Anonymous groups visited the private homes of University of Michigan faculty members to intimidate them over their reported ties to a planned computing center near Ypsilanti, Faculty Senate Chair Kentaro Toyama disclosed in his Tuesday, Sept. 1 newsletter.

Toyama, the W. K. Kellogg Professor of Community Information, said he was alarmed by the incidents. The visits were reportedly linked to the faculty members' association with the UM-LANL computing center, a $1.25 billion partnership between U-M and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The newsletter was the first Faculty Senate Chair communication of the fall 2026 semester.

"Such conduct is exactly what SACUA has already condemned as unacceptable," Toyama wrote. "Our sympathies are with the affected families."

The newsletter left key details out. It did not identify how many faculty members were targeted, when the visits occurred or who was behind them. No statement from the U-M administration on the incidents has been made public.

The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs (SACUA) had already adopted a statement against doxxing and intimidation unanimously at its Jan. 12 meeting. That statement, brought forward by SACUA members Jesse Capecelatro and Kirsten Herold, warned that university community members had increasingly faced threats related to their work, research, teaching and extra-mural speech. The threats included the publicizing of home addresses and home visits meant to intimidate.

SACUA called targeting individuals with threats or intimidation unacceptable and said it undermines academic freedom. The committee urged all university community members to commit to civil dialogue and the resolution of differences through discussion.

The computing center has drawn opposition since U-M announced Aug. 11 that it selected a 144-acre parcel on Textile Road in Ypsilanti Township as the preferred site. The project would involve computational modeling for nuclear stewardship, helping ensure the safety of the nation's nuclear stockpile without live testing, according to Michigan Public. The Textile Road site borders the Huron River and a public park.

U-M is scheduled to hold a second community town hall on Thursday, Oct. 1 to discuss the computing center plans, MLive reported.