After the Michigan Daily published the story of a School of Music, Theatre & Dance student’s experience reporting a Graduate Student Instructor for sexual assault, University of Michigan Marching Band alumni are diverting money from donations to SMTD and MMB towards sexual assault awareness programs instead.
A GoFundMe campaign started last night at 7 p.m., and has already surpassed its goal of raising $1,972 for the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center at U-M. The donation total is growing as The Daily writes this update. At the time of publication, there are more than 412 shares on Facebook, 74 donations, and a total of $2,182 raised.
The campaign organizers decided the fundraising goal would represent the year that women were first allowed to join the Michigan Marching Band in 1972.
“We have always donated to the MMB hoping that more students will have the life changing experience that we had as members of the MMB,” MMB alumni Donald and Heidi Amadek wrote on the campaign page. “Our experience was not sexual assault. For an organization dedicated to music, a tone deaf response is unacceptable, and we hope that by donating to SAPAC that we can show the victims that we hear them, believe them and support them.”
As the GoFundMe trends, campaign organizers wrote they hope to put pressure on STMD and MMB to act in the best interests of students.
“Now, as alumni, we compel the MMB and SMTD to hold themselves to those same high standards and set an example for all members of the University of Michigan community that there is no place for sexual harassment and assault on our campus,” the campaign reads.
This is a developing story. Check back at michigandaily.com for more updates.