yorkers.” U of M’s transparency with the emails is admirable and supports the University of Michigan Board of Regents’ unanimous vote to fire Schlissel.
In July of 2020, U of M fired Provost Martin Philbert for sexual harassment. In an address to the board following Philbert’s firing and amending how future situations of the sort were to be dealt with, Schlissel said:
“That’s exceptionally important because of the power dynamic…It makes it difficult sometimes for folks to effectively say no, then you put an employee in a very difficult circumstance.”
The irony would be more humorous if the well-being of people at a power disadvantage weren’t jeopardized.
Historically, U of M has been nothing short of embarrassing when it comes to dealing with situations involving sexual misconduct.
Robert Anderson, a former university sports doctor, was the head of the University Health Service and an Athletic Department Team Physician. He served from 1966 to 2003. Within this time frame, Anderson sexually molested numerous patients, according to the independent report from a law firm, WilmerHale, commissioned by U of M.
Robert Julian Stone, one of Anderson’s victims, allegedly told school officials about various acts Anderson committed and filed a lawsuit. A report released in March 2020 shows that U of M officials knew there were accusations made against Anderson as early as 1975. A former associate vice president of student services, Thomas Easthope, tried to fire Anderson. In his federal testimony, Easthope said that Henry Johnson, vice president of student services at the time, overruled the decision despite knowing about Anderson’s abuse.
Only this week did U of M reach a $490 million settlement to be shared among the 1,050, mostly men, who claimed they were sexually abused by Anderson.
Some of Anderson’s victims appeared outside of the most recent president’s house, and have even spoken out about the ridiculous nature of the entire scandal. The U of M campus is once again up in a fury about the culture that is so evidently displayed by those in power there. A culture of dismissing victims, abusing power, and pushing mistreatment under the rug like dust. The higher education system makes a fool out of itself with every passing year, whether through admission discrepancies, insanely unaffordable tuition rates, gimmicks for majors, and criminal stunts. What happened was undoubtedly disappointing. What was done as a result is hopeful.
If every case were treated with swift decision-making and definitive verdicts the way Schlissel’s was, the fear about coming forward with future allegations would be lessened. The more that victims of abuse see these situations being handled properly, the more likely they are to take action in their own cases.
Schlissel talked the talk about power dynamics as he was leveraging his own. His case should be an impetus for universities to pay more attention to what goes on right under their noses. Institutions should brush up on how they are making resources accessible for students and faculty members to reach out if needed.
