Too many universities have experienced institutional betrayal in the form of sexual misconduct by high-ranking administrators, doctors, or coaches. The University of Michigan is among these schools. In January 2020 U-M’s provost was abruptly terminated after overwhelming evidence of his sexual predation came to light. Shortly after that, decades of abuses of athletes by a sports doctor working for U-M surfaced. The university responded by changing policies and procedures. These changes were necessary but could not repair the harms to the community of these betrayals. To contribute to healing, U-M’s new Prevention Education, Assistance and Resources (PEAR) Department led by Kaaren Williamsen worked with Elizabeth A. Armstrong and other researchers affiliated with U-M’s Institute for Research on Women and Gender to plan and host a conference. The event, which brought together almost 300 practitioners, students, faculty, staff, and administrators – some of whom were also survivors –focused on individual and collective healing and sharing novel approaches to prevention and response.

Across two days of workshops and panels, researchers and practitioners focused on how power and hierarchy create opportunities for the abuse of power and on ways to respond to harms in ways that restore and transform institutions. Like the Center for Institutional Courage, U-M’s team views interdisciplinary research as key to preventing and responding to gender-based violence. Conference sessions were designed around translating research into policy and practice.

Highlights included a plenary conversation about transformative justice in response to gender-based violence with Xhercis Méndez, associate professor of women’s and gender studies at California State University, Fullerton, and closing remarks by Rebecca Campbell, professor of psychology at Michigan State University. Both offered insights from the perspective of sustained commitments to this work. Dr. Méndez asked us to think about what kinds of responses address root causes of harm and to prioritize healing and support for not only the person harmed, but the person causing harm. Dr. Campbell, whose expertise has been called upon by multiple organizations in crisis, identified barriers to organizational change she has encountered over the course of her work.

Sessions provided attendees with skills to take into their professional and personal lives within and beyond the university. For example, a 4-hour workshop on Circle Processes led by Carrie Landrum, Adaptable Resolution & Restorative Practices Lead in the Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX Office, provoked one attendee to report that they intended to “Apply [what they learned] to my campus by re-evaluating our current circle process and informal resolution processes.”

The event centered the experiences of survivors, with a much-appreciated poetry writing workshop facilitated by Zoë Brigley (Thompson) from Ohio State University and a photography exhibit created by U-M alumna Laura Sinko. The exhibit explored survivorship and the healing journeys of women who experienced sexual assault or dating violence while on a college campus.

A takeaway from the event is that institutional courage is hard – and impossible to sustain alone. Change work requires community – and building this community requires investment. We were personally re-energized and transformed by this event. We are hopeful that this event will spark research and interventions that will create a more equitable university.