2019 REPORT: U of Michigan Sees Drop in Sexual Misconduct Claims
The University of Michigan has seen a drop in the number of sexual misconduct reports involving students, faculty and staff in 2019. UM’s Office for Institutional Equity (OIE) released two separate annual reports Monday, Nov. 11 – one for students and another it began issuing last year for faculty and staff, noting that recent fluctuations in volume correlate with awareness efforts surrounding the #MeToo movement.
The OIE received 178 reports of possible sexual misconduct by faculty and staff during the 2019 fiscal year, compared to 235 the previous year. Reports of student-prohibited conduct, on the other hand, decreased from 277 to 272, while reports of sexual assault decreased by about 15%, from 149 to 126. The report also noted that UM’s revised policies have resulted in a “higher than usual” number of people who have sought an alternative resolution, rather than a full investigative process with a live hearing. In each instance, the request was granted and UM’s Title IX Coordinator facilitated, with the complainant’s consent, an adaptable resolution – a voluntary, remedies-based resolution method that “balances support and accountability without formal disciplinary action against a respondent.” Under its interim policy, UM expanded the circumstances under which adaptable resolution is available to students.
UM revised the policy in October 2018, implementing an interim policy in light of a ruling from the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals against UM. The ruling mandated that public universities must give accused students an in-person hearing where they or their adviser can cross-examine the accuser and witnesses.
msn.com-M. Slagter
