Earlier this month, flyers were posted on the University of Michigan campus accusing Raymond McDaniel, a UM lecturer in English, of deliberately spreading STDs to students. ìBeware!!!î the flyers warned; below the warning was a photo of McDaniel and his name. Beneath that were two accusations--ìSeduces Students,î ìKnowingly Transmits STDsî--and a final warning to ìAvoid at all costs!î

The Michigan Daily covered the story, noting on March 5 that the campus police were investigating the case as an instance of non-criminal harassment and that the university was conducting its own, independent investigation--one that implicitly accepted the flyers' scandalous accusations as statements of fact:

Separate from DPSí investigation, the University is conducting its own review of the situation, University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said. Though she said the University couldnít comment on the accusations made on the flyer, she emphasized that the University encourages victims of sexual harassment to report their complaints in general.

ìThe University does not tolerate sexual harassment,î Peterson said. ìThe University does not tolerate coercive relationships.î

Students with sexual harassment complaints are encouraged to visit Human Resource Development or the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center.

To deal with sexual harassment and relationships between students and faculty, the University has been working on adopting a new policy to better manage such relationships.

ìThe new policy will continue to discourage faculty-student relations,î Peterson said. ìHowever if the relations exist and if the faculty (teaches or advises) the student, the faculty member will have to disclose the relationship. Our priority is the educational environment. There is an inherent conflict of interest in faculty-student relations.î

However, faculty-student relationships will be irrelevant to the University if the faculty member is not teaching, advising or supervising the student in any way, Peterson said.

The new policy is expected to be adopted sometime this semester, she added.

Itís not being investigated as a criminal matter. It appears to be a one-time incident. We have closed the case,î said Lt. Robert Neumann, head of criminal investigations for DPS.

Neumann said if the postings continue, it could develop into a more serious case and DPS would resume investigations.

ìIf somebody engaged in a pattern of harassing conduct against somebody, then it could fit the definition of stalking. But at this time, that is not what we have,î Neumann said, in reference to the flyers.

University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said the University cannot continue investigation of the case because no students have come forward and the flyers were posted anonymously.

ìRight now we do not have a complaint from a student besides for the anonymous flyers. That does not give us the opportunity to conduct a formal investigation,î Peterson said.

Unless another student complains of harassment by McDaniel, the University will not investigate the incident further, Peterson added.

ìThereís really no basis on which to pursue it at this time,î she said.

So does the reporter's singular omission: nowhere in the second article does the reporter mention that the reason the investigation was closed was because the flyers had been found to be a hoax. McDaniel's name is not cleared in the article, though it ought to have been; the weight of accusation is not lifted, and he is made to continue to bear the burden of a public smear. Instead of noting the most important fact to date--that the accusations against McDaniel were false--the article concludes on a note very like the one that concluded the original article, with information about where to go if you are being sexually harassed, and with quotes from McDaniel's students about how it feels to be taking a class from a teacher who has been labelled a serial sexual predator:

ìObviously now that this has happened youíre going to think twice about being in his class, just like youíre going to think about being in any maleís classroom. But he doesnít worry me in particular,î the student said.

But the student, an LSA freshman, said she had personally not encountered any uncomfortable situation with McDaniel, nor had she heard of any similar encounters with other students.

ìThe overall opinion is being surprised. Now everyone thinks about it in class, but weíre not uncomfortable now. You still think about it in the back of your mind,î she said.

Peterson said if a student feels that they need guidance about a possible harassment, or wishes to file a report, they can do so anonymously at several locations throughout the University.

One resource for students is the Office of Institutional Equity, a part of the Universityís Human Resources and Affirmative Action division, which can provide anonymous assistance to potential victims of sexual harassment. The office ó which was created by a recent merger of the Sexual Harassment Policy Office and the Office for a Multicultural Community ó prepares reports and conducts investigations into reported cases of harassment.

Another resource, the Sexual Assault and Prevention Awareness Center, also assists victims and offers advice.

ìIf a student feels they have a concern, they should definitely come forward to one of those offices,î Peterson said.

Last week, the Daily published an article about some flyers that were posted around campus in the early hours of Thursday morning (ëU,í DPS finish flyer investigation, 03/12/04). These flyers contained accusations of sexual harassment by a member of the faculty. Although you included details that might help the readers of the Daily understand that this was a prank ó you described people wandering around in the bushes at 3:15 in the morning, to which one might add that three women who were connected with the flyers were also seen in Alice Lloyd Hall dressed in dark clothes with masks on ó you did not make it clear that this flyer was a hoax. Because you named the faculty member, you should also have made it clear that no complaint has ever been filed against this person. By naming him, you were exposing him to unnecessary embarrassment, and, by doing so, simply forwarding the aim of the perpetrators of this cruel hoax.

David Potter

Director, Lloyd Hall Scholars Program

Martha Vicinus

Director, Sweetland Writing Center