The University of Michigan reaches large settlement in longtime sexual abuse case
Credit: From Wikipedia Commons
The University of Michigan is a very well known college. U of M has ranked 23 overall for all private and public colleges.
March 15, 2022
According to the Washington Post, the University of Michigan has reached a $490 million settlement to resolve sexual assault claims and lawsuits from over 1 thousand people.
This settlement covers claims from former football players and students who were assaulted by Robert E. Anderson, a sports doctor for the school from 1966 to 2003, who died in 2008. Four hundred sixty million is to go to the current survivors, with the other thirty million to be used in future claims against Anderson.
The university had failed to act on complaints against Anderson dating back to 1975, near the beginning of the repeated pattern of abuse. Most of the people who reported Anderson were men, but multiple women have also come forward.
The more recent investigation into Anderson was sparked by a letter sent to Warde Manuel, the current Michigan athletic director, from Tad DeLuca talking about the sexual assault. According to a timeline put out by Mlive, DeLuca had originally sent a first letter in 1975 reporting Anderson, but nothing was done. While Anderson resigned as the director of the health department, he remained on staff.
“I think that they could take more concrete steps, more preventative steps, rather than steps that try to fix the harm that’s already been done. I would rather see steps that could help Michigan take accountability and make sure that something like this doesn’t happen again,” said senior Telise Clemente, a senior who is planning on going to Michigan after graduation.
The college’s failure to properly handle the situation when it was repeatedly reported and complained about enabled Anderson to continue his assault, creating more victims and worsening the situation.
“I think colleges overall have a tendency to not take sexual assault and harassment claims as seriously as they should,” said senior Sagan Barber, another Michigan-bound student.
The university recently fired it’s president for an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.
This comes after a former settlement that was given to eight women who claimed sexual abuse against another former University of Michigan staff member, further reinforcing the new reputation on Michigan. The school could now be more commonly connected to its shortcomings after its multiple recent scandals.
“People should feel safe where they go to college, and this may cause some people to not feel safe,” Barber said. “With the end of the school year approaching fast and seniors applying to colleges, U of M could face a lower application rate from current high school students. If students are looking for a college to apply to, they could be put off by the alarming amount of sexual assault acusations that weren’t dealt with or taken seriously by the administration.”
