[ad_1]
As University of Michigan students begin their classes for the academic year and the first day of fall approaches, The Michigan Daily breaks down major University administration developments from over the summer.
Gaza Solidarity Encampment
U-M students set up a Gaza solidarity encampment on the Diag April 22, similar to those on other campuses across the country. The encampment was organized by the TAHRIR Coalition, a group consisting of more than 90 pro-Palestine student organizations such as Students Allied for Freedom and Equality and the U-M chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace. The encampment was removed by law enforcement on May 20 after the University fire marshal declared the encampment to be a fire hazard.
SAFE wrote that the police who removed the encampment used “violent force and pepper spray” to remove students in a May 21 Instagram post. During the encampment sweep, police arrested four protesters, which was followed by protests outside Washtenaw County Jail on May 21.
Protesters demonstrate at Regents’ properties
Student protesters took their divestment campaign to the doorsteps of the University’s Board of Regents in May. About 30 U-M students traveled to Lansing where they marched on Regent Sarah Hubbard’s driveway, chanting “Regent Hubbard you can’t hide, you are funding genocide.” The demonstration was organized by the TAHRIR Coalition.
Tents were placed on her front lawn along with fake body bags covered in artificial blood. Protesters visited the residences of other board members but did not stage protests on their lawns.
Protesters also taped lists of demands onto the home doors of Hubbard and other U-M regents, according to Bridge Michigan.
LSA Dean Curzan steps down
LSA Dean Anne Curzan stepped down from her administrative position to return to a position as a U-M faculty member. Her five-year term as dean ended on June 30, and she decided not to seek reappointment.
During her tenure as dean, Curzan created the Program in Computing for the Arts and Sciences and supported the University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion by creating the Disability Navigator Pilot Program, which works to identify and address workplace issues impacting LSA employees who have a disability.
Curzan’s successor, former psychology professor Rosario Ceballo, began her position as LSA dean on Aug. 15. In an email to The Daily, Ceballo wrote that she is honored to return to the University to serve as the new dean and will prioritize listening to the U-M community.
“My most immediate priority is to listen,” Ceballo wrote. “I want to meet and talk with as many students, faculty and staff as I can and learn about what is on people’s minds.”
In Curzan’s email announcement to LSA faculty, staff and graduate students, she wrote that she is ready for her next chapter at the University. She is currently taking a sabbatical for the first time since 2007.
Nursing professor fired after Title IX investigation
Nursing professor Robert Stephenson was dismissed by the Board of Regents on July 18, ending his tenure. Stephenson had been on administrative leave since May 2023 while the Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX office investigated sexual harassment allegations from two of Stephenson’s former students.
The ECRT investigation concluded that Stephenson sexually harassed two Nursing students and attempted to interfere with the investigation by destroying evidence and forging documents.
U-M RAs unionize
U-M Residential Staff unionized in August after a 148 to 8 vote.
The union — named the ResStaff Allied Organization — will now be able to bargain with the University’s administration on behalf of Residential Advisors, Diversity Peer Educators and ResStaff Coordinators.
There are currently no harassment protections or legal mechanisms in place for RAs’ safety. Implementing these protections is one of RAO’s top priorities, along with universal pay stipends and free laundry for all residents.
The University alters student rights and responsibilities
The University Board of Regents voted to change the University’s Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities, which outlines policies on nonacademic misconduct, following months of pro-Palestine protests on campus. The process was altered to follow a 45-day timeline — instead of having no specific deadline — and involve fewer individuals in the appeals process.
The University now has the ability to act as a complainant against students. Before the statements’ amendments were approved, complaints had to be filed by an individual U-M student, faculty or staff member.
In an email to The Daily, University spokesperson Colleen Mastony wrote that the updates were only meant to clarify the SSRR and ensure the disciplinary process occurs in a fair and timely manner. However, Rebekah Modrak, Art & Design professor and Senate Assembly chair, wrote in an email to The Daily that she believes the changes will harm student protesters and give the administration too much power over the complaint process.
“The SSRR changes are chilling speech,” Modrak wrote. “It is inevitable and probably intended that students will be afraid to protest knowing that the University now controls the complaint process. There’s slim-to-no chance of a student hearing, and the faculty/student/staff appeal panel has been eliminated. Goodbye jury of peers. We’ve regressed to pre-American Revolution jurisprudence where a single judge decides a case, often on political expediency.”
Michigan Medicine patient information leaked after a cyberattack
In July, Michigan Medicine notified nearly 57,000 patients that their information may have been leaked in cyberattacks on May 23 and May 29. Three employee emails were compromised and some compromised emails and attachments contained identifiable patient and insurance guarantor information. The email accounts were disabled immediately once Michigan Medicine became aware of the cyberattacks.
In its investigation, Michigan Medicine did not find evidence that the attacks were intended to obtain patient health information.
The regents passed the FY25 budget
The Board of Regents approved the University’s budget for 2024-25 in June. The budget includes a 2.9% increase in tuition for in-state undergraduates and a 4.9% increase for out-of-state undergraduate and graduate students. The current inflation rate as of July 2024 is 2.9%. Costs for University Health Services and housing rates also increased.
While prices are increasing, University Provost Laurie McCauley said at the June board meeting that the budget will also fund $390 million in financial aid, with $30 million going toward cost containment.
Daily Staff Reporter Ava Chatlosh can be reached at chatlosh@umich.edu.
Related articles
[ad_2]
Source link
